Title: Got pulled over and had some weed in the car. It wasn't mine and I didn't know it was in there. They charged me with a Class 5 Felony; Possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. I feel that the situation didn't go the way it should have. I'd really appreciate advice.

Question:
I am an of-age adult. I have a clean record.

I was driving on an unmarked, narrow state road. I was tailed for a little while by an unmarked police car that surprised me when it turned on police lights. I was cooperative and began to pull over, and got the registration for the car and driver's license.

Upon pulling over, I was immediately asked to exit the vehicle. I asked why, and was told, "You were driving erratically." I was questioned by the officer as to why I was driving on both sides of the road. I was in fact weaving into the other side of the road, as it was an unmarked and narrow road. The officer said, "I saw you messing around with something in the back seat." I was not. I had a laundry basket in the back seat that was falling all over the place.

The officer proceeded to ask if there were drugs in the car. I denied having drugs in the car. The officer said something like, "Well I think you do have drugs in the car. I'm suspicious because I saw you messing with something with something in the back."

I was asked, "Where are you going and where are you coming from?" I told the officer that I went to visit a sibling, but that the sibling was not home. I was on my way to see a friend. The officer asked if I consented to a search of the vehicle. I denied the search of the vehicle, and said, "The vehicle does not belong to me, I can not give you permission to search the vehicle." My window was down, and the officer stuck his head inside the vehicle to smell around. The officer said, "I do not smell anything but I am suspicious and I am going to call a dog." A dog was called. The dog was alerted by the vehicle after two complete passes, and the officer then searched the vehicle. Marijuana was found in the vehicle.

I was then cuffed and brought to a holding cell. While I was in the holding cell both of my parents and the family member who I had said was not home received visits from the officer. First it was my parents, who were told, "We've arrested one of your children. We were told your child, whom we've arrested, was at a siblings house. Where is the sibling's house?" My parents said, "We do not know where that child lives. Let us call to get the address." Upon picking up the phone, my parents were instructed by the officer, "Put that phone down. We do not want him tipped off." The officer then left my parents house, and ran a search to find where my sibling lived. Seemingly, all because I said, "I went to visit a sibling, but that sibling was not home." The officer then went to my siblings house, and my sibling was told, "We have reason to believe you have drugs in your home. We can and will get a warrant, or you can let us search your home." My scared sibling consented to a search of his home, where paraphernalia and, "crumbs," of marijuana were found. My sibling was not charged with any crimes, but his things were confiscated. Other people were found in the lower half of my sibling's home with marijuana. It was confiscated, and they were not charged with any crimes.

I was then questioned, and was very cooperative. I told him that the marijuana found in the car was not mine. I did not know it was in the car. I had inferred it's existence but had nothing to do with it. I inferred it's existence because a group of friends had asked me if I knew anyone who, "Wanted to buy some weed," and I said, "No, but I'll ask around." I was harmlessly trying to be cooperative with the police because I felt I had done nothing wrong. I told the officer, "I did not even know the marijuana was a real, physical thing. I certainly did not know it was in the vehicle and I have not distributed any of it." I told them, "A lot of people drive the car."

I was released with a bond. The officer wants me to assist in investigations regarding methamphetamine, crack-cocaine, pills, or anything else I can find. I have been cooperative, but I do not have any information to even give the officer.

I can provide more details, but this entire thing just seems wrong to me. I feel like I don't have any rights. I have hired an attorney. I am really scared, and don't want to go to jail. I don't even understand why I've been charged with intent do distribute. Please advise.

Answer:
 This is why you're charged with possession with intent to distribute:

>a group of friends had asked me if I knew anyone who, "Wanted to buy some weed," and I said, "No, but I'll ask around."

You admitted to the police that you were going to "ask around" for people who wanted to buy weed.Answer #2: They've done nothing wrong so far as I can see.

Talk to your attorney.


Title: [CA] My mom's ex-husband is violating the restraining order she has against him, and the police aren't doing much to help.

Question:
My Mom has a criminal restraining order against her ex-husband, who still lives in the mobile home next to hers with his mother.  My Mom actually has two restraining orders against him, one is a "domestic violence" restraining order, and the other is called a "criminal protective order".  From talking to my Mom, the terms of the restraining order are that: He's not allowed to contact her, even electronically or through a third party.  He is not allowed to come within 100 yards of her.  She is also allowed to record him.  This is in San Bernardino county, California.

He violates this restraining order CONSTANTLY.  He has tried to break into my mother's home multiple times.  He seems to think she is in "danger" from time to time, so he tries to come and "rescue" her (as he would phrase it).  He is totally out of it (heavy drug and alcohol use, probable mental illness).  The only danger my mother is in is related to her ex-husband harassing her!  If he would leave her alone, she would be fine, but right now she is being terrorized by him.  One time he actually succeeded in breaking into her house, and was wandering around her home in the dark with a kitchen knife.  One time he tried to set her house on fire, but was not successful.

A few weeks ago, my Mom was tired of being harassed and tired of the police doing nothing, so my little brother gave her money to buy security cameras to capture the next time he came over to her house on video.  (Unfortunately, the successful break-in and the attempted arson were before she had the cameras.)  Not long after the cameras went up, her ex-husband had another "episode", and decided to come over to her house carrying a pickaxe.  I'm not even sure what he planned on doing.  He was banging on the door with it, but did not break the door down.  Eventually he left after they screamed at him to go away.

Thankfully, with the video evidence, the cops took this a bit more seriously than in the past, and it was after this event that my mother was granted the 100-yard restraining order.  The ex-husband was put in jail, but only for a few days, then released.  He has tried to approach my Mom and my brothers a few times since then to talk to them, but has not tried to actually get into the house until last night.

We were celebrating Thanksgiving early, and he noticed that everyone was over.  Some of us went out for a bit, and while we were gone he came to my Mom's house and knocked on the door to "say hello to everyone".  My Mom asked him to leave, and told him she would call the cops.  The police came and did nothing because they said he didn't do anything wrong, but isn't him just knocking on my mother's door to talk to her a violation of the restraining order?

Later on in the night, he came back and started kicking the glass patio door.  (He didn't break it, though he did once in the past during a similar incident.)  Him coming to the house and kicking the door was caught on video (in the camera footage, you can see the house shaking, that's how hard he was hitting the door...).  By now he has realized my Mom has a camera system, so he pulled his jacket over his face a bit, and I think he was wearing his mother's glasses to hide his face.  But it was still very obvious it was him, as he was shouting to my Mom trying to talk to her once again.

My Mom called the police again, but by the time the police arrived, her ex-husband had left.  This is pretty typical... he won't stick around very long, so by the time the police arrive, he is never actually still there.  When the police arrived, they were very dismissive to my mother, and one of the officers told her, "You live next to the person you have a restraining order against?  Have you considered moving?"  That's not an option right now because of the cost.  My Mom would love to move if that were possible, but she shouldn't really need to... she hasn't done anything wrong.  Is there some way to force her ex-husband to move?  Technically, isn't he always in violation of the restraining order, considering he is not supposed to be within 100 yards of my mother, and they live right next door?  He already lived there when the restraining order was granted, shouldn't the judge have taken this into account?

Anyway, after taking my Mom's statement and filing a police report, the cops left without even knocking on my Mom's ex-husband's door.  They didn't even check in with him, which I felt was negligent.  I feel like if this was happening in a higher income or nicer area, the cops would be dealing with it very differently.  Unfortunately, my Mom is low income and lives in a trailer park, and the cops don't seem to care about this.

My Mom is going to consult a lawyer (up until now, she hasn't done so due to the cost, but we are reaching our breaking point).  What should she ask or be aware of?  Where do we start?  My family has never done this before, and we want to be prepared.

TL;DR: My Mom lives in a mobile home next door to her ex-husband that she has a 100-yard restraining order against, and he keeps violating that order.  What should she look for in a lawyer?  What legal remedies can she pursue to stop him from just violating the order over and over again, like he seemingly has been doing with impunity?  My Mom has video evidence of the most recent violations, and multiple witnesses.

Thank you in advance for your replies, please ask questions for clarity.

Answer: Unfortunately even if she gets a lawyer there's not much that can be done. She's better off taking the money she would use for a lawyer and moving period when my ex-husband was like that I had to move 2000 miles away


Title: Hospital made a mistake, still charging me for it. What are my options?

Question:
To start I'm in Illinois. A while ago I was poor place mentally, and went to an outpatient center near me to see if they had any help available for me. They directed me to their main campus for an assessment, where they would then decide if I needed treatment and what kind.  When I got to the facility I was directed to three different locations within the hospital, and eventually was led to the emergency room. In the state I was in I had no idea what was going on past "go here" "follow me" and "sign this and we'll help you." When I realized what was going on and that I was in the wrong place, they wouldn't let me leave, so I waited until a doctor came in(in which time I had a panic attack), apologized for the whole thing, admitted that that never should have happened, and released me to meet with the people I was supposed to see in the first place, which was on the other side of the hospital.

They assessed me, gave me an options for treatment, and doing much better now, but now I'm getting bills I cannot afford for an event that they admitted shouldn't have happened in the first place and put me in a worse place mentally than I was before I came in. I guess the way I see it it's like bringing a computer to a technician to be repairs the tech drops the computer, gives it back, and hands me a bill. I'm sorry I'm all over the place with this post but my question is is there anything I can do to fight these? I've got other legitimate medial bills to cover and cannot afford another emergency room bill. Thanks for whatever advice you guys may have.

Answer:
 So you went to an outpatient clinic who referred you to Dr. ______ at the main campus. When you went to the main campus you walked into the ER and were in such delusion that you were intaked and triaged without once saying or referring to the fact that you were only there for an outside consult, treated, and then referred to the care of the same Dr. ______.

And you want to short the ER billing for doing their job in triaging a patient so delusional that he had no idea why he was there?'


Title: Eviction for having a assistance dog

Question:
I'm in Florence, MT near Missoula in Ravalli County US

I had recently before asked for advice for what I consider to be a vicious dog. I was bit twice on two separate occasions, the last requiring stitches and what options I had as my dog was also attacked 3 times.
 However this is  different area all together as I'll try to briefly explain, which is going to be hard.

After months of having our dog on landlords property, which includes his kennel business on the same property, he decided to make us choose between our dog and our apartment even though he said we could own a dog and also approved (3 months ago) of the dog.  The reason is he feels my dog doesn't get along with other dogs, he's just a people dog and now a liability to his business.  He came up with this opinion while my dog was in mandatory quarantine at his kennel on the property, just as the other dog was quarantine (mandatory for both dogs).  Before the quarantine right after the third attack where I was bit the landlord offered remedy. He'd give us a garage remote (we live in top of his garage) and the dogs would never be able to interact, even though my dog has only cowered and tried to protect himself during fights.
 Three days later he changed his mind and said the dog or us had to go.
 When we went to pay rent on the 3rd this month he refused it. Saying he will not accept rent unless we get rid of the dog.
My fiance almost caved and got rid of our dog, there's been hours of tears, psychiatrists visits (where both PTSD patients and a veteran of the military) loss of work, being bullied and intimidated.
Now we were given a 3 days notice to vacate for having an unauthorized pet and not paying rent. Which again has caused extreme stress and exacerbation of our mental health symptoms.
 Definitely we aren't leaving and we are letting this go to court. And sorry this was long it's just extremely convoluted and so much more could be said so again my apologies.

Other important factors:

Dog aids in detecting Intruders or alerting to potential danger. I live with my head on a swivel from my PTSD really bad and causes anxiety, panic among other things (this is why our dogs name is "Panic"). Having him relaxes that paranoia and hyper vigilance and other PTSD symptoms. He also calms my bi-ploar cycling when I'm in a manic phase and benefits the lows as well. He helps my fiance through several of the same related things.

We have police report of the third attack when the bite occurred requiring stiches

We have doctor's records that can be pulled that solidifies that we have been under extreme stress and had severely worsened symptoms of our multiple diagnosises and made to feel uncomfortable in our own home.

Our dog is getting his assistance dog status approved by the psychiatrist on the 31st.

Law enforcement has done nothing, newspapers don't care, neither do the country commissioners or the governor.

As required by public health and animal control the quarantine was for 10 days unless we got his shot records before or 10 days and then we go get him his shots. Landlord is now not releasing our animal although we are required to give him the shots. Original records by the person who we rescued him from couldn't be located so we are trying to get him his shots.

Called sheriff yesterday to do a civil assist to reclaim our animal, that we were intimidated. Sheriff said he'd call the kennel and several hours later just blew us off saying he'd contact us tomorrow.

I was notified that I should probably get a rabies shot, or at least they tell me it's something I might "think" about because the attacking dog is supposedly a hybrid wolf mix. The veterinarian that examined that dog says he is but cannot prove it. Now I get rabies shots even though I've displayed no symptoms and neither has the attacking dog.

I've contacted  local legal assistance help center but still waiting to hear from them.

I don't have money for a lawyer.

Answer: What does your written lease say about pets? Because it is a pet at this time.


Title: WA state: I need help. Something at work is sketchy, and I need to know if my actions can be protected or if Work at Will would make it easy to fire me.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: There's nothing illegal about any of this. Mind your own business.


Title: submitting an anonymous tip to the ICE? How anonymous is it really? [x-post from AskLegal]

Question:
I'm going to try to keep this short.
Location is USA.

Friend (I'll call her B) was forced into an arranged marriage overseas. They brought "husband" (I'll call him Leach) back with them.

B does not want to be married, did not want to be married, and has spent the last few years trying to get them to grant her the Muslim equivalent of a divorce. Nothing is happening. He is still not a citizen.

I want to contact the ICE anonymously and report the marriage. As far as I understand, it is not a legal marriage, as she is a US cit, and it is not a love marriage but a forced marriage. The police have been called to the house before on a domestic dispute, so there is a bit of a paper trail.

Issues:

* I do not know the mans name, only my friend B's name.
* I do not want to be named, and wish to remain entirely anonymous.
* B's name is on the address where her entire family lives, and I don't really wish to ruin the lives of her sisters. Would they likely lose the house?

and also

Is it even possible for me to anonymously tip the ICE? I know there is a website, but the wording on the form there seemed to be that they would retain my information one way or another and use it. I know there is also a phone number to call (I'm phobic of phones, but I'll do it if I have to) but I'm worried this is also not actually anonymous.

I posted this on /r/asklegal but got no answers, so I'm hoping you all here can help out.

These people are crazy and quite scary. I don't want to put myself or my family at jeopardy if they found out I tipped off the authorities. At the same time, I can't sleep at night knowing she's in this situation. It has gone on long enough.
Any advice is warmly welcome. She's just a kid.

**Edit: Thank you all for your help. I'm going to send along all the useful info to her, and wash my hands of it. The fact is that she is an American, and an adult. I can't force her to have self respect. I'll give her the tools and info, especially from /u/dirtyrogue.**

Answer:
 >. As far as I understand, it is not a legal marriage, as she is a US cit, and it is not a love marriage but a forced marriage.

The U.S. generally recognizes marriages performed abroad, even arranged ones.

If there's domestic violence going on, you can report the domestic violence. If you believe that the husband entered or remained in the country illegally, you can make a report. If he entered on a Spouse visa, unless USCIS determines that the marriage was entered into for the purposes of gaining US citizenship, they're unlikely to do anything.


Title: Extreme paranoia following a recent arrest HELP

Question:
So ive been having extreme paranoia following a series of arrests and i am going insane thinking im losing my mind or my thoughts are real
I got arrested at 21 for felony statutory rape with a 16yo.
I had no idea her age basically we slept together for a very short time and when i found out her age i kind of flipped on her and she proceeded to call the police claiming "rape" out of i guess spite or whatever. She orginally told me she was 18 turned out to be a lie..

I have these crazy delusions now that im being watched by undercovers, that the police  paid my family off to spy on me, people at work, random civilians, new women i try to get to know etc etc

 i see dozens of things i read say online then someone will talk about things ive seen or read about the same day. It sounds like a coincidence but i feel like its hints that people are watching me. That objects in plain sight have hidden cameras .

I feel like i cant even make eye contact with a child because i feel as if the police think im some crazy pedo or something.
Im totally withdrawn from everything and feel as if i cant trust even my closest friends and family. I dont even like going out feel like everywhere i go im under surveillance.

Going through a really rough time and just wanted some insight on those who went through similair or can just give a biased opinion .    Posting because i feel embarassed and crazy to talk to anyone in person about it... Thanks in advanced

Answer:
 Oh, sweetie.... I think you really need some help. Is there *anyone* you trust to tell these things to that can get you in touch with a mental health professional? I definitely think your paranoia is off the charts and you definitely need professional intervention.

The charges you're facing are definitely serious. Do you have a lawyer?Answer #2: See a therapist. Answer #3: OP please please seek professional help. This is not legal advice, but you may be suffering from paranoid delusions and if you are in your early 20’s this is a prime time for this sort of thing to exhibit. The fact that you recognize its paranoia is a very good sign; a therapist or psychologist can help you manage this moving forward. Answer #4: If you were arrested and charged with a crime, you need to retain a criminal defense attorney.

You can also seek professional help for your anxiety and paranoia.


Title: (South Carolina) wife put on administrative leave pending investigation of $8000 missing after the Gas Station she worked at closed.

Question: Okay so the Gas Station that my wife worked at as an assistant manager closed and they had her destroy all of the paperwork. The district manager was present when she destroyed it and instructed her to do so. And then took their last deposit to the bank and she was transferred to another store that already had an assistant manager so she lost her status and kept her pay rate. This was three weeks ago and today three district managers from different districts cornered her and told her that they had to interview her about a shortage of $8000 dollars at the store that closed. They began showing her a piece of a screenshot and other things that indicated that it was short in the past and without her able to reference her paperwork that had been destroyed. They concluded with her being put on administrative leave and saying a detective would be coming to pick her up, also that loss prevention would be investigating.  What should we do, she did not take any money at all and the paperwork being destroyed means she can not prove that.

Answer:
 > Gas Station that my wife worked at as an assistant manager closed and they had her destroy all of the paperwork.

...what?

> And then took their last deposit to the bank and she was transferred to another store that already had an assistant manager so she lost her status and kept her pay rate.

...this doesn't sound good.

> told her that they had to interview her about a shortage of $8000 dollars at the store that closed.

*Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit*

> the paperwork being destroyed means she can not prove that.

I hate to kick you and your wife when she's down, but she made a series of **very bad** decisions. You need to contact a criminal defense attorney immediately because it sure as hell sounds like someone pocketed the money and is using your wife as the patsy. She needs to cease communication with the gas station and refer them to her attorney. Also, she should not speak to the police without her attorney either.
Answer #2: Gotta agree with u/DragonPup here. She needs to proceed directly to a criminal defence attorney, and she needs to not answer any further questions before she speaks to one. Not from you, not from the police, not from her coworkers: other than confirming her name and address, the only answer she can safely give to _anything_ right now is "I refuse to answer any questions until I speak to a lawyer."

I mean _anything_. She should not even confirm she works for the company.


Title: WI, US - Neighbor is in the process of widening her driveway within 5 feet of the property line

Question:
My adjacent neighbor currently has a gravel driveway and is paving it as well as widening it. Our village has a law that a paved surface cannot be within 5 feet of an adjacent property line. I have confirmed this with the village Public Works. The construction has started and the driveway is marked within the 5 feet of the property line. The exact distance varies from 26" to 48". There's about 20 feet of green space between our two houses.

Crappy drawing: http://imgur.com/6O9TJ1E

I like the neighbors. I also want to see that the village rules are followed. What should my course of action be?  If I don't act would I be at risk of losing the property that is within 5 feet of their driveway? Thank you!

Answer:
 Have a conversation with them, they may not know their paving guys are a bunch of morons.

"Hey, $neighbor? I see your guys staked out the new driveway, and, well, the village is gonna pitch a fit. You gotta be five feet from the property line, and the paving guys should know that. Better have a word with them before the city makes you tear the whole thing up and start over."


Title: [IN] Forgot to due community service for Pre-Trial Diversion, thought it was due year later than actually was. Going to go to court. What is going to happened?

Question:
I was charged with possession of marijuana.  It's a Class A misdemeanor which says the following:
A Class A misdemeanor is the most serious type of misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

Is that what is going to happen to me? Should I get a lawyer? This blindsided me and I don't know what to do.

Location is Indiana as evident from the title.

Answer:
 >Is that what is going to happen to me?

"Up to" includes nothing, but yeah you could totally go to prison for this.

>lawyer?

Lawyer.


Title: [Ontario] the owner of a business threatened to sue me for leaving a "liberous" review on Google.

Question:
I had a terrible experience with a local business so I created a fake Gmail account and left a negative review with 1 star on Google. Well I got a response from them that what I was saying is "full of lies" and that the owner is sharing my review with his "lawyer". I was supposed to hear back from the law firm but I haven't. I have all email proof that negates what he was trying to defend his business.

As mentioned, I used a pseudonym so he had no idea. The review is nothing but truth. I think he is just defending himself.

So can he sue me for defamation? Even though he has no contact information?

Answer:
 > So can he sue me for defamation?

Yes, he can.  He can figure out who you are.

Anonymizing your statement is just evidence against you.Answer #2: I assume you mean libelous. It's not uncommon for people/business to threaten a lawsuit to try to get someone to change or remove a bad online review. They're generally hoping to scare you into taking it down without actually having to sue you, given that lawsuits are expensive, time consuming and it's so difficult to prove to damages for something like a single google review.

Can they sue? Maybe. They could hire a PI or tech expert to track you down, get your info for the purpose of naming you in a suit. Whether they will actually do that (given the cost and effort is a whole other issue).

Truth is the best defence to libel. So if everything is 100% true (no over exaggerating, misleading etc), you are in the right. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop someone from trying to sue you.


Title: Update on I'm 10 hours away. My ex-spouse and co parent has chosen not to pick out child. What to expect when I land?

Question:
[original post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4chf9i/im_10_hours_away_my_exspouse_and_co_parent_has/)

I didn't really think an immediate update was that necessary considering the scope of the situation but I keep getting messages about it.

Things have settled considerably since last week. Before updating I wanted to clarify some things. It wasn't until last night that I got time to really sit down and read the responses. First off, a lot of the advice was drastically different than the advice I got from my lawyer (who is in family law).

Some  of the questions asked were very off topic, irrelevant and odd so I am going to just answer everything here.

 I was able to get my child back from CPS the next morning around 11am, after speaking to a case manager. The police were actually present during this conversation. I'm not going into a lot of detail here as it has been a really emotional time.My lawyer was present. There is a hearing this week but my lawyer isn't worried. He has all my communication with my ex husband for the entire year about the wedding, my checking in from the resort daily, a statement from the school  about the agreement made with my ex-husband about picking the child up extra days for the days I would be out of the country.

Where was my ex-husband and father of the child? Was he dead?

No, he was not dead. As I had said, he had been updating facebook. He had decided that a week would not work for his schedule, and without telling me, had just unilaterally Tuesday morning decided not to go get our child. He said he had meant to tell me monday when I called to speak to our child and check up  but had "forgotten". He on the advice of a lawyer he decided to retain on Friday has no other further comment to make to me, the police, CPS, or our child regarding the issue which he says was just a miscommunication.

Why didn't the police do a welfare check?

I called them from our mexican resort waiting at the airport to catch a plane out  and they actually did do a welfare check on his residence. They were unable to locate him there. They actually located him Thursday, detained him and questioned him. He was held Thursday night but was released Friday after getting a lawyer. From what I am understanding he is under investigation.

Why wasn't I concerned about his well-being? He could be dead in a ditch.

My ex husband is an adult. My five year old son was in the custody of the state and I was 10 hours away in another country. My focus was on getting home to my child. I called the police to inform him of his address. They checked on him. He was updating facebook regularly. I am not sure why I should have been focused on him. My focus was getting home to my secure the safety of my child.

Why didn't your new husband go with you?

We were at a resort in Mexico with 15 plus guests who had flown out for our wedding. Someone had to stay behind to wrap things up. He managed to get a ticket out for the afternoon of the next day after making sure all our guests were taken care of, he stayed in constant contact with me the entire time and rushed back as soon as he reasonably could. His own family was there from far away. He was great about the whole thing.

Why didn't your son attend the wedding?

My son is 5. We got married on a coastal resort in mexico that is mostly for adults. At the time we were able to get a very good deal on a honeymoon/wedding that we wouldn't have otherwise gotten but it was during some of their spring break traffic. Considering the location, the need to leave the country (yes, his father would have had to approve per our custody agreement), and the fact that it was also our honeymoon (guests were just flying out for the two day wedding), we discussed with my ex-husband the best course of action. He agreed that our son staying with him would be the best idea. More time with dad, camping locally, school time, everything added up to a plus. I also thought it important that my new husband and I be afforded some alone time (four days) to celebrate our marriage. His father suddenly disappearing or being irresponsible is unusual for him. He has never not shown up or done what he is suppose to do. I had no reason to assume this wouldn't be anything other than a normal visit with dad with just a few extra days added.

Why didn't you ask your family to keep your son at the resort?

Our friends and family graciously agreed to pay for their own stays and tickets. They took time off from their lives and families to fly out and have fun with us. My mother has been prepping for this day for two years and spent a lot of money on it. It would have been unfair to ask a guest to give up their vacation away from their own children and/or lives to watch our child. Again, it was an inappropriate place to have children.

Why didn't your ex-husband's mother pick your son up?

No clue. She also has declined to comment.

What about custody moving forward?

Right now, my lawyer has filed some paperwork to temporarily suspend visitation for my ex husband until after a hearing and investigation as to why our son was left. There is an emergency hearing tomorrow but my ex husband hasn't even attempted to contact our child since I got back.

Why did you use her instead of him once?

Typo. I was on my phone, in a rush and panic, at an airport.

Why did you use the term "child"?

I am not sure. Child seems like an appropriate word when describing the situation to people especially when avoiding too much identifying information.

Why did you divorce your first husband? You got what you deserved. "I'm not saying he's not a dick, and he's not liable for civil and criminal penalties. I'm just saying sometimes you gotta be careful what you wish for."

I don't even know how to address this but I didn't get a lot of questions about why we divorced and who divorced who and why I had so much custody.

1) He asked for the divorce because he was unhappy. We tried counseling and it didn't work. We got along fairly well for a while but it was obvious as we aged that we were incompatible.  He filed and I didn't push the issue.

2) Our son was a new born around the time the divorce was finalized. Having a child was a choice we both made together but he seemed overwhelmed by the sudden and newness of being a parent. The custody agreement we have is the one he initially submitted to the court in his petition for a divorce. He never asked for more. The child support is merely the state standard for his income. It was imputed by the judge at a hearing he was at with his lawyer and me and my lawyer. They signed off on it without any question.

The whole divorce was pretty boring and really undramatic.

Why did you leave your child and go to another country?

I don't know. I guess so I could get married to my new husband and be with him alone for four days. I spent a year planning it with the father. He agreed. They had camping plans. I didn't think taking a honeymoon away from my child while that child was with another parent was that unusual.

How'd you get a ticket back so fast?

I had a return ticket. I went to the counter, told them I needed to get home ASAP and why. I paid money. They put me on standby for a flight. I was lucky enough to get on one quickly.

How is your son?

He is great now. It was a little scary for him but he is home safe now and back in his routine.

Was it worth it?

To attempt to go on my honeymoon and give his previously responsible father extra time, yes. Did it work out how I planned? No. Am I angry about that? Yes. Am I angry at myself? Yes. Should I be? My therapist says no. A lot of unplanned things in life happen. I did what I could with the situation that happened.

Am I angry at my ex-husband?

Yes, for leaving our child alone and scared. For taking out frustrations about me or inconveniences on a small child. Or whatever reasoning he has.

So now you are going to get full custody right?

I don't know. I am going to do whatever is best to make sure no leaving or abandoning ever happens again. That is really out of my hands now. He made the decision he made and now there are hearings and consequences and he has to deal with his end of it, just as I did mine.

What about the money spent on the honeymoon?

We were able to transfer the extra days at the resort to some friends of ours so that wouldn't go to waste.

Will you be trying to get your money back?

I haven't even thought about addressing that and I don't think that is appropriate action until after getting the other things situated so I haven't even asked my lawyer about it. Honestly, it isn't a top priority.

 Any further contact from CPS?

Of course. I would expect there to be. They will be at our hearing tomorrow. Everyone just want to figure out what happened, why, and what the best course of action going forward is. It is all pretty reasonable.

There is an update.

Answer:
 OP, thank you for the update. You certainly didn't owe it to us, and I apologize for the way some people here treated you. I am glad that your child is safe and that you are back with them. Hopefully everything can be worked out in your favor going forward.

Best of luck!


Title: Department of Homeland Security came to my house. Sister is in the middle of fixing citizenship status through her husband.

Question:
Today 2 agents male and female came to my house. They showed me their badge and said they were from Homeland Security. They said they were looking for Maria but that is my name in female form and my sisters middle name. Then they said it was for my sister. They asked if she lived here. Asked for her phone which they should have had. She is in the process of getting her citizenship, she is in the last stages. I am just wondering if this has happened to anyone before fixing their immigration status.
They also asked me if I went to the wedding, and if I knew her husband.
They could be investigating her marriage as that's how she applied for citizenship but it seems weird that they would send agents to the house.

&#x200B;

My thing is, I gave them her phone number which was a mistake as they should have had it. This seems fishy.
2nd why send DHS in person to the house?
3rd, why ask for her in her middle name? Its all very weird to me.
They also did not show any paper work and didn't leave a card or anything seems too weird but at the same time they might just be playing cautious.
Her lawyer said this ha never happened to any of her clients.

Should I have not said anything at all and told them I needed a lawyer?

Thanks in advanced, this is freaking me out as she just got her Bachelors in Biochemistry and just purchased a car so deporting her would be the worst thing they could do.

Answer:
 Asking you for her phone number was a reasonable investigative step: either you confirm the number they have, or you give s new number, which might lead to a second phone where your sister conducts her real life as opposed to her sham marriage.

Not that I’m saying her marriage is a sham, of course — I’m saying that it’s a fair guess that’s what they were investigating, based on their question about attending her wedding.

It’s a crime to lie to federal investigators. Normally my advice, even if you as as pure as the driven snow, is to decline to speak to any law enforcement investigator without a lawyer present.

Here, though, your sister is (presumably) hoping that the government will affirmatively find that her claimed marriage is genuine, so I’d say that if can further that goal without lying or being in any way deceptive, you probably should.


Title: USPS Driver caused significant damage to my driveway (Washington State). Do I have legal recourse?

Question:
Thanks in advance. I'll keep this as short as possible. I paved my driveway 18 months ago, prior to that it was dirt/gravel. I paid to have it sealcoated just before this winter. In all, it was about $12,000 for paving and sealing. It's a long driveway, and a portion of it sits at about a 35 degree slope. Our mailbox sits on the main road before you reach our driveway, so the postal carrier doesn't have to use the driveway. For years, during the winter, our mail carrier would put a card in the mailbox for us to go pick up packages at the post office because she didn't want to use our driveway if it was unsafe in the winter. She retired just this fall. Now, 2 days ago, the new driver, with chains on her truck and in a snowstorm that had already accumulated 6-7 inches of snow on the driveway while we were at work, came down the driveway to leave a package on the doorstep. On her way out, her chains chewed up the asphalt the entire way up the driveway, in some places a 1/2 inch deep. The asphalt guy estimates $2000 to fix and re-seal. Given that she is under no obligation to come down our driveway, do I have legal recourse against the USPS for damages? I wish I could post pics but have not yet trained myself...Thanks again...

Edit: my main concern is whether we release USPS from any liability when we sign up for postal service.

Answer:
 Is it possible that the driveway job was incorrectly done? Chains on a car shouldn't really cause that much damage (if at all) on a properly done asphalt surface, especially since there was 6-7 inches of snow on top. If the mailman had been driving 30 MPH in a Ford F150 with chains one over your driveway, then I'd understand the extent of damages.

My suggestion would be to go to *another* asphalt guy and have them see if the job was done correctly, as you might be pursuing the wrong claim (or you might have to pursue both damages from the first "asphalt guy" and the post office).


Title: (NC) Asked landlord for a lease takeover. Landlord found a new tenant and asked me to move out, and I followed their instructions. Now landlord says new tenant never showed up and I'm afraid they will try to hold me liable for the remainder of the lease.

Question:
I am having a potential issue with a landlord regarding a lease takeover situation.  Here is the situation.

I signed an 11-month apartment lease running from the end of January through the end of December.  I paid a security deposit of $1135.00 upon move-in.  Since then, the following timeline has occurred:

5/6:  I sent the property manager (PM) an e-mail stating my desire to move, and asking if they could find a new tenant for the apartment so I could break my lease.

5/14:  PM responded and said I could either give a 60 day notice and pay a 2 months termination fee to end the lease, or pay until the apartment is reoccupied.  PM said they would find someone to take over the apartment, and once the new resident moved in my charges would stop.  They would take care of the painting, cleaning, and carpet cleaning before the new resident moved in.

5/16:  I confirmed to PM that I wanted to wait until they found a new tenant.

5/17:  PM confirmed that the apartment was listed again as available for rent.

6/4:  I paid half the rent for June.  I couldn't pay the full amount due to an issue with their resident portal, which wouldn't let me pay past the move-out date entered in their system.  I contacted PM to resolve the issue, and paid the remainder of the June rent.

6/27:  I receive an e-mail from PM stating that my apartment has been leased.  I am told the new tenant will move in on 7/5, and PM needs the keys back on 7/1 in order to prepare for the new tenant.

6/28:  I confirm to PM that I will vacate the unit and remove all of my possessions prior to 7/1.  Since 7/1 is a Monday and I work weekdays, I have to move out over the weekend prior, and since PM is not in on the weekends, I ask if there is somewhere I can securely drop the keys for them to pick up on 7/1.  PM says they are going to change the locks anyway, so I should just keep one of the front door keys and lock the other front door key, mailbox key, and fob inside the apartment.

6/30:  I send a confirmation to PM that I have vacated the unit, removed all of my possessions, and left the keys inside the apartment as instructed.  I also inform them that I have scheduled for the electricity to be switched over on 7/5, and that I'd like to receive a summary of final rent, utilities, security deposit return, etc once they've had a chance to prepare it.

7/1:  PM confirms that maintenance will change the locks that day.

7/10:  I e-mail PM asking for an update.  PM says they are still waiting for the new tenant to move in because of a "family emergency".  PM says as soon as the new tenant takes possession of the apartment they will be able to complete my final account statement and mail out my refund.

7/22:  I send PM another e-mail asking for an update on my final account balance.

7/23:  PM says "the apartment was rented but the person never showed up to move in so it is back on the market now".  PM says they are working on getting it leased again asap.

7/23:  I get a check in the mail from the leasing company for $729.58 dated 7/15.  I send PM another e-mail saying that I have received a check and am assuming that my final move-out has been processed and my obligations toward the lease have been satisfied.  I also ask for an explanation on how the $729.58 was calculated, since there was no detail included with the payment.

This last entry was just a few minutes ago, so far I have not heard back from PM.  My opinion is that they have no grounds to charge me for rent past the 7/6 day that they communicated (and I complied with by moving out), but the way PM responded on 7/23 has me worried that they will try to get me to keep paying.

So my legal question is:  since I negotiated a lease takeover with PM, was informed that they had found a new tenant, and moved out per their instructions -- does the landlord have any legal right to keep charging me rent just because their new tenant never moved in?

Answer: The last date of your lease should have been 7/1, not 7/5.  The time they need to get the apartment ready isn't your responsibility.  They would need that whenever your lease ended.  You are also absolutely not liable for any new tenant and whatever happens with  them.  They most likely would have left a deposit or something and if they don't show up, that is between management and them.  This is not your responsibility.  You should have received your full deposit back or an explanation of what was charged from it.


Title: I'm in pa. Can my employer require me to park at a satellite facility and ride in a company to the job unpaid?

Question: I'm required to be a a parking lot 15  minutes from the job 45 minutes before my shift starts.  Is this legal?

Answer: NAL but need more information. Are you going to a secure facility? Is other parking available, paid or free?


Title: Is a document legally binding if you do not sign your given name on the line?

Question:
Not the most serious question, but I was wondering if the name itself is the binding part, not just the act of signing.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: No. You could sign Englefart Bumpersnatch and if it could be shown you agreed to the terms you would be held to the contact.Answer #2: Not a legal answer necessarily, but my bipolar sister (a contract lawyer, coincidentally), recently had a full-blown psychotic episode requiring hospitalization, and to avoid her being involuntarily committed, she needed to sign the committal form herself. Part of her psychosis was that she was convinced she was either Jesus or Satan, and after a few hours, the psych nurse and I finally convinced her to sign. Her signature was "JeSatUs". Nurse said that was good enough for them and admitted her.Answer #3: its better to think of it as your "mark" rather than your signature.  so it doesn't matter what you write, as soon as you write it, it is your mark and that creates the agreement.


Title: Ex girlfriend wants me to remove a YouTube video where I mentioned I had a girlfriend named “Carol”

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice !

My exgirlfriend texted me saying she wanted a video on my YouTube channel taken down because it mentioned Carol. In the video I only said “Carol” when naming my ex girlfriends.

I purposely didn’t say her last name and I haven’t even mentioned where I live or what school I go to in any of my YouTube videos, so it is very improbable that anyone outside of my friends at school, would know who I am talking about, this fulfilling and respecting her privacy.

I put a lot of work into the video and it is one of my favorites because it is a challenge between my sister and my best friend to answer questions about me. One of my questions was how many girlfriends have I had. To which I responded naming them (first names only, literally nothing else was said about this)

My question is, what laws protect me from having to take the video down? I would like to calmly point these out to her when I explain why it is I’m not taking it down. Are there any laws that say I have to take it down?

Thanks again, I’ve worked too hard on this video and I just need to know what laws protect this video incase she tries to take me to court.

Location is Pennsylvania

Answer: You don't have to take it down, nor do you have to prove anything to her. Ignore her and move on.


Title: I need help battling a false collections claim

Question:
Centurylink sent something to collections that I dont owe and have never owed. I've only had centurylink once in my life, and thats the account I have currently. I pulled up my payment summeries since I had it connected in December 2015 and all of my payments have been in the full amount and on time. I've tried calling centurylink and they keep transfering me to other numbers to "try and help" me, and then I get left on hold for hours at a time. And I cannot get ahold of the credditor. They didn't even get my first name right on the collections statement.

My questions; how do I get this collection taken off of my credit? Does centurylink have to fix it? Can centurylink do anything about it since it's already in collections, ir would i have to dispute it with the credditor? And if so, how do i dispute something like this?

Answer: Ask the debt collector to verify the debt.  They have to sufficiently prove you owe the debt.  You can dispute the debt with all the crediting bureaus by going to their websites and following their instructions.


Title: friend has to drop restraining order?

Question:
so my friend has to drop the charges on her ex. She lives in GA, USA
  He cheated on her with her sister, lying to both parties. Then when he found out she was seeing another person he came to her house, he took her phone and her keys and locked her in her room.  Then proceeded to beat her until her friend (stupidly told him the cops were on their way).
He left.   **THEY COULD NOT PROVE HE HIT HER**. sadly.

The next day she filed a restraining order on him.

Now her mom and family are pressuring her to drop the charges because he will be the father of her sister's child.

Everyone is telling her that she is making a big deal out of this (even the sister) and to drop the charges.

What can she do? The fact he beat my friend could imply he could possibly beat the wife or the child.
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 She doesn't have to do what the family tells her.  That's the only answer here.

She also can't unilaterally drop the charges.  **If** she so desires, she can contact the police or prosecutors and ask them to drop the charges.  If they refuse she has no recourse.

If she wants the charges to stay, she doesn't have to do anythingAnswer #2: She doesn't have to do any such thing.

And, I'll be honest, if he has a prior for domestic violence, his next victim will have an easier time when (not if) he assaults her.Answer #3: >Then proceeded to beat her until her friend (stupidly told him the cops were on their way). He left.

You say this was "stupid," but it's very possible her friend saved her life, or at least prevented serious injury.  If he stopped before harming her enough to leave marks or bruises, she should be grateful she has such a good friend.Answer #4: I don't understand why the mom wants someone who's willing to beat people like that in their lives. No, she doesn't have to drop anything. If criminal charges are filed then it's much too late for any of it. If she hasn't gone to the police yet she probably should.


Title: Can a court sentence me to taking medication?

Question:
I'm in Drug Court and one of my sanctions has been to receive a Vivitrol shot. It's basically an opiate blocker that lasts about a month
 My issue is how much it costs to get this medication and I feel like it's been making me depressed. Are they allowed to force me to get this medication? What would they be able to do if I stopped getting it?

I'm in Utah BTW.

Answer:
 You can refuse to take the drug then your court case will usually go back to criminal court to have a criminal trial and if convicted you will be sentenced. Drug court is entirely voluntary and is used to help prevent drug addicts from having criminal records. Answer #2: No, they cannot force you to take medication.

However, taking medication may be one of the conditions of your parole or reduced sentence or plea deal.  In that case, if you refuse it, you're going to go back into court for resentencing.


Title: I'm 6 months pregnant and was just hit by a drunk driver

Question: While I was picking dinner up in my suv this past Saturday around 5pm I was stopped at a red light in the right lane of the two straight lanes. A sedan coming down the right turning lane swerved into my passenger rear tire area. I was in shock a bit and had some trouble getting out of my car (being 6 months pregnant with my first and this was my first real accident at 22 years old I was a bit scared for my unborn child not knowing what was happening). Some nice gentleman helped me out of my car after he pulled off to the side with his friend and also pregnant girlfriend to make sure everyone was okay. His friend went to check on the other driver while he helped me call the police and then my boyfriend. I could hear the woman screaming at his friend that I came out of nowhere and acting slightly deranged. Then his friend came over and said how she smelled like booze and looked like she had been drinking. At one point she came over to me and grabbed me and hugged me and the best was I could explain it is she smelled like a bar. Her eyes was also red and she wasn't acting calm even after we both had time to calm down. When the firefighters and police arrived she was very loud and kept moving erratically. The firefighters kept trying to calm her down and started to have to surround her so she wouldn't keep moving into the road. I talked to one of the firefighters and he agreed that she should be tested for alcohol and he said he would ask the police to test her and I should do the same. I asked the one of the officers if they would please test her considering her behavior and the smell. As I was waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up from the scene as my car was not drivable, I watched that same officer pulls cans out of her car which looked like some kind of alcoholic drink. As he did she screamed out and put her hands up "their not mine". She was the only person in the vehicle. He also pulled out a can that was cut out in the middle on the side and something in that hole (from movies and television I've seen something similar used to smoke some kind of drug out of). She started to really freak out over that and scream out "this can't happen to me again". From my understand when I would left she would be taken in and tested. Especially after her husband showed up and they told him he couldn't talk to her and she wasn't allowed to leave the scene. When I picked up the police report that was finally finished today, to my surprise they didn't test her for anything and it was written down as a misjudged clearance and she was only citated for failure to stay in lane. I don't understand why they would not test her. Does anyone know if they don't have to even if the firefighter and other driver asked? Is there anything I can do to make sure she doesn't do this again? I just can't see that she wasn't under some kind of influence especially since she acted like it wasn't the first time.

Answer:
 The vast majority of police officers take intoxicated driving VERY seriously because they are REALLY tired of pulling innocent corpses out of flaming wreckage.   If there is something that can be done to make sure she doesn't do it again, they're almost certainly already doing it.   They just may not be telling you about it.

It's perfectly possible that the accident report didn't include it because they charged her with a DUI, open container, or possession offense as a totally separate case and didn't feel it was necessary to put on the accident report, since they'd already indicated she was at fault.

If you're super worried about it, you can call and talk to the responding officers or their supervisor.   You cannot force the police to investigate.   You're not necessarily entitled to know everything about stuff they ARE investigating, even if it relates to you.

Stress isn't good for you or your child at the moment, and these things are largely beyond your control.   Focus on your health and let the police do their jobs to the best of their ability.   You were right to tip the police off to your suspicions.   You did your part to prevent future similar incidents when you did that.   That's probably going to have to be enough for you at the moment.  But, again, this is NOT the sort of situation where police are prone to shrugging things off, so if there is something to be done, they're almost certainly already on it.Answer #2: You nor firefighters can force police to test anyone. No one here could guess why they wouldn't. Im not sure if the police report would reflect that anyway


Title: Someone from an online forum got arrested and is out on bail. While out on bail, he is hosting an illegal sports stream. How can I contact the judge/jurisdiction where his trial is to get additional punishment?

Question:
So basically this guy was on an anonymous message board I frequent and long story short he made threats while drunk about shooting up a random elementary school in Ohio and got caught. He was arrested and charged with third-degree making terroristic threats and second-degree inducing panic.

I guess his parents put up their home as collateral to bail him out and he is free awaiting trial. He talks about "how he has changed his life now". However, during this time, he is hosting an illegal copyrighted NHL stream and spams it on Reddit. Someone told him yesterday that they know it's him and he deleted the account, but today he makes a new account and starts up a new stream. He just won't get the hint and he needs to learn a lesson

What's typically the process to contact a judge/courthouse to give anonymous tips regarding cases and could this information get additional charges added to his case?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 Here's a better idea.  Mind your own business.

Copyright infringement is almost always a civil, not criminal, matter.Answer #2: > What's typically the process to contact a judge/courthouse to give anonymous tips regarding cases and could this information get additional charges added to his case?

It's unlikely that new charges would be filed here.  Copyright infringement is not often charged.  It *might* be used to enhance sentencing, but even that's a long shot.

Still, you can make the report.  It might affect his sentencing or release.  Call the law enforcement agency that put him away or the prosecutor assigned to the case.


Title: What are the odds that I will win a small claims court case against my neighbor for their insanely noisy dog?

Question:
My neighbor has a dog that is insanely noisy and refuses to do anything about it.

I've been trying to work with the police department and animal control and it's been HARD to get them to do anything.

They've received ONE ticket and about a half dozen warnings.

Warnings won't motivate them and ONE ticket every six months seems to just be cost of doing business for them.

I'm pretty convinced I need to sue at this point - especially because this has been so exhausting.

- I can't sleep
- I can't get any work done
- I can't concentrate
- We can't have dinner outside
- Can't open our windows

... etc.

I am also suffering from insomnia and ear issues from wearing ear plugs at night and had to visit the doctors office today.

I'm worried that a judge would just say this is all hearsay and say that without a large number of police reports there is nothing I can do.

What can I do to make a court case a slam dunk for the judge?

Answer:
 Small claims court is for recovering financial damages.  Answer #2: As others have stated, direct damages only in small claims. You cannot sue for an injunction or performance in small claims in any jurisdiction I'm aware of.

Get a decibel meter. Start metering the dog at times, including after sunset (or whatever your city noise ordinance stipulates for quiet times). Record with video evidence. Hand over to animal control.

If animal control is not taking action to your liking, ask to speak to the desk sergeant.


Title: (GA) active military brother commits suicide & estranged wife (divorce not finalized) is “challenging” the beneficiaries....what can we do?

Question:
My brother who was active military committed suicide in July. He was in the middle of divorcing his wife. She took his son (2yo) out of the house and was refusing visitation even tho they had a court order. My brother was miserable and at his wits end.

The divorce was near being finalized, but nonetheless was not finalized at the time of his death.

The months leading up to his death he changed his beneficiaries for his SGLI policy (which still pays out regardless of suicide) 3 times. Once to make my dad the only beneficiary (removing her completely), then a second time adding her back on as well as myself, and then a final time in May adding in my 2 other sisters. (Total of 5 beneficiaries w equal shares)

*i should also note that during this time he was admitted to the hospital 3 times for evaluations due to him saying he was suicidal. He was diagnosed with PTSD and schizophrenia

My sisters and I paid for the funeral (the POS wife only contributed $500 despite raising $2000 on a go fund me page specifically for the funeral)

We all met with the CAO (casualty assistance officer) to complete the death claim form. We were advised that it could take anywhere from 60-90 days to process.

Now that it is going on 4 months my sister contacted the casualty office and found out the wife is contesting the beneficiaries and is trying to collect the full amount of his policy. The only information that they have given us is that it is still under review.

What options if any do we have? Should we retain an attorney at this point or just wait for a decision? Is it likely that she would be able to get away with this? Please help
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 Not a lawyer but this is going to be way beyond help that this subreddit can provide. You need to consult with and hire a probate attorney ASAP. If your brother changed beneficiaries on his policies it's possible he changed things on his other documents as well. If his soon to be ex wife gets her hands on the money first it's going to be a lot more difficult to recover later on. Getting in touch with his divorce attorney may be helpful as well. He may also have had a trust or will. As active military, he'd have had to have gotten his affairs in order if he had been deployed. Talk to the CAO about getting a copy of those documents.

Sorry to hear this happened and hopefully this gets worked out soon for all of you.


Title: Sold my old car on craigslist, new owner has called me twice about problems already.

Question:
I bought a new car quite a while ago and just got around to selling my old car. I put it up on craigslist and sold it for $3000. The guy paid cash and I signed the title over to him. He called me on his drive home and said he rolled the back window down and now it won't roll back up. I stated that the window made clicking sounds when I sold it, but otherwise didn't know it wouldn't roll back up. The car had a couple other issues, door lock on passenger side and oil leak. I mentioned all of these when he was looking at the car.

He just called me again tonight and said the check engine light came on. I really don't know what to say. The car is 11 years old with 100k miles and he paid 3k for it. I feel like this guy is going to a huge pain in my side. Is he going to call over everything that comes up with the car? Now I am feeling that I need to prepare for the worst.

What would I need to do to prepare for him being as big of a pain as possible?

I am in Boise, Idaho.

Answer:
 Caveat Emptor, he should have asked to have the car checked out before he bought it.

He didn't.
IANAL.


Title: How do you make a small EMP that can instantly erase all evidence of illegal activity on your computer in the event of an FBI raid?

Question: STATE: California

Answer: How about not having evidence of illegal activity on your computer? Have you thought about that?


Title: Roomate leaves town, his dog urinates and defacates on his bed, am I entitled to pay for damages? Alberta/Canada

Question:
So my roommate and his girlfriend, who both normally watch the dog, went out of town for the weekend. A mutual friend of ours came over to help watch the dog while I was at work. He does not have a job, so for the 3 days, he would watch the dog. I comped him with food/booze/just helping him with what he needed (neither of us were paid for any of this by the owner, i paid out of pocket for helping me). A day or two in, he mentions that the dog defacated in their bedroom, but he assures me he cleaned it up. No big deal, I figure.

 So day 3 comes around, friend leaves a few hours before the roommate arrives, but I watch the dog diligently, she does not leave my sight. The roommates arrive home, and find that their bed, and some objects, were defecated on. Their mattress, some clothes, and some objects. Projected damages were $1400. Thinking it unfair that this happened while I was at work, I dismiss it. The next day, he demands money, and with knowledge of this person's attitude and mindset, would absolutely have either commited physical or property damage. I acquiesced and threw some money his way.

 A day later, I confide in some of our mutual friends, who all tell me not to have given anything, as that is an admission of guilt. I only did this to prevent a potentially volatile situation (duress?) and they begin to tell me that he might be asking for more money than was ever needed.

I comped him 600$, but feel that this was unfair, and only did so to protect my own possessions, as he undoubtedly would have destroyed everything I have. Am I in any way protected, or was me giving in the final nail in my own coffin?

Answer: Pretty obvious what the dog thought of his owner going away for the weekend.


Title: Landlord wants to show unit while we’re still living here

Question:
Location: Bay Area, California

We gave our landlord over 30 days notice that our last day in the unit will be January 31st. She wants to start showing the unit now (likely wanting to have new tenants move in on Feb 1st) and asked us to evacuate the unit for 1.5 hours this weekend to show it to potential tenants.

My question is do we legally have to let her show the unit before we move out? My concern is having to accommodate the times that she picks for showings (I anticipate this will not be the only one) and also having to clean/hide expensive items.

Answer:
 She can show the unit.

Unless specified in your lease you have zero obligation to clean or even vacate the apartment during said showing.


Title: [NY] Brother-in-Law has cancer, ex-wife is abusive. What're the chances an aunt & uncle can get the kids (or at least preserve our own visitation) if he dies? (xpost r/custody)

Question:
TL;DR: My brother\-in\-law split from his wife about four years ago. Last week he was diagnosed with cancer at 37. Ex\-wife will get custody if he dies and is abusive and has sought to separate the children from the rest of the family in the past. Is there any legal recourse for us as the children's aunts, uncles and grandparents to compel her to let us stay in there lives?

The rundown:

I'm not privy to the details of the custody agreement, but as I understand it my brother\-in\-law is the "primary custodian," but his ex\-wife has shared or joint custody of the three minor children. \(Please excuse my ignorance of the exact legal meaning of all this. Clarification is appreciated!\)

As I understand it, he's supposed to be the final word on things like education and healthcare, etc. but she enjoys equal time with the kids, i.e. split all holidays and birthdays, two weeks of custody out of each month. She is allowed to be present for any and all appointments or events the children are involved in: healthcare, parent\-teacher conferences, extracurricular activities and the like. He paid her spousal support for a period, but that's over. He still pays her maintenance for the kids. \(Plus he's still paying off the balances on several credit cards she opened and maxed out during the divorce, but that's a whole other gripe that isn't directly related to this question, I guess.\)

During their marriage, his ex\-wife was emotionally and physically abusive to him and the children and was intensely manipulative of the his relationships outside the marriage. To give you an idea, I never met or even laid eyes on the kids for the first three years that I was part of this family. She would apparently fly into a rage whenever he snuck the kids out to see their grandparents for a few minutes. She screamed at him and the kids daily. She attacked him numerous times, at least once with a kitchen knife. If she thought my brother\-in\-law had defied her in some way, she would threaten to punish him by finding a pedophile to abuse the children.

Despite all this, *she* actually was the one who initiated divorce proceedings. I can only assume it's because ultimately she couldn't totally control my brother\-in\-law. We were all incredibly surprised and happy when he was not only given equal time with the kids but also this "primary custody." She didn't do herself any favors in court, and even in a locale and before a judge who notoriously favors mothers in divorces, he \(partly\) won out.

Since the divorce, she has, of course, remained manipulative, abusive and controlling of the children. She routinely harasses my brother\-in\-law via email, text and calls. She tosses school supplies and seasonal clothes and tells teachers that he doesn't provide them. When the oldest kid got her first period while with him, she found out and called CPS to report him for child abuse, citing blood in her daughter's underwear \(the investigation dismissed the claim\). She confiscates anything the kids could communicate with when they are with her. She destroys the kids favorite toys and clothing in front of them if they upset her. I recently found out that she locked my nephew out of her house this winter, at night, wearing shorts and a t\-shirt, because she was "done with him tonight."

So my brother\-in\-law goes in for surgery to remove a very large tumor from his gut this coming week, only ten days from initial diagnosis. We won't know until after the surgery, but he's likely got something fairly advanced and will also be getting 6\-12 months of chemo after. We are confronting the fact that it's entirely possible he will be dead in a year or two. The rest of the family have grave concerns about the well\-being of these kids when the ex\-wife has full custody. We're trying to be realistic; we know we aren't going to magic these kids out of the situation given that she'll be the surviving parent. At the least we want to be in their lives so we can support them and keep an eye out for evidence of abuse that might allow us to get them away from their mother. We want to be available if and when they can speak up for themselves and say that they don't want to be with her.

My brother\-in\-law has never had a will \(or life insurance, or any of that adult stuff\), so we're getting that drafted before his surgery. He will be making his sister the executor of the estate and conservator \(correct term?\) of any assets left for the kids. We want him to make it known in the will that his wish is that we have custody of the children. It's not going to have any effect on what happens if he dies, but we think if at least we can point to this down the road it'll bolster the case if their mother finally screws up enough for us to challenge her for the kids.

Thank you for making it through a much longer read than was probably necessary and thank you for any advice.

Answer:
 I'm so sorry you're going through this.

1. You say the ex\-wife is an abuser. This needs to be documented. You need to make a CPS report. Other people involved can also make CPS reports.
2. How old are these kids? It's possible that if they are old enough, they can also negotiate with the surviving parent to live and stay elsewhere, even if there's no abuse proven.
3. Grandparent's rights are very, very challenging.
4. Your brother needs to be working aggressively with HIS attorney on this. It's helpful that you're already doing the estate planning, etc., but this isn't something you want to manage on your own \(or ask a sick man to manage\), so talk to an attorney ASAP.


Title: Is there any way to hold my company legally accountable for Nepotism/Favoritism?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > **I asked a lawyer what I could do about this issue and he stated there is nothing I could do because I was not a protected class of any kind.**

Favoritism and nepotism are not illegal in a private business.

> I was told in a training that I become protected when I file an ethics complaint.

Protected from retaliation maybe depending on your company's guidelines, but not an instant promotion.

EDIT: Emphasis.


Title: [Virginia] Neighbor had a party, ended with a gun battle.

Question: Our neighbor had a party last night which ended up in tow people having a gun fight. Total of 25+ rounds were fired. I immediately called the police as it was still happening. Our neighbor is also a cop and went outside to see what was going on. My wife is pregnant and now we want to move. Can we terminate our lease early so we can get away from this area and should the host of the party get arrested/evicted due to illegal activity?

Answer:
 >Can we terminate our lease early so we can get away from this area and should the host of the party get arrested/evicted due to illegal activity?

You can absolutely break your lease per the terms of your lease and local laws.

What does your lease say about breaking it?  Generally you owe rent until the landlord finds a new tenant.  This is not cause for you to break your lease without any penalties unless your lease states otherwise.


Title: Help formatting a contract releasing me from liability regarding novelty ids

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 1) we don't draft contracts here, you'll have to speak to an attorney for that

2) a contract won't release you from any liability.  Making Fake IDs is illegal, and you can be prosecuted no matter what you and the person you sell to sign


Title: Neighbor's dog attacked me and my dog. Should the owner of the dog pay for my medical bills or should the dog sitter pay?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You sue the owner of the dog for any costs that you have incurred because of this incident: the OBGYN appointment and the vet bill. It is the owners responsibility to sue the sitter; but if you want to play it safe, you name the sitter on your lawsuit also.  Answer #2: Why do you suspect your unborn child was harmed?Answer #3: What are your grounds for a suit? Property damage to your dog (broken nail), vet bill, and a copay for a doctor's visit? Unless something is really wrong or your damages are really high, doesn't seem worth it. Best bet is make a complaint with your local animal control. You can get the vet bill paid through restitution of whoever they charge. That said, I whole heatedly disagree with whoever said the dog owner is at fault. Generally, it is the fault of the person maintaining or harboring the dog at the time of the incident. That would be the friend/dog sitter. Same concept as if you were driving your friend's bike and crashed into someone.


Title: [Sydney, Australia] My friend's (20M) dad withdrew $4,000 out of my friend's bank account and gambled it away. He became physically and verbally aggressive when my friend changed his bank account details, but now my friend desperately needs that money to move out.

Question:
His father had my friend's bank details and withdrew $4,000 to himself on the 27th of Oct. My friend is working part-time so he does have a slow stream of income, but not enough to move out.

My friend doesn't have proof of the physical or verbal assault but it goes to the extent of "I don't give a f***, it's my money."

My friend is probably afraid of taking him to court because of how reliant he is on his family for shelter, and without any savings it'll be too hard to move out if things go south.

I'd also assume that any money his father took is all gone, because he keeps coming back for more.

Thank you in advance. I'm happy to clarify if anything doesn't make sense or if you need more information.

Answer:
 There are no good options here - yeah your friend's Dad stole the money and he could report him to the police or sue him in small claims, but it's all gambled away so your friend is not going to see that money. Additionally, if he pursues either of those options then he is likely to be kicked out of home.

He needs to get a full time job to fund him moving out or investigate centerlink benefits - is he studying? Can he qualify for Newstart? You can submit claims for either of these on MyGov. Good luck
Answer #2: Here you go: https://www.reddit.com/r/AusLegal/


Title: [Alabama] Landlord has not cut down dead tree; it's been three months

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 First of all, file a dispute with the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section. The toll-free number is 1-800-351-4889.

If you haven't ever done so, demand the tree be taken down in a letter, sent certified mail.  Also, if you have his cell number, text the landlord about the issue, making sure to mention that it's been three months since the arborist came.  (This is so you have some proof that the landlord has been aware of the issue for a long time).

You are allowed to break the lease for something like this, but it's taking a big risk, because if you get sued and lose you could be held responsible for a fairly large amount of rent damages.  So you should consult with a lawyer before doing that.

This might just be an issue of your landlord relying on a bad contractor, which you could maybe fix by making some phone calls.  You could also try to "repair and deduct" but again, you'll be putting a fair bit of money at risk doing that (this is not a $200 job, more like $3000 I would guess) so you should consult a lawyer about that.

If you want to go to a hotel for the safety of your son and dog, *do it*.  I'm not saying you'll be able to send your landlord the bill, you might be able to, but we're talking about a threat to life here.  Do what you gotta do to keep your family safe.

Oh, and make sure you have renter's insurance.  If that tree comes down and destroys a bunch of your property you don't want to have to sue your landlord for it and go through a whole bunch of enforcement before you can get the money to replace your things.


Title: California - Coworkers won't stop teasing, making fun of skin condition.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 This could be actionable.  See [this link from some lawyer.](http://www.rhdtlaw.com/coworkers-harassing-rights/)  In California, a medical condition or disability is a protected class.  If you notify HR or management about the harassment then they have to take steps to deter future harassment.

As a practical matter, the harasser dickheads will shun you and talk crap about you to everyone, I'm sure.  They're doing so already, so no love lost there.  If the company fires you on some pretext, that'd carry the risk of being seen as retaliatory firing, if you had been complaining to HR about the harassment.


Title: Feeling Traumatized After Sexual Assault By My Ex-Boss

Question:
I worked in a fast food company for five years. My ex employer has been the franchise owner of this particular store for two years. I worked for him as his manager, often giving him my feedback on his thoughts and actions. Recently, however, I decided his lack of professionalism was no longer worth my time and effort.

Our last disagreement prompted me to leave. When I came back from a break, I approached him and expressed how I felt. I told him that I could no longer work for him and wished to leave. I headed straight to the employees washroom to freshen up and to get ready to leave.

Now for over a year, I literally worked 7 days a week, sometimes working 60 hours a week at a time. When I approached him with my decision, he followed me into the washroom and asked me what was wrong with me.

When I tried to explain myself, he became furious, raising his hand at me (shaking it back and forth) and yelling at me, repeatedly, to shut up. I was overwhelmed and in tears but I was adamant to express that his poor decisions are why I decided to leave. When I wouldn’t stop talking, he put his hand on my jaw to coerce me into stopping.

When I finally stopped because I was feeling frightened, he changed his tone completely. He told me that it was a dumb idea to leave. He expressed that we work well together, that I’m a really nice person and have a good heart. While he was “buttering” me up, he put his hand on my left breast and started squeezing it.

He went from being furious to I don’t know what the fuck. I had no idea what to think or what to do. It has left me emotionally and psychologically scarred. I feel so distraught that I'm unable to calm down and go on with my life.

I called Labour Board for a solution, but they only advised to contact the company’s head office. When I called head office, the only thing they could offer was to have a discussion with my previous employer. The reason being is because the franchise owner is not an employee of the corporate store, so what goes on inside that franchise store is out of their hands.

I'm looking to find out what my legal options are with the hope of getting some degree of peace of mind. I'm located in Ontario, Canada.

Please advise. Thanks in advance.

Answer: You can report it to the police. But keep in mind you may have to testify against him since he is presumed to innocent. And if there are no cameras in the bathroom it's your word against his. if you want to move on with your life and put this behind you, some type of therapy may be a better option.


Title: [CA, USA] dad and stepmom own a house. stepmom passes away. does stepsister have any legal claim on house?

Question:
My dad and my stepmom owned a house together. It was my stepmom's at first, but then she married my dad, and then they shared ownership. My stepmom passed away a few years ago. The house had been paid off for a while. My stepmom had a daughter (my stepsister) who doesn't live nearby. My stepsister is irresponsible with money, and I can imagine in the future, if my dad passes away or if he sells the house, my stepsister might swoop in and claim part or all of the house belongs to her. I don't know if anything was in my stepmom's will.

With that little info, does my stepsister, or any of my stepmom's family come to think of it, have any legal claim to the house?

Answer:
 Maybe. Depends on how the house was titled and stepmoms will.

You Dad should have a will and that lawyer will be able to clarify this question. Answer #2: If your step mother left her share of the property to your father, then the ownership of the house is a done deal. If your father and step mother owned the house as joint tenants (which is very likely) ditto: the property passed in it's entirety to your father at your stepmothers death.

But you know what, your best option is to have this conversation with your father.


Title: [Louisiana] Fired, was actively prevented from removing personal data from work machines

Question:
So this is one of two questions I have to ask.  :)  The other one is posted in another thread, as it deals with an entirely different matter.

I was fired this morning after an argument with my employer.

After leaving his office, I returned to my desk and started to collect my personal property from the desk.  He followed me and told me to turn my computer off.  I told him that I needed to remove my personal data from the machine first.  He told me no, and then moved in behind me and shut the computer off by the power button.  I at that point asked him to call the sheriff, because I did not want to leave the premises with a lot of sensitive information "in the wind."  I've lived in previous states, and was under the impression that personal data is still considered private, and the business owner needs to allow me the opportunity to recover or remove it from their systems.  I did tell him he could watch me do it, but it needed to be done.

The sheriff informed me that in Louisiana, the property owner trumps the data owner and that I could not recover my information if he didn't want to let me.  If I had a problem with it, I could sue him.

For the most part, it's all nonsense stuff -- browser history and cookies that allow people to automatically log into my Facebook, Reddit, etc.  But there's also other stuff on that machine, including banking cookies, credit card access, and documents displaying my SSN and insurance information, as well as educational access.  There is also Adobe Creative Suite, which is logged in under my own account, because I needed to by own software to do my job (not a contractor).

And yes, I know that it is in bad form to log into stuff at work, however, I was a tech and up until that point, it was never an issue.  The problem stems from the argument itself, which primarily concerned his rampant distrust and paranoia of employees and how that effected the back office.

In the past, employees were allowed to clean their desk without the hovering.  The last two employees to leave were allowed to clean up.  One of them had cleared his browsing history and other such information without being watched, and I became aware of my employer "snooping" when he called me into his office and asked me how best to determine where and when he sent emails, what he was logged into, and what other activities he was engaged in.

Note, that myself nor any previous employees were doing anything nefarious.  This was simply about massive paranoia.  I was so angry that I called him a thief and told him that my private data had better be completely deleted.

Now, my legal question is -- ***can I, and how should I, hold him accountable should there be a breach in any of my accounts or I suspect he has not done due diligence on the machine or is taking advantage of software licensed to me or documents that I created for my own use?***

I am not 100% certain that changing passwords will force log-outs.  In fact, I'm certain it won't in some cases.

Answer:
 It is their computer. You should never use someone else's property to save your personal data.

You would have to prove that they were the breach which is going to be very difficult. Answer #2: Mostly, you can't.  you accessed your personal info on their computers.  they have all the say in this because it was their property you used.  change all your log ins.


Title: [WA] Is there any grounds for someone suing me because of questions I asked him on twitter?

Question:
After reading a Daily Beast and Washington Post article about Shaun King I sent him 2 tweets, asking

1. "Why did Tamir Rice's family sue you?"
2. "What happened to the money you stole from the Haiti charity you setup?"

He sent me a direct message saying he was going to take screenshots and was suing anyone making accusations about him misappropriating funds.

Is there a strong basis for his case?

Here are the two articles in question (which I cited in response to replies to my tweet & and to his direct message)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/05/05/online-activists-raised-60k-for-tamir-rices-family-so-where-did-all-that-money-go/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/16/where-did-all-the-money-shaun-king-raised-for-black-lives-go.html

Answer:
 More than likely no. Unless your second statement was a lie, AND he could prove that you caused him damages - Then there isn't much recourse he has.

As non-legal advice, I make it a practice to not bait people into arguments on the internet.


Title: Can you take a DUI charge back to court?

Question:
Below is my story, but basically I'm wondering if you don't feel you were provided exceptional legal aid during court, can you take it back and try again if you've already plead guilty?

Alright, prepare for a long read.

I used to be a really out there, outgoing guy. I live in a small town in Alberta Canada, always dreaming of getting out. Let's just say... The community hasn't really been kind to me and my lifestyle choices and I'm always hoping to get out of here and go to a big city. I've had troubles with depression, I come from a broken household with an alcoholic father, but I try to get by. I take care of senior citizens in a nursing home and I've always just been, well, a good guy and a great friend to have. I was 20 years old at the time, this happened on April 20th. I don't have a lot of friends around here anymore, they all left for college. One of them though was back in town for her baby shower and all sorts of old friends from high school were going to be here. The shower was fine, I mean as a male at a baby shower it went as well as it could haha. Some of the girls invited me for drinks after so I said alright, I'd go. It was a really cold night though, so I figured instead of walking I would drive and not drink. Well, peer pressure took its toll and I had about 3 beers and a little of my friends' mixed drink. I got there around 11:30 and I figured that as long as I waited long enough, I should be fine to drive if it didn't warm up outside. Well, of course it did not, but I had stopped drinking and hung around the bar until about 3:30 when it closed down. I felt absolutely fine, I had gotten a small buzz at the beginning of the night but it went away fast. I figured, okay I'm good to go. If my math skills were correct, I should be fine even if I get stopped. I'm GDL so it's zero alcohol tolerance, but again, I figured it was all out. So I step outside and it's COLD! So I hop in my car. Cops are swarming the place, I mean it was 420 and on a friday night, of course they're going to hunt. They all dispersed and I took off. I didn't live far. A cop followed me for some time and then pulled me over, apparently my plate light was out. He could smell the alcohol and so I told him my story. He told me to get into his car without any of these level of drunkennes tests you see on the movies. I was so nervous. He made me blow into a breathalizer and it said fail. So, he reads me my rights and off we go to a nearby native reserve prison for a second test. A really sketchy town with a dangerous community. Needless to say, I was scared. I tried explaining I didn't know I was over and I was sorry, but it didn't matter. There, I blew .10 and then .09 15 minutes later (.08 is the limit). Off we go again back to my hometown where I sat in a phonebooth while he did paperwork. After, I asked if I would have a criminal record and he said no. Like, it was an honest mistake how could this happen? But, regardless, I was minus a car for a month and after that I was in court. I got a lawyer, and I only met him the day of court. He barely took a look at my paperwork and said there was nothing he could do to get me out of it, and that I had to plead guilty and get a criminal record. Great, I hired a rent-a-fucking-lawyer who wasn't even going to try. So that's what I did, and I had to take a defensive driving course (~$200), get a blowbox installed in my car ($130 a month) for a year (~$150 installation) after my license was reinstated ($90) plus a $1000 ticket! Now I just found out I'm going to have to pay $500 a month for car insurance for the next 3 YEARS. I don't know what to do, I mean I am ready to pretty much kiss college goodbye, I am having trouble getting a better paying job because of my record, I don't know if I'll be able to travel, I won't be able to get a job that involves driving, my job options are now severely limited, and I'm going to be poor for the next 3 years. My dreams feel shattered, I've been seeing a counselor who says I should consider taking medication for my depression (fun fact: apparently depression is common for those who get a criminal record) and I don't know what to do. I am so angry that I couldn't find a lawyer who would even try to fight it, I didn't know I was doing anything wrong so I still feel like a victim! I mean I'm 21 years old and I feel like I just ruined my life and for what? Nothing! I once saw a psychic who knew about what happened, said the cop was a dick, I should have gotten a better lawyer and not to give up because there's a common mistake in my paperwork that could reverse this all. She's been right about some creepy things before, but idk. I want to give up, but I want to reverse this and fix it. Technically I'm in the wrong, I'm a criminal. But I just don't feel like this is justified and that I deserved this. My lawyer said that if I had blown even .089, just .001 less (equivalent to 15 minutes) they would have brushed it off and I'd be free. The fucking judge even said, I'm sorry this happened to you. How frustrating! I don't know what to do, I feel hopeless. Offer me advice, or tell me your story and what you did to get through this. Thanks.

Answer:
 I was done at....

> I used to be a really out there, outgoing guy. I live in a small town in Alberta Canada, always dreaming of getting out.

Perhaps editing your narrative to include the important facts and leave out the stuff that doesn't matter. Think I glanced and saw something about a physic in there? Facts please!

Not trying to be a dick, but you'll get much more help if you don't bore people into eternal slumber.

Ugg, out of boredom I read your narrative anyway...

> Below is my story, but basically I'm wondering if you don't feel you were provided exceptional legal aid during court, can you take it back and try again if you've already plead guilty?

Generally no. Once you plead, that's the game. Even if so, not a single thing you said in your whole story says you weren't guilty of the crime. If 0.08 is the limit, 0.09 is illegal, if you blew .00001 over the legal limit, that's it.

As for the lawyer... fight what? Once again, you blew over the limit. He can't make that go away unless the police did something wrong....

Again, not piling on you, but you **do** deserve this. You made poor choices one night. No worries, it happens to everyone. Be glad you didn't kill someone, move on with your life, and learn from the mistake.


Title: How to get roommate to pay up

Question:
So we had a new roommate move in about a month ago, and we were all really stupid about it. We'd recently had a terrible experience with a roommate leaving out of the blue and were desperate to find a new one. Since I live in a household of four 20 year olds, we're all very new at renting, so, when a new roommate came around, we jumped at the opportunity.

What we failed to do was get any money upfront or have her sign any promissory document ensuring we receive payment from her. She verbally agreed to pay me $100 out of her paycheck every two weeks, but has failed to do so thus far, and one of the things I'm wondering is if that is enough to keep her accountable where I live in Michigan? Could I theoretically take her to civil court or something over this?

Since we haven't received any payment, we want to kick her out, but also don't want to forfeit her share of the rent and utilities she owes us. I've drafted up a very rudimentary document where she'd agree to pay us back, but I'm not sure she'll sign it. I haven't seen her in days and have been unable to contact her.

Any advice for my stupid self would be really appreciated. Thank you so much!

Answer:
 You're roommate is now a tenant and you will need to evict her for non payment. I'd wager calling it a loss on the money she owes if she agrees to move out with no issue.

 Btw, you guy's can't just throw her shit out and change the locks or else you will could be sued for a self help eviction.


Title: Neighbors tree branches keep falling and damaging my property. What can I do? (NC)

Question: My neighbors to the left of me have a large tree. The branches overhang my yard, but the trunk is on their side of the fence. The first time a branch fell it took out a power line and almost caught my shed on fire and caused about a grand in damages. Second time it happened nothing of value was destroyed but it took down our cable and internet line and it took two weeks to get the cable company out to fix it. Now for a third time (in two years) a large branch has fallen and it snapped the cable and internet poll, which is currently pulling the lines and another poll off of the side of my house. These arent small branches mind you, they're huge. What can I do here? I know this sub loves tree law and ive lurked here long enough to know that I cant trim their tree but clearly someone needs to trim it. How can I force them to trim the tree?

Answer:
 Have you tried reaching out to the utility? They should be able to (and should want to) trim that tree away from their lines. Be a pest.Answer #2: You have the right to trim the branches that cross your property line. Since this would make the tree look bad, and might even harm it, it's in your neighbor's interest to work with you on this. Have an arborist come out and give an estimate for trimming the whole tree so that it's safe for the utility lines, then see if your neighbor will go 50/50 on it.

If they refuse, hire the arborist to trim just your half.