Title: School Bus issues [CO]

Question:
My partner has two kids (Thing1, Thing2) = (TT) from a previous marriage. In the last few months they've had three separate incidents that make her and the kiddos dad doubt their safety.

1. Kid talking at the school after boarding for the day were removed. District policy states kids are allowed to talk at a reasonable level and a first offense for loud/ disruptive talking is not removal from the bus. The kid kicked off wasn't talking, and the one talking was the one who got other kid in trouble.

2. Kids talking between leaving school and first stop. School bus became worried and made all kids get off at first stop. Kids as young as 10 years old were a few miles away and the only reason they made it home was because some older kids helped them.

3. Bullying on school bus partners TT, and driver refused to help. Kid gets off at wrong stop to continue bullying, takes property from Thing1 and throws it into the sewer.

The first incident didn't directly affect TT but made them worried they'd be kicked off for doing nothing wrong. Then two weeks later it happened to them. I did a bunch of research after the first incident and found the following information:

https://www.cde.state.co.us/transportation
https://www.cde.state.co.us/transportation/finaltransportationoperationruleseffectivejuly82016
https://www.adams12.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/1.5.1%20At%20the%20Bus%20Stop.pdf
https://www.adams12.org/departments/transportation

Which state things like: "17.11 School transportation vehicle operators shall not relocate a student stop without approval of the school district or service provider. " (what happened for instance 1 and 2.
With the rules for conduct:
On the Bus: "Talk quietly (so the driver will not be distracted)"

I also noticed that in training it mentions in the sections for syllabus on how to handle students, but unlike all the other sections it omits this.

I brought this up to partner, and TT dad. He had already contacted them being incredibly pissed that this all happened. He contacted the transportation manager for the district and left a voice mail. Next day  he gets a reply from V. Principle of school and no reply from anybody higher. With nothing other than they will work with transportation and look into the video tape that is on bus. TT dad called trans manager again between then and today and left another message. Then again today emailed the school for followup. VP replied saying there was no real update and to contact the trans manager.

It appears the bus driver violated Colorado law by forcing all kids off. The bus requires a special RFID coded badge for loading/ unloading of children and there's video tape. But it's been 2 weeks without any contact or discussion. What is the next step? This is the school that my daughter will eventually go to, and I think this is absolutely dangerous. If this driver also drives elementary kids (real possibility based on when the schools get out), imagine what would happen if a kindergartener were forced off due to a 5th grader being an asshole.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Go to your school board.  How old are these kids that are being kicked off the bus miles from home?


Title: How will my Child Support be effected from my daughter moving out on her own?

Question:
I live in Onondaga County, New York State. I have a Child Support order for three children, with the same woman. My children are 19, 15, and 9. My oldest had been living with me for over a year now. She just got an apartment with her BF, and is moving out. I have just continued paying the Child Support to the mom, as I didn't want to mess with the calculation.

The Child Support order was setup about six years ago, and the amount hasn't changed, despite my income increasing by about 25% of what it was then.

SO my questions are, can I request removing her from the Child Support order? Will this result in a complete recalculation of my obligation? Will she just automatically "drop off" soon anyway? If they do recalculate, will I be subject to arrears based on prior pay increases?

One huge issue with my pay is that we bid jobs, which we keep for three to six months. Some times I get high paying jobs, and other times not so much.. So if I do end up getting a calculation on my current pay, it could kill me in June when I get a much lower paying job.

Answer:
 Your situation is complex enough that you should consult with an attorney in NY before doing anything.  This is worth your time and money for an hour-long consultation.  Answer #2: You should have gotten the custody and child support updated when the child(ren) moved in with you. Now your going to have a mess.Answer #3: IANAL but I would read your divorce decree that was set up to determine child support.

Alot of times they will tell you when the child support amounts change, which in my state I believe is when they turn 18 or finish high school which ever occurs later.


Title: My workplace is quietly considering a dress code that hints at targeting women. (California)

Question:
I work in a local public agency, everyone except maybe the director is unionized.

It’s a professional office, more engineering/IT centered and it just so happens most of the seniors and principals are male because in the 90s when they all started here to work their way up, there were fewer women in our area of work.

The head of marketing and one operations manager are female.

People wear business casual and even jeans, sneakers even, but when there’s special meetings or board meetings etc even the more casual people do dress up. We all have construction steel toed boot allowances though some of us seldom use the boots, since most of our work is done in an office. If we have to go to a facility we have safety gear protocols to follow.

Our union rep was given a copy of a draft policy for a dress code here.

Some of the points include disallowing any open toed shoes, which would solely affect women since men would not wear sandals here. Peep toe pumps/heels or wedges are common office attire for women. Again, if particular footwear is required, we have shoes given to us for that.

Another one was dress lengths to be mid-calf.

Another one said no see through shirts. Even a chiffon blouse with a tank beneath or men’s button up dress shirt could even border on that.

The rumor of this policy even being created is that the head of marketing has butted heads with her black female subordinate who’s worn a rapper t shirt with a blazer and jeans on casual Friday. There’s a few guys in IT and field ops (while not in field) who basically wear right wing political statement t shirts which I thought toed the line but unless they’re wearing that in public representing us, it’s not right to tell them not to. People have political posters or bumper stickers on their desks too, not really something I think should be censored even if I disagree with their political message. I only mention this in case it may or may not be relevant.

I believe the only dress code policies we’ve had have been no shorts or flip flops or “athletic wear” (technically a golf polo would fall under this?) but otherwise nothing specific.

Can this be stopped? By employees? Unions? Lawsuit? Retaliation (my black female employee?)
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 >Can this be stopped? By employees? Unions? Lawsuit? Retaliation (my black female employee?)

Those are all common and reasonable dress code requirements.  Take it up with your union.Answer #2: > There’s a few guys in IT and field ops (while not in field) who basically wear right wing political statement t shirts which I thought toed the line but unless they’re wearing that in public representing us, it’s not right to tell them not to.

That's a very post-2000 perspective. Even as late as the mid-90s, these guys might well be facing termination for wearing anything less than a dress shirt and slacks.

Instating a "professional attire" dress code isn't legally contentious, and dress codes _may_ provide different standards for male and female attire so long as the differences do not create an undue burden or substantial differences in treatment. Your union rep is best positioned to advise you, and if enough of you feel strongly about it you might be able to push on the union to add it to your collective agreement, but the most likely future for you is business casual attire.


Title: Somebody just stole $1000 from our account. 99% sure we know who it is

Question:
I casually checked our checking account this morning and saw that somebody had taken a total of $1000 from our account via atm. This was all done from various locations (gas stations I'm guessing) within the area.

For a little background on how we are pretty sure this came about and who the culprit likely is:

My wife and I both have a debit card for our checking account. She lost hers about a month ago. When she loses things that usually means it is lost in our house or in her car. We could not find it however and so two weeks ago she ordered a replacement to be sent to our address.

The thing is we moved from our old house a little over a month ago. We are now at a new address and any mail going to us should have been forwarded or go straight to our new address. Even if the new card went to our old address it is a locked box and NOBODY can get to it except for the postman and the people we sold our house to who have the key.

Given the situation I am 99% sure it was the people who we sold our house to. One could argue that it was my wife's old lost card that is being used to take money BUT what are the chances this card that has been missing for a month is just suddenly being used at the exact time that a replacement would shows up? Besides that, they need to know the pin # which would have been sent along with the replacement card to our old address. Why it wouldn't have been sent to our new address? I have no idea.

So I'm posting this because I have to wait until the bank opens tomorrow to talk to them and curious if anyone knows how the banks typically approach this and how a police report may work.

We called an emergency number to cancel all debit cards with that number (that's all this number can do).

Tomorrow I plan on asking them how to get our money back and if they are filing a police report or if I need to. Like I said, all fingers point to the people who bought my old house, but even so can it really be proven?

Thanks ahead of time

Answer: Bank should be able to tell which card was used. All debit cards have unique ids, even replacements.


Title: What kind of person like a therapist has the highest level of training, but isn't a mandated reporter?

Answer:
 Lots of people have high levels of training.

But anyone who is licensed as a therapist, counselor, doctor, medical professional, social worker, or any related field is going to be a mandated reporter.Answer #2: The *secretary* at my school is a mandated reporter. I'm guessing that just about anyone who has any "high level" of training is one as well.


Title: Employee ADA Accommodations questions, Maryland

Question:
Hello.  My wife began working for her current employer a small handful of years ago.  During this period, she has developed a painful and debilitating disability.

She commutes to work through traffic, which takes her 2 hours or slightly more per day, total.  The commute exacerbates her symptoms.

She is a good worker, her reviews by her supervisor have all been shining.  She exceeds her required numbers, and to be honest I think she cares much more about doing a good job than most of the other people there.

About a year ago, when her symptoms were beginning to become very noticeable, she went to her supervisor to tell her she was going to make a formal request to work a day from home (at this workplace, this is something that is viable and while not typical, not completely uncommon either).  Her supervisor told her that was unnecessary and that she could just have the one remote day per week.

Recently, she decided to put in a formal request with HR for 2 remote days per week.  She explained her reasons why, I am not sure what they were, but I imagine they make sense.  I know at least one of the reasons was that the commute makes her symptoms worse.

HR reviewed her request and informed her that they had set up a meeting with her, the head boss of the organization, and her supervisor.  At the meeting, they discussed her disability with her, including asking her about what steps she had taken to deal with her condition.  The HR person announced that they "have the exact same condition" (it's a pretty variable condition), and that "they are able to manage it fine".  At minimum, I think this meeting sounds inappropriate.  But I can't help but suspect that some elements of this is actually illegal.

Anyways, they denied her request.  Furthermore, what's actually pretty disturbing, is that they informed her that they are taking away her current remote day that they give her.

Their justification for denying the request is that her supervisor is unable to supervise someone who has remote days.  The supervisor admits that she meets her numbers, does everything that is expected of her and more, and informs her supervisor of all the work she does on her remote days (my wife's idea, not her supervisor's), and is available to be contacted at any time on her remote days to answer questions or take direction.  The supervisor does not seem to be able to give any further explanation on her inability to supervise someone who works any remote days.

So, on to the actual questions:

1.)  Were they breaking any laws in that meeting?
2.)  Can they deny the accommodations request for the given reasons?

Thank you.

Answer: Does she have a letter from a doctor saying it would be beneficial for her to work remotely X days a week?


Title: Bought a "refurbished" Microsoft Surface Pro 4 from a major retailer; Microsoft store says it's counterfeit

Question:
I bought a "refurbished" Surface Pro 4 from a major electronics retailer for my online classes. First sign of trouble was that the battery crapped out immediately after purchase ( within 2 weeks). No big deal, I thought. The tablet came with a service number on it; I called the number several times during usual business hours (on weekdays and between 10am-5pm) and they never once picked up the phone or returned my call. OK, I figured I could just take it to the Microsoft store. Turns out, they couldn't find the device anywhere in their system. The associate at the store told me that the fact that it was refurbished should make no difference, and that since they couldn't find it in their system, the device is probably counterfeit.

&#x200B;

I tried to return the product, they wouldn't give me a refund, even though I told them what the Microsoft employee told me. Now, I have limped along with this thing for 2 semesters, unable to afford to fix the battery let alone get a new computer. I have to be constantly plugged in, or else the thing just shuts off; this has resulted in the loss of a lot of work. Keep in mind, I am an online student, so all my tests take place online, and if I get disconnected while the test is active, it automatically submits. I have in fact failed tests because of it getting disconnected. So at this point, my losses have been compounded, and I'm in danger of failing.

&#x200B;

What, if any, kind of legal recourse do I have for something like this? Can I at least sue for the cost of a new tablet? I also feel the added stress of having to repeat work, and worrying about failing my courses should be taken into account as well. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 The issues with your grades are secondary and not directly caused by the issue with the potentially counterfeit computer.

It also seems like you're making the jump that the SP4 is counterfeit based solely off of the conjecture of one retail employee. Have you tried entering the serial number into Microsoft's [own warranty checker tool?](https://mybusinessservice.surface.com/en-US/CheckWarranty/CheckWarranty)


Title: Scam artist strikes again!

Question:
Long story but the basics are: Me and this girl 'L' go back to elementary school. She has been in foster care her whole life. She has stolen from me and quite a few other people all through elementary and middle school( iPhones, laptop, money, books, makeup.. Anything she can get her hands on!). She stole my wallet and another girls wallet in the same day last year. My wallet was recovered, other wallet was not. L told her foster mom that I 'gave her the wallet to hang onto'. Uh, NO. I charge her with theft. Whatever. L steals donations from 'ABC cancer foundation' last year, gets away with it because there is no real proof. Last month, L sets up a GoFundMe in support of a local teenager who is undergoing cancer treatments and is very sick. L had no permission to do that, and the cancer patient had no idea she did it. L raises $200, and uses to the money on her own purchases. Cancer patient charges her with fraud but the cops don't really care because it's so little amount. Yesterday there was a great long article in the newspaper about L, and how she is doing so much to help other people in foster care that are turning 18 (at 18 you are given the boot out of care and no one is responsible for you except yourself). She is turning 18 very soon, and is asking for donations for her to get her own place and furnishings. People are donating money and furniture to L, and saying how much of a sweet, amazing young girl L is. If I share the article on Facebook and warn people of what she has done, is this considered slander or in anyway illegal ? I'm 18, and I have a 'stay away' order against her, this is driving me crazy, there is no way any donations will support anyone but her own greed! I am in PEI Canada. Some details have been slightly altered, just cause. Thanks in advance!

I can't figure out formatting, sorry for the wall of text!
To clear things up: L has to 'stay away' from me, I have not done anything to her. Every time I try to cut her completely out of my life, something like this happens and she's back. She's like a bad fucking dream that just won't go! ITo driving me crazy that she is getting away with this.

Answer:
 Looks like you have a lot of unsubstantiated accusations against this person, and for some reason, a personal vendetta. The "stay away" order speaks volumes. It probably says more about you than you did about her.    Time to move on.Answer #2: >If I share the article on Facebook and warn people of what she has done, is this considered slander or in anyway illegal ? I'm 18, and I have a 'stay away' order against her, this is driving me crazy,

I think you could end up getting in serious trouble by doing this.  You might have a defense (not sure either way) against any criminal or civil charges but I really don't think you want to be put in the position of having to legally defend yourself.

You're asking for advice, my advice is to forget about this person.  Ignore her, block anything about her from your Facebook, don't talk to friends about her, and do your best to forget about her.  **She is poison for you!!**Answer #3: If you write something defaming her character, it could be considered libelous unless you can prove that it's true.


Title: Can Buffet restaurants legally ban well-mannered customers for eating too much ?

Question:
When the customer simply eats repeatedly and does not disturb other people.

I'm sure the buffet restaurants charge the same price for small eaters, who are a lot more common than super heavy eaters.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 A buffet is private property. So long as the ban isn't on the basis of a protected class, they can ban anyone they want.Answer #2: What country, state, or province is the buffet in ?

In general in the USA, as long as such a ban is not a proxy for illegal discrimination, then the restaurant can refuse service to individual persons.

In some jurisdictions, a person's size could also be a protected class.

Most buffet restaurants have some [terms and conditions of service](https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-hidden-limits-of-the-all-you-can-eat-buffet) that also allow them to avoid individual margin-killing customers.Answer #3: In my state, most buffets now have a small sign on the price list that says "all you can eat is limited to 90 minutes".


Title: [Canada] Can a psychologist disclose to anyone insurer, that they have seen an specific individual?

Question: And what about an insurance company who covered those sessions, can that company disclose such a health claim to another insurer.  The other insurer is screening the individual for an insurance application?

Answer: The health insurance company does not see the full details of your visit if that's what you mean. They may see a diagnosis code or a prescription but they don't get a transcript of what you talk to the doctor about.


Title: (USA/Germany) I torrented on my extended family's wifi in Germany over vacation, and now we're in legal trouble.

Question: I vacationed in Germany about a month ago, and for part of the time I spent a few nights with some extended family there. Since I was bored for part of the time, I decided to open up Netflix and watch some of my favorite shows. However, the Netflix library in Germany had none of the shows that I liked, so stupid me decided to go ahead and stream them using Popcorn Time (an app that lets people stream torrents). Now they are in trouble because their internet provider reported their (actually my) activities to the movie studios, and they expect me to give a sworn statement that explains things. I don't want to have to pay any fines, or make enemies of any of my family/make them pay for what I did. What should I say in my statement that clears up the situation with minimal consequences?

Answer:
 >I don't want to have to pay any fines, or make enemies of any of my family/make them pay for what I did.

So you don't want to accept responsibility in any way, shape, or form?

>What should I say in my statement that clears up the situation with minimal consequences?

There is nothing you could possibly say that would result in the desired outcome.


Title: [SC] 18-year-old son charged with disobedience to law officer directing traffic (section 56-5-740). Question about this offense.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Hire an attorney and hope for the best. He is guilty of the charge so it will be an uphill fight. Hopefully an attorney can get the charges reduced


Title: MI - Our lease ends on Friday 6/17, landlord wants us gone and cleaned by 5 pm. I thought I had until 11:59pm of that day to be gone.

Answer: Jurisdiction dependent.  In mine, the law says 1PM on the last day of the tenancy if not otherwise specified in writing.


Title: How far do I (a witness) need to go for my testimony to matter? [WA]

Question:
Last week while I was working there was a spat at the store. As far as I know, a split couple met up in a public place at their lawyers' behest to discuss custody of their month (ish?) old daughter. When the mother got there with the baby, the dad simply snatched her and tried to walk out. He was being loud and violent and long story short, he threw himself on the ground while holding the infant and screaming that she pushed him. I was watching them closely and she absolutely did not.

The police came and took statements from us. I got a voicemail yesterday while I was working from an attorney wanting my witness testimony.

Can she not just get it from the police? I want to help this kid, but I dont want to get overly involved if I dont have to either. This is uncharted territory for me so I don't know how far I can go without getting into something Im not prepared for.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Your statement to the police probably is available to them, but there's nothing particularly wrong with wanting you to testify, as well. It's up to you whether to even consider it, right now - a request from an attorney is still just a request.

If they believe they need your testimony, they can ask the courts to authorize a subpoena. _That_ has teeth, and unless you can get it quashed, you need to attend and testify as ordered.


Title: Did my new employer break the law?

Question: I am diagnosed ADHD and and am prescribed vyvanse. For my current job when I'm randomly drug tested, the 3rd party always calls and the MRO requests proof and then reports to my employer that I passed. I just got a new job and took a pre employment drug test at a labcorp. While I was there I mentioned that I take a script and they informed me someone would contact me. Instead, Labcorp informed my new employer I failed the test for amphetamines. I was informed of this by my new employer which I find startling and now they want physicians note that I take this drug and am regularly monitored for it directly sent to them. I can and will get this note, not a problem. But it seems the new employer may have violated a few laws particularly ADA. Is this the case? I am not comfortable being forced in to disclosing my medical information to my new employer and feel a bit violated. I appreciate any help or tips. There is no end game here, I'm excited for the job. Just concerned about their procedures.

Answer:
 What you need to do, regardless of the employment issue, is call labcorp as soon as they are open (likely either Monday or tuesday). Drug testing companies like this are contracted to a plethora of businesses and a failed drug test will show up for the next [time period unknown, usually around 2yrs]. Some of the companies (DISA is one I am very familiar with and does this) shares the information with various databases/other drug test companies. It will come back to haunt you and make you lose other jobs.

Call their corporate number, provide your info, and then you will have to email your assigned "drug doctor" pictures of all of your prescriptions for proof. After this, it usually take 1-2 days for them to clear you in the system and have this removed from your "record". when you talk to your doctor or corpoeate, you can give them contact info for the company you applied for and ask them to contact the HR/safety department to inform them of your updated status.... then you might call the employer back to see if they would reconsider your application.

Source: Fired numerous people for this very reason as a DOT compliance manager, also got fired for failed drug test for Adderall, then "unfired" 4 hours later after speaking with the drug testing company.

TL; DR - call the company, send pics of your prescription or you can be "blacklisted" from future employment.


Title: Pedophile junior in highschool fetishizing freshman girls

Question: Hi, I have no idea where to post this but I need help to figure out how to help these girls being targeted at my school. So Long story short this 17-year-old junior has a girlfriend who is a freshman and is going around asking other freshmen girls to date him, meet with him at night to "talk", and threatening to kill himself if the girls don't like him back. He has been a creep for a while now but today he was invited to the same party as my friend he is targeting. So my friend is changing into her dress in the bathroom and he walked into her with her bra on, and supposedly didn't know that she was changing. But, he refused to leave after he saw her. It just makes me disgusted, I felt dirty when I read that and no one should have to go through that disgusting feeling, I can't imagine how she feels rn. He also commented "you're not old enough to get raped" I'm really worried about the naive young girls at my school, I don't want to wait until he rapes some girl and gets away with it. Can someone help me and tell me what is the best thing to do in this situation? He's also a compulsive lair. He hasn't done anything illegal \*yet\* but I want to prevent that from happening before its too late. These girls think nothing is wrong, they believe him when he says "sorry" and act like this isn't a big deal when it clearly is. Btw I'm a senior in hs. So, any advice on how to stop this boy from threatening and pressuring girls and how/ who to inform about this situation.

Answer:
 You probably want to stop calling him a "pedophile" before he sues you for defamation.

>I don't want to wait until he rapes some girl and gets away with it.

We don't arrest people for crimes they might commit in the future.


Title: About to rent a room off Craigslist. No rental/lease agreement. Need some suggestions on how to proceed.

Question:
Hello everyone,

I am located in Los Angeles, CA.

I've found a great room on Craigslist that I am hopefully going to be moving into on November 1st. There is 1 existing roommate who has lived there for about 8 years. So far he's the only person I've spoken with- I haven't spoke with the apartment manager or leasing company or anything like that yet.

Here's my concern:

- This is just a month-to-month rental, so the roommate stated I am not going to be put onto the lease (although he is currently on the lease). The roommate stated that by me giving him the Security Deposit, that automatically secures the room for me. Other than the rental application I've filled out, I don't actually have any other kind of documentation on the room, no rental agreement or contract or anything like that.

So what can I do to protect myself in this situation?

 I like the roommate and he seems like a trustworthy guy, but truth be told, I really don't know him all that well and this is just a random room that I've found on Craigslist, so I'm a little bit wary about just blindly handing over the Security Deposit and First Month's Rent without any real documentation that the room in the apartment is actually mine.

I've thought about just finding some sort of generic sublease agreement online and having him sign a copy, just so I have something in writing, but can anyone make any additional suggestions?

This isn't my first time renting my apartment, but it is my first time dealing solely with roommate and not the landlord or apartment manager, so I'm not too familiar with the process.

Answer:
 Once you're there and have established tenancy you have tenant's rights. He is your landlord, you, are his tenant. As a month-to-month tenant, you can be kicked out with 30 days notice (after a year this goes to 60 days) without any reason. This is whether you have a signed rental agreement or not. LA's RSO wouldn't apply to you (if I understand it correctly) even if the building is RSO.

If it were me I'd be concerned with whether or not he is allowed, on his lease, to sublet to you as your landlord. If not, he could be in violation of his lease and all of you could be evicted for that.


Title: Renter's insurance wont stop monthly charges despite us cancelling dozens of times over 2 years.

Question:
My wife and I got married two years ago. At that time we got insurance together and canceled our individual insurances. We also got a joint bank account, although we both kept our individual accounts open to ease the hypothetical transferring money to/from our respective families. In we reality we park $100 in each and never look at them.

A year ago I noticed that my wife's renter's insurance was still drafting a monthly charge from her account. No big deal - it took some work but my wife finally got through to them and got them to admit, in writing, they were supposed to cancel and would be refunding us the previous year's fees. I also notified her bank to stop processing charges from her insurance - but they said they could not do that (we could individually dispute each charge manually for a $30 fee... but the monthly charges are only $10).

Fast forward to last week when I decide to check in on our other accounts and find they've still been charging us and there's a MASSIVE overdraft fee because they've been trying to draft the account EVERY OTHER DAY for the last month - neither company notified us. We can't get a hold of her insurance company, we leave messages with the admin's but we can't get through to her actual agent.  Corporate is equally non-responsive.

I understand this is largely OUR fault for not monitoring these accounts more closely, but also her insurance company is continuing to charge us despite years of records of us wanting to/having canceled her insurance? Are their any other reasonable courses of action for us other than just closing that bank account if the insurance company continues to ghost us?

Answer:
 Report the insurance company to the state insurance commission.

Find a new bank who isn’t run by dumb dumbs.


Title: Breed Restrictions Not Equally Applied

Question:
I currently reside in Wisconsin. Today, I submitted paperwork for an emotional support animal, and the management is illegally denying me and making false accusations against me. However, I don't need advice on this aspect.

The reason they do not want me to have this dog is because of the breed. However, there is a dog of this breed in the apartment already, and I have them saying so in writing. I was reading a tenant resource website, and it said that breed restrictions are legal as long as they are being applied to everyone.

I know the other person's animal could be a service or emotional support animal, but if it's not, is it illegal for them to allow one dog of a certain breed but not others?

ETA: The lease we signed doesn't contain the pet addendum.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 The dog that is the same breed as yours could be a service animal, which has more protections than an emotional support animal.

Legally, you can go a few routes.  It appears you have been living there for awhile, so why not get another dog?


Title: Son being charged with terroristic threatening with snapchat frosting

Question:
My son just turned 18 and graduated school in very rural Kentucky- there are three stoplights in our entire county.

He has been dating a girl several years younger than himself for the last two school years- as he is graduating at 18, she has just turned 16. As my son has approached graduation, his relationship with his girlfriend has become strained, leading to a couple of breakup/get back togethers in the months leading up to now. They finally broke up for good, or so he claimed, last Thursday.

This is the part where many LAOPs post many extraneous details about how the girl is too young for him, etc. This is also where many LAOPs talk all kinds of smack about the ex girlfriend. Kids are dumb and they do dumb shit- this is all I will say and I will leave it at that.

We were having a graduation party for my son this past Saturday and all appeared to be going well. At some point during the party the ex girlfriend started sending my son snapchat messages taunting him about her new boyfriend, who was, apparently until recently, one of his friends. Then the new boyfriend started sending other snapchat messages. We were present to him receiving these- they were taunting and abusive. After the party apparently they got very nasty indeed and my son ended up threatening to kill them. He was arrested and charged with terroristic threatening, third degree.

I am in no way attempting to defend my son's actions- they were illegal. My question, as I have no idea how snapchat works, is in regards to the videos that the ex girlfriend has posted on her page or whatever apparently detailing how she has been cheating on him with the new boyfriend, talking about how she and the new BF had goaded my son into his actions, and burning the things of my sons that had been in her possession. While these will not be actually admissible in court, I feel like, with the small town kind of thing that is going on here, they would help establish that my son- although guilty- was goaded into his actions, which might keep him out of jail.

Thank you for your time.

Answer:
 >  in regards to the videos that the ex girlfriend has posted on her page or whatever apparently detailing how she has been cheating on him with the new boyfriend, talking about how she and the new BF had goaded my son into his actions, and burning the things of my sons that had been in her possession.

All of that is irrelevant. Goading is not a defense to terroristic threats.

What is relevant is that your son get a criminal defense attorney, shut up, and ONLY speak to that attorney.


Title: [WI] Is it legal to cancel a lease when an apartment sells?

Question:
I am looking to sell my duplex, I want to give the new owners the option of taking it without tenants.

I know typically a lease transfers between owners, and if I do a no-term lease I can cancel it at any time with a ~~30~~ 28 day notice.

My question, am I able to include a clause that, if the duplex sells, the new owners can require the tenants to move out in less than ~~30~~ 28 days?

Answer:
 Do you currently have tenants, that's a little bit unclear. If you do have tenants, what does your lease with them say? Did you include some sort of provision that allows you to cancel the lease in the event of a sale?

If you don't have tenants, have a lawyer help you draft up a lease that gives you the rights that you want.


Title: [CT] Housemate wants my girlfriend out. She's not the landlord. Is this possible?

Question:
I moved into a room at a friend's house several years ago. There was no signed lease or any formal paperwork, rent is on a month-to-month basis. I sign my rent checks to her father, who doesn't live in the house. As far as i'm concerned, he is the landlord.

I recently got a girlfriend and she has been sleeping over most every night. She still lives with her parents, and we're not allowed to sleep together at her house, so we go to my room.

Apparently my friend has developed an irrational hatred towards my girlfriend. She seems to have it in her head that my girlfriend is going to "steal" her boyfriend and basically turn her whole world upside down. I know for a fact that this isn't true, I've never had a more solid and loving relationship in my entire life. My girlfriend has done nothing illegal. Long story short, she is forbidding my girlfriend from entering the house, and has even threatened to call the cops if she steps onto the property.

Can she do this? The agreement I made was with her father, who's name is on the checks I write every month. To the best of my knowledge, he's the sole owner of the house. He said nothing about how often guests can stay with me, and frankly, I don't think he cares if my girlfriend stays with me every night.

We're searching for a new place to live, and my girlfriend has been staying away from the house for the time being. I just want to know if my so-called "friend" has any grounds to keep my girlfriend out of the house. Any advice is helpful, thanks!
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: From a legal perspective, the roommate (or even the landlord) can't keep you from having a certain guest unless they get a restraining order against them. From a practical perspective, it's a total douche move to have a guest over every night when  you live in a shared house. If you want that kind of arrangement, move in with your girlfriend or get your own place.


Title: [IL] Failure To Reduce Speed, Going to Trial

Question:
About a month ago I was in a car accident.  It was very snowy/icy out and while driving, my car hydroplaned and drifted into the other lane (oncoming traffic) and was struck head on, totaling my car and doing minimal damage to the other car.  The responding officer wrote me a ticket for failure to reduce speed causing vehicle/property damage.  Obviously, I can't say for sure, but there's no way I was going any more than 30-35mph in a 40mph zone.  I am sure my speed is not what caused me to hydroplane.

Today I entered a plea of not guilty and I will be going to trial in a few weeks.  What should I bring to help my case?  What could the prosecutor be bringing to convict me?  Even if he manages to get the other person involved in the accident to show up and testify, she cannot say with any certain the speed I was going.

I feel confident that I am not guilty of this charge, and that the prosecutor has no evidence to prove I am; but still can't help feeling nervous that I will have to pay thousands of dollars in court fines when I could have paid the $120 initial ticket and been done.

Thanks
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 "Failure to reduce speed" is a catch all for "Failed to take conditions into account." They basically slapped you with "Tried to drive in icy weather like it was fair weather and caused damage."

They only have to prove three things:

1) That you were driving a vehicle on a public road.
2) That you hit something.
3) That it was because you didn't use "due care."

Given that you were in the other lane, they aren't going to rule the other person was failing to use due care, so it'll likely land on you. The posted speed limit is completely irrelevant.

You might be able to get a valid defense with a good lawyer, but you probably aren't going to win.Answer #2: >I am sure my speed is not what caused me to hydroplane.

I believe that speed and water are the two things needed for hydroplaning.

>What could the prosecutor be bringing to convict me?

The evidence of the crash as that is proof that your speed was too fast for conditions. The officers testimony.

>What should I bring to help my case?

Well, what is your defense? If you were driving slower you would not have caused an accident.


Title: 4 year college housing system

Question:
Hey guys, so I'm a sophomore at a small liberal arts college that has a "4 year housing system". Freshmen and sophomores are required to live in dorms, while juniors and seniors live in apartments and houses. The school has a complete monopoly over the places that we are allowed to live our junior and senior years. The prices are outrageous and it would be much cheaper to rent a house in the neighboring area. I was wondering how exactly it is legal to force someone to live in a house that is owned by the college. Would it work if I registered as a commuter student? Thanks for the help.

EDIT: The school is in PA

Answer:
 You chose to attend that school. That's how it's legal. Answer #2: it's legal because you asked them, a private institution, if you could get on board and buy what they're selling. if you don't like it then go to another college. they could require you to pay anything they wanted. Answer #3: This is a private college, right?Answer #4: > Would it work if I registered as a commuter student?

...so you *can* opt out university housing? Why don't you just do that?


Title: Shoplifting Questions (Need legal Advice)

Question:
Hey there reddit, got a question for any of you genius or lawyers out there.

Needing any advice to dispute a possible claim as i believe they were wrongly accused.

What exactly is considered shoplifting? When does it become shoplifting?

Example would be going into a store such a Wal-Mart or etc. and finding something such as a small toy in a plastic box and opening it and playing with it and carrying it around the store with intentions of buying it.

Is this shoplifting? What would this be considered if you hadn't left the store yet? Or had no intentions?
I'd appreciate only serious replies no sarcastic "you shouldn't do that to begin with" replies either. I'm genuinely interested in when shoplifting becomes shoplifting.

Does price factor in? Does looks factor in? Such as prejudice? I appreciate your replies and I'm curious because of an incident that occurred recently at a Walmart. I can explain more later if required but not go into personal details.

The state is Arkansas if you're wondering about the laws for the state of which it occurred in.
Can this be removed from the persons record? Age is merely 18, and they went super hard on the poor guy over a $10-15 toy.

The person even lives out of state. They gave him the full cavity search and made him seem like a real bad criminal. He's never had anything else on his record ever and is a good person.

He hadn't even tried leaving the store with said item at all, they just "caught" him with "stolen" good and had him arrested with a $510 bond.

Answer:
 Do you have first hand knowledge of what happened at the store? If not then the person who does should post the question.  If all you have is what the accused told you, then it's nearly certain you do not have an accurate account of what happened.

It is sometimes possible to expunge criminal records.


Title: [TN] 15 lb metal bar fell on my head at work; workers comp taking too long. Possible lawsuit?

Question:
I am a nurse at a hospital in Tennessee. Last week, I opened an employee only door (one with an electromagnet that releases when an approved badge is swiped). The metal bar that holds the magnet (10-15 lbs) then fell on my head, giving me a concussion. I went to the occupational health clinic and was promptly sent to the Emergency Room. Thankfully, the bar landed flat on my head.  If it had landed at an angle, I would have had a major laceration. I understand that freak accidents happen, and my employer is 100% willingly paying the medical fees. I am still having some symptoms, but I am around 80% improved.

Today, my coworker and I discovered that the reason the bar fell was because the one hole that had a screw in it was stripped, and the whole thing was being held up by heavy duty double stick tape. They put the same bar back in the same place today. There is no way they could make the hole for the screw smaller, so I’m assuming they used more tape as they did not replace the door or door frame. To me, this is negligent and dangerous. They could not get me an appointment with a neurologist until June 1st.
My coworkers are encouraging me to start a lawsuit to ensure the protection of employees. I love my job, and I don’t want to lose it or be punished by my superiors; however, the hospital is being grossly negligent and putting more people at risk.

My question is, should I pursue a lawsuit, or would it be a waste of my time and money?

Answer:
 >There is no way they could make the hole for the screw smaller, so I’m assuming they used more tape as they did not replace the door or door frame. To me, this is negligent and dangerous.

Stop assuming, because assuming makes you jump to baseless conclusions like the one above.

I am sorry that you were injured. It seems that your employer is taking all the proper steps to compensate you for any damage.

Stop listening to your coworkers - if they want to start a lawsuit, they can do so without you. If you want to assume something, assume that the coworkers want to get you to do stuff they would rather not... so YOU lose your job, not them.Answer #2: > My coworkers are encouraging me to start a lawsuit

You don't have grounds for a lawsuit.  Your damages are covered.

Answer #3: You can file a complaint with OSHA.
https://www.osha.gov/workers/file_complaint.htmlAnswer #4: Why do you think a week is to long too process workers comp?

Stop listening to your coworkers, someone is trying to settle their grudge through your incident.

Your injury/compensation process is about you, not any of your fellow workmates.

If they have concerns about workplace safety, they can contact the appropriate authorities.Answer #5: You have to exhaust administrative remedies, meaning following the worker's comp process before you file a separate suit. In most states you can't sue unless the injury was effectively intentional (which this may be).


Title: Theft caught on camera

Question: We rented out a detached garage to a couple. We then had to deal with them not paying rent and having to go to court to forcefully evict them. We finally managed to forcefully evict them but as a last F U to us they go ahead and steal our grill from our backyard. We have video footage of them stealing the grill. I was wondering if it is worth it to file a report or should I just cut my losses and be glad those people are out of our lives? We had called the cops when we noticed but they didn't do anything.

Answer:
 >I was wondering if it is worth it to file a report or should I just cut my losses

I mean, this is a value judgement.  No one can really answer what the time and effort is worth to you.  You can file a police report and/or sue for the value of an x-year old grill.  It really is up to you if it is worth it or not.


Title: Strange notice from KCPD about a hit I run involving in-law's truck.... but they were hundreds of miles away. (MO-USA)

Question:
So, my in-laws were visiting family in Florida, and when they get home after a few weeks, and when they returned, they had a notice from Kansas City Police (MO, not KS) saying that their vehicle had been involved in a hit in run. Even if they had been in Missouri, they live in the south eastern Missouri, 300 miles away. It says that they have seven days to respond, or the criminal investigation will proceed without them, and they may have a warrant put out for them.
Now this isn't going so blatant as to ask for money, but, aside from having the police departments address, there is nothing that seems real about this. There isn't even a letterhead, and the envelope was hand written. It seems like it would be wise to call if only to cover their own assed, but I thought that I'd see what you all thought, first?
thank you in advance!

Answer:
 It's possible someone may have seen the accident and gotten an incorrect license plate, being your in-laws' vehicle.  They can certainly call and, if they have evidence there is a mistake and their car was thousands of miles away at the time, let the PD know that.  Of course the official advice here at /r/legaladvice is to not talk to the police without an attorney, so there's that too...but it could just be a simple mix up.Answer #2: > There isn't even a letterhead, and the envelope was hand written.

This sounds fake. Was there a case number? You can always look up the phone number for the police department in question, call, and see if the case number is real. Can you post a pic of the envelope and letter?


Title: Need help, urgent!

Question: So last night, me and my friends were driving to get food. We had the stupid idea of smoking in the car. We were subsequently pulled over and all 4 charged with possesion of marijuana in Virginia. What do I do? I don't want to fight it, I just want to know how to get the best\lowest punishment. Help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 >I just want to know how to get the best\lowest punishment.

Go and beg for leniency. That's it.

You would be best served by an attorney. Having a criminal rented effects you the rest of your life.


Title: ADA smackdown

Question:
I work for a small IT contractor that deals mostly with the Federal Goverment as an at will employee. I was written up for missing a deadline. It had the boiler p
late 'up to and including dissimal' which is enough to fire me up.

I feel the write is nonsense for numerous reasons, but for the purposes of this post, I want to focus on the American with Disabilities Act

I have been disgnosed and am recieving treatment for ADD and Acute Anxiety. HR knew this hiring me and is sympathetic. The manager that wrote me up was also aware. While I admit not having presented medical documentstion, this type of procrastination is symtomatic of my condition, and extended timelines for workflow a reasonable accomadation.

These issues were not brought up in my write up, nor anything that the organization could do assit workers in meeting production goals  (and there us plenty). So naturally I will use the ADA in my defense.I am now motavtied to obtain documentation.

So the question: How much impact does the ADA have? Is it toothless lke FMLA or does it really bit like ESGR.? What type of additionally penalties are there for a contractor violating Federal Law and how hard is it for an employee to win?

Along with an educated opinions, any case referance or legal opinions would be helpful.

Answer:
 What accommodation did you request under the ADA?  What was granted?

The ADA does not provide blanket protection.  If you have a disability, you can **request** reasonable accommodations, and your employer must grant them.  The keyword there is "reasonable".  Not all accommodations are reasonable, and reasonable differs from place to place and job to job.

If you missed a work deadline, that is poor performance and is legitimate grounds for termination.  If you had previously requested an accommodation, it was agreed to, and it was violated, you'd have protection under the ADA.  If none of that happened, you have no protection.Answer #2: If you’ve requested and been granted a specific reasonable accommodation, the ADA is important and has significant protections.

If you’re trying to say “I’m disabled and therefore don’t do work promptly” without a documented and approved accommodation there likely isn’t an ADA concern here. Nor is allowing your procrastination an accommodation likely to be treated as reasonable.


Title: Neighbours taking my parking spot

Question:
So, my wife and I signed a lease in September this year on a nice little apartment in West Newton, MA. We are taking a while to move in because we are having to buy all our furniture etc.(among other personal reasons). In the meantime, we're living with in-laws just down the road and buying furniture as and when we can.

&#x200B;

The apartment we signed the lease for has parking at the front in the form of two side-by-side parking spots. One of these spots is for the people who live upstairs and one is for us. This was specified in the lease. The people who live upstairs (3 room mates) have taken to parking a second car of theirs in our spot meaning we have to park elsewhere. This hasn't mattered too much of late because we don't yet live there. However, when we do start living there (very very soon) this is going to be a problem. Especially because the city tickets cars parked on the street during the night after mid November.

&#x200B;

I've asked our landlady about this and she doesn't seem too interested in getting involved beyond just confirming with me (via text) that the parking spot is indeed ours and we should park there. Next time they do it, I'm planning to speak to them (nicely) and ask if they wouldn't mind moving etc. etc. because it's our spot (it might be an honest mistake!).

&#x200B;

However my question is this - if they refuse to move, or keep doing it....what can I do?

Answer:
 Uhhh for now I'd start with the assumption that they don't know you have moved in yet (actually it sounds like you haven't) or think maybe you have moved in but don't have a car.  My downstairs neighbors took to parking in our spot when we didn't have a car and I was like "those jerks better not keep parking there once I buy a car!!!" and of course they didn't - as soon as I started parking my car there (while they were at work) they realized I now owned a car and stopped.  Hasn't been an issue since.  And also it turned out they're really nice and not jerks.

Anyway, if they do keep doing it, just ask them not to - point out that it's yours in the lease.  If they do it again, tell them you'll get it towed next time.  But don't escalate too quickly - I recognize this is the legal advice thread but jumping to the legal route with people with whom you'll be sharing a house long term is seldom a great idea.  Best to try all non-legal methods first.Answer #2: Leave a note on the car, something along the lines of "Hi, we're your new downstairs neighbors and will be moving in shortly.  According to the landlady this is our spot.  Please move your car."Answer #3: They probably just don't know. If they refuse, then you tow them.


Title: According to Arkansas law, can I be punished at school for doing something inappropriate outside of school? Assuming that even though it's inappropriate, it's still legal?

Question:
Sorry, no story, just need answers.

Edit: Here are the handbooks for my [high school](http://www.vbsd.us/Handbooks/VBHS%20Student%20Handbook.pdf), and my [school district](http://www.vbsd.us/Handbooks/District%20Student%20Handbook.pdf). This is what each one says about where they can punish you:

**High school handbook:**

"*All students are expected to conduct themselves at all times in a manner that will contribute to the best interest of the school system and not infringe on the rights of others. Improper conduct will subject the student to disciplinary action including but not limited to, detention, ISS, suspension or expulsion from school. A violation of the rule will occur if the conduct takes place on the school grounds at any time, off the school grounds at a school activity, function, event, or en route to and from school. The Student Conduct and Behavior Code is outlined in District Board Policy 4.3. Other student discipline policies as well as authority for student discipline are outlined in board policies 4.4, 4.5,4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, and 4.13. (See District Student Policy Handbook)*"

**District handbook:**

"*The Van Buren Board of Education, in recognition of the importance of a safe and secure school environment and the necessity of providing a school atmosphere that is conducive to learning, expects all students to conduct themselves at all times in a manner that is in keeping with these interests. The following activities are considered improper conduct and will subject the student to disciplinary action as indicated. A violation of the rule will occur whether the conduct takes place on the school grounds at any time, off the school grounds at a school activity, function, or event, or enroute to or from school on a school bus, or enroute to or from a school event on a school bus or other school vehicle.*"

Answer:
 Without a story, the answer is yes.  Or no.  It depends.  But schools have wide lattitude in punishing students.  This is a school issue.  Not a legal one.

Edit:  Hey, wait a second!  You're the asshole that is getting suspended for flipping off the bus driver because YOU don't know how to drive.  Yes, you can absolutely be punished at school for this.

What'dya think?  No story so the answer would change and we would tell you what you want to hear?  [Here's the post with the story](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2vfd1n/arkansas_school_bus_laws_and_being_punished_at/) for anyone interested.


Title: [MS] Voluntarily terminated parental rights. Situation is changed. How to get them back.

Question:
Basically back in May, I was in an abusive relationship. My aunt took me and ex to court for temporary custody of our 6 month old son. We were accused of being mentally ill, being on drugs, and mishandling and abusing the baby. They had a lawyer and multiple people that I didn't even know very well corroborating her story.  Ex and I were hair tested. He came up with a lot of shit in his system and I came up clean. She won. Afterwards there was to be another court date set for permanent custody. After losing temporary custody, I realized I needed to leave my ex or I would never get my son back. I made bad choices then, but I firmly believe my ex was the major factor as to why we lost custody. The courts would not have wanted my son to go back with him. I voluntarily signed over my rights with the intention of changing things to get him back, this time by myself. It was my understanding this was a temporary measure by my aunt. There was another court date, but I didn't attend (I know, dumb.)

Since then I've left ex (and have a restraining order). I have my own place and car. I'm working. I was told by the court that I needed to take a parenting class before custody would be returned. At this point Aunt has no intention of returning custody. She is telling my son that she is his mother and having him call her that. I regret so much of what has happened and I've changed a lot about my life with the goal of getting my son back.

I am not in the same position I was in then and I'd like to start the process of getting my son back, but I know it will be an uphill battle against my aunt. I understand that it will take some time and it may not have even been long enough to start this process.

Is this reversible? What do I need to do and what can I expect? I'm lost here.

Answer: What exactly did you sign?  If you just signed guardianship over to her, that’s one thing, but if you actually lost your rights that’s pretty much irreversible.


Title: Forced spectrum at my apartment

Question:
My apartment complex recently made a deal of some sort with spectrum to force every tenant to pay $60 a month for some streaming service. My girlfriend and I just got rid of cable anyway, we dont want this.
Do I have any leverage to get rid of this? It's not exclusive as far as I know, I could still pay more for other services, but is there any way to try to avoid these charges. This is in Cary, North Carolina.

Edit: Its worth noting that I never signed the addendum agreeing to this change.

Answer: If it's not listed in your lease, they cannot force you to pay it. They likely will not continue your lease once it completes though.


Title: Caught shoplifting at wal mart, paid a fine, and now a civil demand?

Question: I got caught with a 12$ pair of sunglasses on my way out of a wal mart in Waco, Texas. I live in Pennsylvania. I went to the court house the following day and paid the fine (about $290 if I remember correctly) my job requires me to travel pretty much non stop so I obviously won't receive any mail. When the asset protection guy told me I would be getting something in the mail from their attorney he pretty much said "not my problem" when I told him I won't be able to get my mail until I get home from this tour. (probably around may 2018) my mailing address would be my dads place since it's not practical to rent a place when I only get two weeks at home every year or so. He called me recently and said I received 2 civil demand letters, one for $300 and the next one for I think $500. I have done some research and most people seem to say to ignore it. But I'm wondering if anybody could give me some more insight.

Answer: You can ignore it and hope they don't sue you, or you can pay it and be done.


Title: Ex girlfriend is trying to make a case.

Question: So I live in Illinois and my ex is trying to get me arrested. We dated over a year ago and we had consensual sex. She never said no, never told me to stop, nothing of that sort. At one point she even told me that if we ever broke up that we will need to still be fuck buddies. After the break up I was originally ok with still being friends but she started posting stuff about me on social media just talking trash. I can't access any of it due to her blocking me and changing the bios. I got a call from the police today asking to talk for about 15 mins and that I wouldn't be arrested. Also the cop asked me if her parents were ok with us dating which they were sense I had a talk with her father for his permission before being able to ask her out. She was 16 I was 19. What should I do, do i need a lawyer before talking with the cop? Also at the end of the phone conversation with the cop he said that her story was very vague and that i don't sound like a person that could rape s ok someone 14 times. Also she is making the allegation over a year after we broke up and the cop knows that it was a bad break up.

Answer:
 It appears the age of consent in Illinois is 17. If you had sex with her when she was 16 and you were 19, you did rape her as far as the law is concerned. Answer #2: >  What should I do, do i need a lawyer before talking with the cop?

Absolutely.

You may have already screwed the pooch in making statements to the police without an attorney.  But, continuing to talk about this can always make the situation worse.  At this point, you do not even know (for sure) what she told the police, and what crimes they are investigating you for, so you don't even know what you may have already admitted to.

Attorney.  Now.


Title: [OH] Sister has threatened to call police and have us "swatted" over guns.

Question:
 Throwaway for reasons.

My dad and I both have a passing interest in target shooting. Dad is former military, and has a number of firearms that he had either while in the service,  bought after he finished his stint, or inherited from his own dad. He has his CWP (though doesn't ever carry), has always been a responsible gun owner, stores them in safes, and all but one is stored unloaded with the ammo stored separately. (The last one is his home-defense weapon in a bio-metric safe that only he can open.) I don't own any guns, but have enjoyed learning how to target shoot from him using his guns.

Recently my dad and I have been talking about going out to the range on our next visit, and we're both looking forward to it as some long-overdue bonding. It's been a few years, so obviously we'll have to field-strip, clean and check them over before we take them to the range. We do this at his place, since our range is an outdoor one at a farm, and there's no place to do it there.

The problem is that my (adult) sister, who is staunchly anti-gun-for-any-reason, overheard our conversation, and has threatened to call the cops and get us "swatted" and have the guns confiscated if we take them out. She lives with our parents, and they live in an apartment so there's no way to "hide" our pre-range checks. My dad's concerned, but doesn't think she'd go through with it. I'm positive she is emotional enough to do it (she takes our target shooting as a personal attack, and even mentioning guns in her presence has caused meltdowns.)

With police overreactions being a legitimate concern, what precautions can we take to protect ourselves and keep my dad's perfectly-legal firearms from being confiscated?

Answer:
 Call the police, let them know that this threat has been made.  If she does call in a threat then hopefully the police will be smart enough to not come in guns blazing.

Your dad can tell your sister she needs to find a new place to live.Answer #2: Best one, A notice to vacate as prescribed by state law for a month to month tenant.Answer #3: I’ll add that Ohio is a 1 party consent state so you
Might want to have a recording going to prove how irrational she is if she calls the cops. Answer #4: Your dad can call the police no emergency line and explain the situation. Going in person might be a good idea to explain everything.

Sister needs to understand she has made a threat that can result in people being fucking dead over her views. And your parents need to as well. This is not a thing they should allow. Answer #5: Are your guns illegal? If not then tell her to pound sand. Bring your weapons out to clean them and transport them like you would normally do. If she lives with your dad and is threatening to call the cops for exercising his 2A then your dad needs to evict her. Answer #6: Your parents will be inconvenienced your sister will go to jail. I'd go to the police explain the situation and ask if an officer would come and please explain the consequences. Answer #7: Show your dad this article, and tell him he needs to call the police unless he wants the next headline to feature him.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/30/us/kansas-swatting-death-affidavit/index.html


Title: I've been honorably discharged from the military. Still responsible for rent?

Question:
I've been honorably discharged from the military. Under the military clause in my lease it says that with proof of orders (in this case, it's "separation orders") and rent for 30 days I am able to break my lease. Because I have separation orders rather than transfer orders am I still obligated to pay the lease breaking penalty?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: I mean technically separation orders are PCS orders, since whatever branch you are in pays to get you to your home of record. Not sure how that's going to work if you stay in the area after separation.  I'd talk with your landlord regardless.


Title: My ex-wife is no longer responsible for my children, so I have a case to stop paying child support?

Question:
(I’m changing names and some details to avoid involved parties seeing this)

Hey guys!
I am in Oklahoma City metro area.
So here is the deal:
My ex-wife has recently gotten married to her 2nd husband since our divorce 5ish years ago. She has been emotionally hurting my children (1, 18+, one 16, and my youngest who is 6 with Down’s syndrome).

She married a (pardon the language) douche bag (both times, but the current husband is who matters). All of our kids hate this man, he is a man child, attacking them (verbally), (though I haven’t heard he has done anything to my youngest, thank god). My wife is constantly acting like a child, and is now cutting my children off financially, until they see her side of things (my kids want her husband gone because he is so abrasive, but she is putting him above all of them).

Sorry I’m a little scattered:
Context: we have joint custody, and split the kids every other week, except my oldest has lived with me exclusively for years, and my middle child was kicked out of her house permanently (until she (my daughter) “treats me right” (my wife)).
So my wife today during a childish rampage has told my two older kids that they are no longer going to receive any financial help from her (as of now she only pays a phone bill, and car insurance for 1 of them). She has also recently told me that she will no longer be watching our youngest (with downs) when it’s not her week unless I pay her for her time, to watch OUR child.

So to summarize:
I have been paying child support for 10+ years.
2 kids no longer live with her and don’t receive any financial help from her as of today, 1 of them is 18.
1 child still lives with her, but we have 50/50 split custody.
Also she recently decided she won’t watch our youngest during the day, even on her week, during the summer, and is forcing our middle child to watch her without paying her.
She has been threatening to take me to court for a few months if I don’t pay her MORE in child support (I can barely afford court, while she has a rich mother who can get her top lawyers)

I have screenshots of text convos of her saying she won’t pay for anything for the kids, and is now refusing to watch our youngest without pay.

I don’t feel like I should be obligated to pay much if anything to her, considering I am essentially a single parent now, with only slight help from her with our youngest.

What are my options? Can I get out of these payments so I can spend more money on my kids that live with me? I can’t afford to pay for them otherwise.

I’m in Oklahoma, thanks!

Answer: Contact your lawyer see if the court will grant a child support modification.


Title: CA Title in hand, car was repossessed for money owed by PO.

Question:
This morning I woke up (CA) to my car being repossessed. The car was sold in my home state of CA. I called the police to report my car missing when they said it was impounded. I had to miss work, and will have to pay a $400 impound fee. On top of that, they say money is owed by the car. I showed them my title and they didn’t care. I bought the car from Carmax and now they said they won't release the car because the previous owner owes $3k on the car and won’t release it until that’s paid. The car was damages in the process, and the car was also damaged in the tow. I can't afford a day from work, impound fees, $3k, and body work. My friend says I need to take the Carmax to small claims court, I don’t even know how they can sell me a car they don’t own (that is owed on). What can I do?

(posting on behalf of my best friend who doesn't understand reddit)

Answer:
 NAL but have spent some time on this sub. In wrongful impound cases the advice is usually to pay the fine then go after damages/wrongful fees in court. However, with this being a significant amount of money that we can assume is rightfully owed, just by a different party, I don't think this is the way to go.

I think the first step is to get with Carmax and make it their problem as much as possible. Start with the agent/location that sold you the car and escalate upward, politely, but firmly and quickly. You may also want to try with the police/supervisor a second time as it sounds like it may have been an illegal tow/impound - but they're also used to hearing a lot of bullshit stories of "improper tows" I'm sure.

Hopefully someone with more specific knowledge can step in and provide better advice.Answer #2: > The PO bought the car from carmax, and then the PO sold the car to my friend.

There is the problem - the PO sold the car to your friend, took the money and did not pay off their loan, and stopped making payments.  The problem is not with Carmax - but with the deadbeat PO.   The company who make the load, repoed the car in order to safeguard their collateral.  How the PO was able to get a "clear" title is beyond me, perhaps it was never recorded correctly.  Anyway, your friend is going to have to sue the PO - if they can be found.


Title: (California) possible assault in defense of an innocent

Question:
Preface: My friend happens to have a pair of handcuffs in his truck for God knows what reason. He literally has these at all times.

We were driving down the street when we saw a guy screaming in a girl's face outside Albertsons. As we passed, he slapped the chick in the face hit her against the wall. We slammed on the brakes and got out. Bryson shouted something at him as we walked up. The girl said something and he hit her again. Bryson grabbed the cuffs out of the car, slid them around his hand, and sucker punched the guy in the face. The dude fell down, bleeding from his cheek, with a bruise on his jaw. The girl took off and called the cops. They picked up Bryson and he guy, bandaged Bryson's hand up and released him. Is it as unlikely as I think it is that he could end up facing any charges?

Answer:
 No, it could actually be pretty likely.

There's nothing wrong with intervening, but HOW you intervene is important.

Your friend is not batman, and has no business handcuffing people and then sucker-punching them.


Title: (Ontario, Canada) Co-signed lease with ex boyfriend, moving out now but he wants me to continue to pay for rent

Question:
I live in Kitchener, Ontario. My now ex-boyfriend and I co-signed on a lease for a condo back in March 2017. Recently we've had a major falling out and I've decided to move out immediately. I want to get out of the lease so its only under his name but he refuses to begin the process of having my name removed from the lease unless I pay him my share of rent (~$3000) upfront. He's threatening to take me to court over this if I don't pay him.

Our rent is $1300 a month, he pays $1000 while I cover the rest of the $300 as well as the Hydro and Utilities, and groceries. I'm currently making minimum wage as I'm still in law school and he makes about $90,000 a year. He has a spending issue so my fear is that he will immediately spend the money once I give it to him leaving me still stuck on the lease and possibly destroying my credit in the process.

Is there anything I can do to legally get myself out of the lease without paying him before this gets out of hand?

Answer:
 You should pay the landlord directly if you are concerned he will just spend te money but if you are in law school I assume you made it through 1L contracts and should know that you can't just bail.

Is this a fixed term lease? If yes then you are stuck paying. If no, the give notice to terminate the tenancy.


Title: My lease is up, roommate isn't moving out

Question:
My lease is coming to an end this month, I am the only person on the lease, but have a roommate that I had my own month to month lease with. I gave them 2 months notice letting them know the lease was going to be up. He has no plans on leaving. I cant file a tenant hold over or evict since as of the day I could file for one (a month after notice to vacate was given), I am no longer a tenant/lease holder myself.  However since I am the only person on the lease with the property management, I am responsible if he does not leave. What can be done in this situation? Can the property management file a criminal trespassing charge on him since he doesn't have a lease with them? Although they were aware he was residing there as well. Thanks in advance. This is in Maryland.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You file for an eviction. The fact that you were given notice to vacate has no bearing on your case against him. Unfortunately you will also likely be evicted yourself, so you better hurry.


Title: (PA) Is it legal for an employer to terminate an employee for calling the cops on someone.

Question:
It was 28 degrees out this morning and some people had their dogs chained up outside the area I was working. After an hour or so I noticed the dogs were still out so I called the non emergency number for the town I was working in and reported it.

After a few more hours, someone, pissed off that I called the cops, approached me and at the job site and attempted to start an altercation with me, even going as far as wrapping her hands around my neck when I went to start recording the altercation. 5 minutes later my boss calls me, apparently the lady called my office and complained. So now I get an ear full about calling cops on company time and I'm worried about retaliation.

What are my options if my employer decides to fire me?

Answer:
 Call the cops again and report that the owner assaulted and choked you. That's a serious offence and they may well face jail time for it.

If you're fired for reporting animal welfare problems or assault to the police, sit down with an employment attorney. There are public policy exceptions to at-will employment, but they're very fact-specific.


Title: What would a lawyer like for Christmas?

Question: My dad just found out he passed the bar and is renting an office to do criminal defense work out of. I have no idea what he might want or need for this, but I want to be supportive. He's always been the type to only want "useful" gifts, so I thought something related to his new career would be perfect. And I thought you guys would be the perfect people to ask.

Answer:
 Get his diploma/s framed?

A nice briefcase?

Prints for his office? I'm a criminal defense attorney and I found a great series of prints that spell out the Miranda rights that I'm asking for for Christmas.

Basically you know him the best. If you want to get him something for his work, then do so.Answer #2: Booze.


Title: Homeowner died, daughter living in residence, house in foreclosure (PA)

Question:
I am asking this for a friend of mine who does not reddit.

This is in Pennsylvania, USA.

Donna's mother's, Katie, died in 2014. The house was in Katie's name with an outstanding mortgage.

Donna has continued to live in the house and has made mortgage payments, but not enough to prevent foreclosure processes.

She has received letters from lawyers and the bank that the house is in foreclosure. She has been told she needs to provide a certificate of death for Katie, which she intends to do.

She was not named in the will as the recipient of the home; Katie wanted Donna to have the house, but did not get it into the will officially before her death.

Donna does not have enough money to "catch up" on the mortgage.

What can Donna do? (Yes, I realize she is probably pretty screwed.)

Answer: Who did Katie actually leave the house to?  Are there other's involved that have a claim on the estate?


Title: [Pennsylvania] Is there any benefit of having child support garnished directly from wages, vs paying directly?

Question: The title is pretty self explanatory. Basically, I'm paying child support to my ex via a shared bank account. I considered through the courts in order to get it taken directly out of my check for tax purposes, if child support was pre-tax income It would presumably lower my tax bracket. However, a brief online search tells me that child support garnishments are post-tax. We are both content with the situation as it currently stands, it provides plenty of flexibility (if I needed to put off paying a portion until the next month or if she needed an advance it's no big deal), but is there something I'm missing that may be worth looking into? As it stands, I'm paying her post-tax and she is not paying taxes on the money I send her so the only difference I see on the surface is the loss of flexibility. Thanks!

Answer: When child support is garnished from your wages directly, most often your company will charge you a few dollar processing fee. You also run into the problem that child support payments will be a few weeks behind. Also IF you choose to have it come out of your paycheck, there is a high probability that DJFS will back date this support order and you could end up paying more. IF this arrangement is working out for you, leave it be, BUT keep a record of all deposits and withdraws made through this account in case she chooses to take you to court.


Title: I'm afraid I'm being blackmailed over sexting.

Question:
On Thanksgiving I met a woman on a dating site who wanted to text and exchange nudes. I obliged.

On Saturday, I received a call from a south Carolina investigator (I live in Nebraska) this investigator had all kinds of personal information on me. He said the girls father had filed a complaint against me and the investigator said I could be charged with child porn, although her profile said she was of age. He said no charges had been filed but that I needed to contact the father directly to get him to drop the complaint.

I contacted the man in a panic. He wanted money to repair a laptop this daughter had broken. In a moment of weakness I agreed and sent a money gram and the man said he would drop the charges.

Yesterday I received a call from the investigator stating that the father had in fact dropped the charges but the state has a law against filing frivolous claims and the father is now facing a fine. The investigator advised me to contact the father asap. This feels like exploitation but I can't afford any legal repercussions.

How do i find out if this is legit without incriminating myself or drawing attention to my family?

Edit: thanks Reddit. Im obviously an idiot for not consulting my heros first.

Answer:
 This is one of the most common scams there is right now.  There is no investigator, there is no father, there is no underage girl.

Ignore it and move on.Answer #2: It's a scam.


Title: Boyfriend on Probation for Sex Offense. Family does not know about him and PO does not know about me.

Question:
I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for 1.5 years and my family does not know about him. My boyfriend is currently on probation for a sex offense and is applying to transfer his probation to another state, where his family is.
Six months ago I decided to move away from my home state (where he’s currently living) to live with his family. We agreed this would be best to make our relationship work.
I used to work for the probation office that supervised him but we didn’t start our relationship until after I left my job. Since I briefly worked with his probation officer, I am worried about her finding out that I am currently in a relationship with him and living at the residence he wants to transfer to.
Also, I have a family member (working in a law enforcement capacity) who works at the same building as his PO and I am concerned they may find out about my relationship before I get the chance to introduce him.
Aside from my family getting mixed up in this, should I worry about any legal action that can come if his current PO finds out our situation? I am still learning about the possible repercussions.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 > Since I briefly worked with his probation officer, I am worried about her finding out that I am currently in a relationship with him and living at the residence he wants to transfer to.

If you've ever worked in probation you know they're going to want *everyone* that lives at that residence and that they may randomly show up there.
Answer #2: Is he prohibited from being around you


Title: An employer has completely screwed me over by hiring me, but refusing to give me work. I'm absolutely hopeless and I don't know what to do.

Question:
I am an American university student on a study visa in the UK. I have lived here for the past year and a half and will remain until this coming June. I'm planning on going to medical school after I graduate, and as such have been constantly seeking employment in the medical field to gain experience, as well as to help pay the bills. For the past year or so I have worked as a phlebotomist at a small clinic in a town distant from my own-- it was my first job in the medical field, and as I had no experience and a limited visa, I was willing to work anywhere that would take me. However, following last summer where I worked for several months in a hospital in the USA, I decided to continue seeking new employment in the UK, due to:

1) the increased challenge of working in a hospital and the benefit this confers when applying for medical school (hospital work will look substantially better on a resume than clinic work),

2) the distance/inconvenience of my previous job (1.5 hour commute, spent 1/3 of my pay on train tickets to get there, no shifts on weekends when I'm most available),

and 3) the desire to expand my skill set to potentially open new job opportunities for myself (previously working as a phlebotomist, I was now applying for Healthcare Assistant jobs which involve more responsibilities as well as attaining a certification, which I thought could help when looking for jobs in the states).

So, for all these reasons, I spent several months last year looking for a new job closer to home. As fortune would have it, I applied to, tested for, and was interviewed at the hospital in my hometown to work as an HCA. They made a conditional offer of employment in October of 2016, saying that this would become an unconditional offer once they were able to check my references. The references were successfully checked in November 2016, at which point I was cleared to begin work.

However, the hiring manager who was in touch with me during this process failed to provide an allocation for me. She told me a number of times that the major obstacle to me beginning work there were my restricted hours-- my student visa only allows for 20 hour/week during term time, and she said most wards were in need of 30 hours per week at least. Nevertheless, I tried to be patient and assumed something would come up eventually.

This process continued for four months. I emailed this manager two or three times a month, asking about allocation and how soon I could expect to begin work. Her answer was always the same: no wards had come forward to her demonstrating a need for someone who can only work 20 hours per week.

Finally, about a week ago I was contacted by a ward manager who was able to accommodate my 20 hours/week. I met with him last week, signed the necessary paperwork, and discussed the normal training process for HCAs, which is a 40 hour week of induction where you are taught basic hospital skills and codes. I reminded him politely that, according to my student visa, I was legally not able to attend all of this induction, which is held once a month. He seemed extremely desperate for an HCA, however, and said he was sure it would be fine if I completed only 20 hours of the induction in March, and did the rest in April after having worked for a few weeks. His rationale was that I had worked in a hospital before, and therefore wouldn't need to be retaught some of the basics of patient care and safety.

While this seemed dubiously legal (it didn't seem like the hospital should allow partially-trained HCAs to start work), I figured he must understand the rules better than I and I agreed to attend as much of the induction as I could. However, I have just received an email now from the hiring manager. Apparently this plan didn't go over well with her, and she is keen to move back my employment start date to April. This would be during our Easter break, so not during term time, enabling me to attend the full induction as my visa is not restricted. This would leave me with only two months of work before I leave the country.

I guess I don't know if there's anything I can do about this, but I've reached my breaking point with this job, and I am legitimately angry about how this has been handled. My major concerns are

1) I was apparently hired without a place for me to work. I don't understand why any business would hire someone they don't have a need for.

2) I never informed that my beginning work would depend on the hospital's ability to allocate me to a ward, or that this could take nearly half a year all told.

3) I quit my other job, and turned down other offers that I had based on this job. I have now been out of work for several months, causing a crucial gap in my resume and severing ties with an employer I could happily have worked for for much longer.

4) The hospital knew about my visa work restriction from the start. It was in my application, we discussed it in my interview (where I was assured it would be no problem), and it is included in my hiring paperwork as a subnote to my 20 hours per week contract. I never blindsided them with the information that I could only work 20 hours per week-- they knew all along.

5) There's no way to say this delicately, but I am running out of money. My parents have always advised me to never quit a job until I was already hired somewhere else, which I thought was what I was doing. But it turns out I couldn't trust this employer to keep their word.

I'm sorry if all of this frustration is misguided. I don't know if there's anything I can do legally, or even any way to fix this. I have plans to look for a new job now-- there's no chance of me finding another healthcare job before I have to leave, so I'll settle for anything that pays the bills. I'm just so legitimately angry that this is how things have been handled. I've had no income for the past 4 months, and things are piling up. I currently have £30 in my bank account, almost no food in my home, and have £800 to pay in school fees and £900 to pay in rent before the end of March. This has caused a glaring gap in my resume, which could be a major detriment to my medical school application. I have put so many things on hold for this job-- declining to continue with the extracurriculars and volunteer work I was once engaged in, thinking I could rejoin once I started work and had a fixed schedule. All of this has been for nothing. I've wasted months.

Please, if anyone has any advice or can help me in any way. I just don't know what to do.

Answer: You're probably better off posting over in /r/LegalAdviceUK


Title: Cops just called me

Question: Earlier today i was in the car with my girlfriend when a guy swerved back from an exit into my lane. Forcing me to swerve left rather than hit the oncoming car. I incited some road rage from the fellow to the left of me. I quickly forgot about it until i realized he had followed me home! I was slowing down infront of my place and rolled down the window as he did in the middle of the street. Telling me to pull over. I thought this guy is crazy and drove off. Later my father calls me saying the police department called him saying i hit and run someone! My first thought is this roadraging guy from earlier. It has to be him. So my question is what should i do? I did not hit his car. My car is in perfect condition not one scratch on it. My girlfriend is astonished as am i! I can assure you i would have pulled over had i hit someone and i surely would know. How can i get his claim dropped.

Answer: Go ahead and take photographs/video of the entirety of the exterior of your vehicle in case it does go any further. A lack of damage or paint transfer, at minimum, shows that even if there was contact, it was so minimal that it left no damage. Answer #2: Don't talk to the police without an attorney. You are not required to take their call or call them back. But if they feel further investigation is required, you will want an attorney with you before you say anything.Answer #3: Just ignore it, anyone can make bs *allegations*. It’s upto the state to prove you were the guilty party - not you to prove your innocence. They can’t do anything at this point. I doubt they’ll try to prosecute you but if they do, that’s the point you should pay attention at.


Title: Can you dropship copyrighted items?

Question: Say I were to dropship a T-shirt with spongebob on it, not holding inventory. Would there be a consequence for selling things like this without the licensing? CT/USA

Answer: Of course. I don't see why you think drop shipping makes a difference where.Answer #2: You seem to think that physically holding an item bears on whether you are committing copyright infringement when you sell unlicensed merchandise. No, it has no bearing. It's the same analysis regardless of whether the merchandise physically passes through your hands.