Title: (CA) Estranged grandmother died, aunt stated I was in living will, got confirmation from lawyer, now states she "misread" the will.

Question:
I am just getting the idea of how to properly post, so forgive my clumsiness.

My biological father has never been a part of my life, and is currently in jail, after being in prison or on drugs for the better part of the last 30 years.
His mother recently passed, and my aunt contacted my sister and I to let us know we were in the living trust as 'back-ups' if my bio-father was either in jail or on drugs. She stated she had an attorney confirm that she was reading it right, she was. She said this was just the beginning, but the first thing she was dealing with was the car being left to us and that we needed to send her notarized letters allowing her to sell it.

We did as requested, but shortly after she contacted my sister and let her know that she 'misread' the will, and she would be putting all the funds into an account for my dad in case he gets out of prison. If or when he dies in prison, she will be leaving the account to us. My sister has a pretty good relationship with her, and seems to think she started feeling bad for giving the money to us instead of him, but I was under the impression that is why will's exist.

I do not have a relationship with this woman, so I asked my mother to contact her to get an idea of what was going on. She essentially led my mom on and never got back to her.

There are a whole bunch of reasons this is SUPER sketchy to me.
Here are a few questions.
- Can I request the will?
- Is she able to decide where things go, or is that typically accounted for in a living will?
- Because it is a living will, does it change anything vs just a regular will.
-  I know that CA state requires that any time an inmate is included in a will, it be reported to the state to allow for the state to take any funds that may be owed to the state. So, as she stated that she will be putting the funds directly into an account, essentially it amounts to sheltering funds from the state... right?

I don't actually care all that much about chasing this woman down for funds from an estate of a woman I really didn't know. I also don't even know what the estate may look like. It might be under $100, and a trailer with no front door but it also may be much, much more than that. I don't have any idea. So my thought is that it may not be worth it.

Second question is this. If he dies in jail tomorrow, could I accept $ in good conscious knowing that it was sheltered from the state? Would I be liable for reporting this now, or when I accepted the money?

Thanks in advance.

Answer: A "living will" is also known as an advance health care directive.  It gives the person's wishes about keeping them alive if they are unable to state their wishes.  It doesn't give away property.  That would be a trust.


Title: Passed a school bus and stopped a little bit too late.

Question:
Connecticut here. Last Wednesday I was coming around a very sharp turn on a very curvy road near my house on my way to work. I didn't process that there was a school bus right around the corner and by accidentally passed it. It blasted its horn and I stopped about midway down the bus (obviously a bit too late).

Today a cop called me and told me to come in to the station. I thought if I went in and apologized and promised it wouldn't happen again I'd be fine. I have never been pulled over or gotten a ticket in my life. The cop talked to me and pulled out pictures from the Bus video feed which showed the corner and me coming around it. I talked to him for a little bit but the guy was honestly kind of an asshole. He took my license into a back room and came back with a ticket. $465 for barely passing a bus, fucking bullshit. I am contemplating pleading not guilty.

What are my chances in court with a judge? Could I plead guilty to a lesser offense? It seems kind of dumb to me that the local police force in my town retroactively went back into cameras and called me in to write a traffic violation. I am new to this sub and would really appreciate any advice.

Edit: Decided to plead not guilty and will try to get a lesser offense with the prosecutor before court. Will update later this week.

Answer:
 The reason that law is in place is to prevent you from hitting a child that exits a stopped school bus and you have to stop 10 feet behind the bus.

You messed up and they have video evidence so I'd seek out a deal for a smaller fine with less points with the prosecutor in the pre trial conference


Title: Landlord won't return security deposit

Question: I moved out of my apartment on November 18th. The lease ended officially on November 30th. The roommate that I was living with stayed in the apartment, and signed a new lease and paid a new security deposit with the tenant that moved in. My landlord first told me that she had 30 days from when the lease ended to return the deposit (which would be December 30th). As of today, I have not received the deposit despite numerous inquires, so I reached back out with a reminder. She is now saying that because the other roommate stayed, the deposit does not have to be returned until 30 days from ALL occupants moving out. Reddit, is this legal? I know the laws vary by state,  and I live in Michigan. Everything I've looked into says 30 days from the termination of the lease.

Answer: The landlord's wrong. The old lease has ended, the security deposit needs to be returned. You can go to small claims court to get your security deposit back (the state probably also has a penalty for the landlord not returning the security deposit on time, so you may be able to get, say, double your security deposit back).


Title: At-home employer (marketing research call center) forcing employee to download anti-virus that monitors download information (Ontario, Canada)

Question:
My sister works at home on her own personal for a political campaign 'research' firm who has, as of today, told them it will be a requirement to download and install a specific piece of software as an anti-virus software, namely, this:
https://www.webroot.com/us/en/business/smb/endpoint-protection?rc=5339&sc=701F0000000etam&gclid=Cj0KEQjwx96-BRDyzY3GqcqZgcgBEiQANHd-nnxT9wYd8KVLxcPfbvCiszjwPtGvbWBy6rMM-1E5jdkaArfW8P8HAQ
Supposedly, this allows complete tracking of her system and her download history, and she considers it a privacy violation, as do I. Can anyone point me in the right direction? This does not seem like a valid requirement for an at-home worker given that it is their own device. At a glance, it appears it's a violation of this Supreme court ruling at the very least given the abilities of the program:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/supreme-court-rules-employees-have-right-to-privacy-on-work-computers/article4625660/

Answer:
 Non-legal advice: Your sister could use an application like [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/) and use a virtual machine exclusively for work.

This way, her non-work related activities cannot be tracked.


Title: What is the biggest thing the Secretary of Defense could do on his own authority?

Question:
Even if it would get him fired or arrested for abuse of authority, what is the most serious thing that the Secretary of Defense could arbitrarily order on his own?

Could he invade and conquer Canada? Could he order a non-nuclear missile attack on London?

Answer:
 Don't try to invade Canada again! You tried several times, you lost every time, leave us alone.

Last time we burnt the White House down, haven't you learned your lesson yet?


Title: Trouble with applying for an apartment

Question:
Hello,

I am currently 22 years old and am about to graduate college and move to a new city with my fiancee. When I was in high school (2011), a friend and I were pulled over and arrested for smoking marijuana. I was never charged with possession of any drug paraphernalia, only "Ingestion of a controlled substance with the purpose of becoming intoxicated" or something along those lines. A misdemeanor charge. My THC levels were insanely low, as I've never been a real "stoner" or anything. I just got unlucky and was caught during one of the few times I did actually smoke. I haven't smoked since.

Fast forward to today: My apartment application for a complex was denied because of my previous conviction. I have had no issues with my criminal background up until this point. I have gotten 4 jobs and have lived at 2 separate apartment complexes since then, no problems whatsoever. I am a good person. I am fearful to apply for another apartment complex at the chance of being turned down again. Is there anything I can do to prove to anyone that I am not some dirtbag human being? I just want to find a nice apartment for my fiancee and I to live in and it kills me that she isn't able to live where she wants to because of some mistake I made in high school :( Any suggestions from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: I am a South Dakota resident and the aforementioned offense took place in South Dakota as well. Forgot to include that!

Answer: You can talk to the management of any place you apply and explain your situation.


Title: (NJ) - wife gets new job, put on bed rest

Question:
My wife got a new fulltime job recently but still is in the probation period. Shes been put on bed rest for few months for reasons. Her work isn't office work so she can't do it from home or anything.
Can she get fired? Does she have legal protection against being fired?

Answer: Yes they can terminate her for missing work as she doesn't qualify for FMLA yet.  If she's fired, she can file for unemployment once medically cleared to work.


Title: Random number messaged me and it got weird

Question:
TL:DR I received a text from a random number. Claiming to be a girl, she attempted to seduce me and made me feel very uncomfortable.

So last night I received a text from a random number. The girl (let's call her girl) told me she got the number from a guy she met over the weekend. Right off the bat I was suspicious. The number looked oddly familiar to my ex's. We broke up last week so I feared she may be seeking some sort of revenge.

So girl asks for a pick and I reluctantly decline until she sends one first. She sent one and I searched it on google, no results. She sent me others, still no results.

From my picture she recognizes my hair color and specifically asked me about my pubic hair. Strike one. I feel wildly uncomfortable and do not give her an answer. It progressed further.

She tried to get me to agree to meet up for a drink. After that she described how it's been ages since she's had sex and talked about how much she misses it. At this point I tell her I'm uncomfortable and asked her to please stop talking about sex. She apologized but kept stirring the conversation back to sexual relations. She asked for nude pictures and I declined. At several points in the conversation I mentioned how uncomfortable and provocative her language was.

After getting my hands on a computer I did a somewhat thorough investigation of this phone number. The results were that it was a landline through the provider Neutral Tandem-Kentucky. I suspect that it is a VOIP number. Since the conversation was fluent I highly doubt that this is a bot talking to me. This is a person with an agenda.

During my search I found one similar experience that had been commented on one of the reverse search websites with vague details including a name that was the same as I was provided.

Any thoughts on what this is? How can I dig deeper and find the root of this? Is this worthy of getting the police involved?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 Why are you even replying to strangers that text you? Just block the number and move on. Answer #2: This isn't a legal problem. Stop talking to unknowns via text on the phone. If you want help rooting the problem out, repost to r/scams.

>From my picture she recognizes my hair color and specifically asked me about my pubic hair.

 You actually sent a picture?Answer #3: It's a common scam. You send nudes. The girls father contacts you stating girl is underage. Blackmail ensues.

Block the number and move on.


Title: Someone Was Scammed into the House I Just Signed a Lease for

Question:
I originally posted this in r/scams, but was advised to post it here instead. By the way, I'm in Georgia. This is also our first time renting.

&#x200B;

 My boyfriend, his brother and I just signed a lease for a house from a rental company. The agent went to check out the house before scheduling our move-in inspection, and there was a car there. When she went in the house, there were knick-knacks and boxes. Called the police. As it turns out, the guy was scammed. The scammer listed the house on craigslist with the same pictures and description as used on Zillow and the company website, but for $400 cheaper and with a different phone number. It's a house that you can self tour by entering your phone number on their website, and getting a code to open the lockbox to get the keys. So my guess is that the scammer did that and made duplicates of the keys. Our agent says they are working on getting the guy to move out, or else they are going to have to take him to court. This will push our move-in date further back, and this house is perfect for us. We've been so stressed out trying to find a nice, affordable house and would hate to lose this one, especially since we have to be out of our current place by May 6th. We could push it back further, but would really rather not. Has anyone else dealt with this? I've been looking for advice online but I can't find anything where someone has been in this type of situation.

&#x200B;

Since the original post, the agency has let us know that the guy has chosen to start applying for the house to try to rent it in his name. They told us that they were going to threaten eviction and hope that he agrees to leave, since that looks bad on your record, and if he doesn't they will take it to court. They also informed us that if that take it to court and he fights it saying "I have nowhere else to go, I'm poor now and out of money" (except he's not, proven by the fact that hes willing to apply and pay the security deposit and first month of rent, adding up to at least $4000), that the court might rule in his favor. I normally wouldn't care and would move onto another house, but we all loved this one so much. It was perfect for us, and there's almost no other houses in the area that meet our needs. I apologize if the details are vague, my boyfriend has been the one in direct contact with the company we signed a lease with, making phone calls every day for updates. So my information is secondhand.

Answer:
 What does your lease specifically say about what the landlord's responsibilities if they can't deliver the property upon the move-in date? Leases often have language around this specifically (since often, properties are turned around within a day, someone moving out, and someone moving in the next day, and occasionally, timetables get messed up because of scenarios you're discussing right now)

It's possible the landlord owes you anything you've paid so far back, or it's possible they have to find you a place to live at no extra cost to you, but that depends on what your lease says their liabilities in this scenario are.Answer #2: The responsibility for this lies with the landlord probably. But I'd think you could just call the police and have him removed, he's trespassing, doesn't sound like he ever had permission to move in and hasn't been there long enough to establish himself as a tenant if he's just unpacking now.

If I was the landlord I'd call police, tell them someone stole keys and are now illegally moving into an apartment you own.


Title: Driving underage?

Question:
Hey everyone, i’m new to this sub but I have a few questions about the legal consequences of driving underage. I am 15 and I live in Virginia. I live in kind of a rural-suburban area where there are not many police officers out late at night.

Recently, I have been taking my parents car and driving to parties, picking up friends, and all kinds of other stuff. I understand the risks and consequences when it comes to my parents, but I don’t know what the consequences of getting caught would be on the legal side of things.

Does anyone have any knowledge of the criminal punishment of driving without a license?(pretty sure it’s called joyriding)

Any stories or comments would be appreciated!
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 You can go to jail.

You can have the **privilege** of driving revoked for a while or even permanently.

You can owe fines

Don't do this. Answer #2: Stop taking your parents' car.

Aside from jeopardizing your getting your license at the normal age in the future, you almost certainly aren't on their insurance. If you have an accident you (and your parents by extension) will be on the hook for the damages. Answer #3: if you get caught theres a chance u will have to wait longer to get your license in the future and it might have limits. At least thats how it is in ny. Answer #4: If you get stopped a few things will happen. Firstly you'll be pulled out of the car and brought to the local station. Your parents will be called, their car will probably be towed.

You'll be looking at a Class 2 Misdemeanor, given your age this will most likely result in a driving ban in the future, a hefty fine and maybe community service.

If you're driving without permission from your parents (Which I'm assuming you are) then you can also be charged with TWOC (Taking without Owners Consent)

Getting caught doing this can have serious repercussions not only on you but also your family.


Title: My Venmo account was hacked and my bank account was charged $2,433. Please help. Venmo's number?

Question:
It's the middle of the night and I've just received a "Your account balance is below your threshold." email. I log in to my online banking and there's a processing hold of $2,433 on my checking account causing my account balance to be considerably below my threshold.

I never post and am a self admitted lurker but I am reaching out to anyone who can help here on Reddit because I am in dier need as I cannot figure out a way to get in touch with Venmo and my Bank has advised me to wait until the payment goes through and then to contact the claims department!

Please. Any help is much appreciated.

Answer: [Here is an article talking about this being common.]( http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/safety_net/2015/02/venmo_security_it_s_not_as_strong_as_the_company_wants_you_to_think.html) it includes help on what to do and contacts for venmoAnswer #2: No legal advice, but advice for you going forward, never ever attach a debit card, or a bank account to any online account, credit cards only.  If this were a credit card one call to your card company and it's a chargeback, you might lose your venmo account for it but such is life.


Title: I lost a key to an Air BNB in Paris, and the host is asking for €150 for a replica? [PA & France]

Question:
Hi,

I recently came home to Pennsylvania from an air bnb in paris. The last night, I unfortunately lost the key and I had to call the hostess to let me in. She was obviously not in a good mood (it was 1am), but agreed to meet me and give me a spare, at which point she said to get it replaced before I left the next morning.

So, I found a list of locksmiths, and actually visited 5 of them that day, but nothing was open (they said they were 24/7 online, must have been appointment only). I left a €5 note and messaged them that I did the best I could, but I had to leave by 10am for my flight so I didn't have time to find anywhere else.

Today she messages me saying that she found a locksmith, and that it will cost €150 to replace as it is a special high-security key (a dimple key with a ball in it). Also, the factory it is made in is not open until September, but she wanted me to transfer over the €150 now (even though it was an estimate, she said she won't know the exact price until September)

Obviously, it was my responsibily to not lose the key, but she never mentioned it was so expensive when she handed it to me, otherwise I certainly would have taken a lot more precaution to not lose it. Hell, I would have attached it to my spleen.

She still wants me to transfer the money now as I "Should have gotten this taken care of before I left." I pointed out to her I'd have had to stay in Paris another month if I wanted to handle it myself.

I'm happy to replace a key I lost, assuming it's a reasonable price for a key. But the whole scenario gets me questioning the legitimacy of the inquiry. How do I know that they are indeed getting a key made, and not just using my money? I told them we can resume this conversation in September.

What should I do? Should I contact Airbnb? I'm afraid they'll say I was responsible for their property and need to reimburse them, but I think it's too much for a key. I tried reading airbnb's terms & conditions but could not find anything on lost keys or as such. Am I even legally responsible for a missing key?

Right now, my current inclination is to let it go and only contact Airbnb if they contact me in September. What do you guys think? Better to wait it out, or should I take more preemptive actions now? Would a lawyer help in something this relatively small (but still a lot of money to me)?

**tl;dr** I lost the key to an air bnb reservation. The hostess did not tell me how much a replacement would cost initially, and now is telling me to pay €150, even though the replacement will not happen until September, and even though that's only an estimate. i told her we will resume this conversation in September.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Answer:
 High security keys aren't cheap-- she may have to rekey the lock while she's at it.

This probably isn't the "oh, I'm being ripped off" that you think it is.


Title: Can a nursing home deny someone's registered emotional support animal?

Question:
So here's my situation. I work in EMS and we frequently have to take a patient from the nursing home to his dialysis appointments. This patient is very miserable (rightfully) and has been diagnosed with suicidal ideations and major depression. He gets angry quickly, he gives everyone a tough time and complains near constantly but I found out, the one thing that will always calm him down and make him happy is talking about his previous hamster. He absolutely loved that hamster and he nearly chokes up crying when he talks about it. I know it would absolutely make the entire world to him to be able to have a hamster again, and myself and the rest of us at the station are willing to all chip in to make it happen.

But we weren't sure if he can *legally* have the hamster in the nursing home. I know that landlords in apartments can't deny your emotional support animal, but does this extend to nursing homes? We're willing to make sure we continuously bring him hamster food and anything else it needs. Taking care of it won't be a problem, as he's still wheelchair able and our own staff visits him (or others in the same nursing home) several times a week if not everyday.

So, help an elder out? Can we get him his new hamster?

TL;DR: Can a nursing home deny a resident to have a registered emotional support hamster?

Answer: It is likely against the nursing home’s licensing agreement to have hamsters.  Call and make an appointment with an administrator and find out.


Title: Drunk (ex) boyfriend took my car in the night and crashed it. Uninsured. (MD)

Question:
hi everyone a few days ago my (now ex) boyfriend took my car in the middle of the night and he admitted to me that he was drinking that night and texting someone while driving. he said he was going to his moms house? anyways he crashed my car into the curb or something (he won’t say) but he says he didn’t hit another car. the car is pretty much totaled, airbags deployed and it’s just wrecked at this point ): I normally don’t allow him to drive my car unless it’s to the store or something necessary because I haven’t been able to afford car insurance since losing my job due to COVID19, so I only use the car when absolutely necessary. I didn’t give him permission to drive this night either. I was asleep when he took the car. what should I do?! can I take him to court? I told him he needs to buy me a new car and he then blocked my number!! such an asshole I’m so hurt but I’m even more upset because I was still paying off the car!!!! the car is about worth no more than $12k
could I take him to small claims court??

Answer: Have you filed a police report?


Title: [NY] My ex employer is now contesting my unemployment after 14 weeks of collecting benefits...

Question:
I have no idea what to expect and I sure as hell can't afford to pay off over $5k. I have never had to go through this and I figured since I was approved, there would be no issue.
In October I was fired for what they considered fraud and dishonesty. I worked in IT and the company had an old laptop set for disposal, I took it home and wiped out the information and used it for job searching. I lent it to a friend who somehow got pulled over and police questioned where he obtained the laptop. Push comes to shove, the police call my job asking if they want to press charges on my friend who had the laptop. There were no legal ramifications on me, but I was fired that day.

I wasn't charged with anything but I was fired for fraud and dishonesty. There's nothing in the employee handbook that I violated. There is nothing exact stating what I did broke their rules. I started obtaining UE after getting approved from my application and thought all was fine. Nobody had said otherwise this entire time. I thought everything was okay. Now all of a sudden they want to contest it. What happens now?

What do I do? What should I expect? How can they contest it after weeks of unemployment? Can the laptop issue be brought up for charges months later or is that completely irrelevant now? I am assuming since nobody pressed charges, that issue is gone and this is just about my benefits. Is it worth fighting? Help.

I can't afford a lawyer so if it came to it I would just submit to their decisions, but I have no job and now no money. What happens? I am going to call unemployment tomorrow but it just sucks. I am hoping this doesn't involve any legal action other than payments. Any advice please?

**This is in the state of NY.**

Answer:
 If they appealed after the deadline had passed, you can challenge their right to appeal, but usually the agency catches that by not accepting the appeal in the first place.

If you haven't been already, you will be notified of when the hearing will be. At the hearing, say that you honestly did not believe you were breaking any policy, that no such policy exists, and that you thought it would be ok since the laptop was going to be disposed of anyway. There is no reason for you to call unemployment now. Nothing of importance will happen before the hearing. I would say your chances are less than good but not outside the realm of possibility.  Continue to certify for benefits each week while you look for a new job.

Criminal charges are completely separate from the unemployment eligibility issue.


Title: Falsely accused of stalking coworker

Question:
I work for a large company in a blue state in the US (with at-will employment).  Recently, I was called into HR and they began asking me questions about my relationship with a female coworker.  This coworker and I have had our differences and generally don't get along, but I thought our issues were professional only.
They asked me if I'd ever:
waited in parking lot for her (NO), followed her car from work to her house (HELL NO), photographed her without her knowledge (wtf NO), parked outside of her house in the middle of the night (SERIOUSLY??!), followed her in public places on weekends, etc.
I was then put on paid leave, with my company phone and computer confiscated.  They claimed they'd check with the phone company/phone data to see if I was truthful (I'm truthful).  Since that meeting I've heard nothing back.

I also have my own personal phone with location tracking that shows my exact location going back three years (I called and offered to share that data with them and didn't hear back).

The tone of the meeting was very accusatory.  The setup and methods used felt like a police interrogation.  It felt like I was guilty until proven innocent.

 Should I expect to be fired even if they find nothing?  If I am fired, do I have any recourse?  Is it just easier to believe the allegations even if they find no data to back the claims up?

I'm a male, under 40...

Answer:
 “Blue state in the us” isn’t enough of a location for a complete answer re: employment statutes.

Regardless, unless said blue state is Montana, absent a union or employment contract you can be fired for virtually any reason. Including this. Answer #2: Do you have an employment contract, either individually or through a union?

If not, then at will employment means you have no recourse if you're fired.  They can fire you for pretty much any reason other than a protected characteristic such as race or religion.

If you are fired without evidence, you can apply for unemployment.

At this point, if you think they are open to hearing your side, you can try and convince them that you didn't do any of this.  If you think they've made up their minds, then just sit tight and see what happens.  Answer #3: It might be possible you could sue her for defamation. If you lose your job, the damages would be pretty obvious.


Title: How to congratulate a pair of lawyers on their new marriage in contract-speak?

Question:
Have two friends that are getting married to each other soon.  I'm the best man.  I was hoping to have this be a part of my speech. Something with a lot of "hereafter refered to as "the couple" and "but with out assumption of liability on our part", etc.  As complicated and goofy as a contract can be.

Lil help?

EDIT: if it matters, we're in CA.

EDIT2: stuff like [this](http://www.rollonfriday.com/Images/LauraP/Images/ffw%20xmas%20card.jpg) and [this](http://f.kulfoto.com/pic/0001/0037/95OG036612.jpg).
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 WHEREAS, James E. Strathmore, Esq., of the city of Stockton ("Strathmore") and Madison J. Easterman, Esq., of the city of San Francisco ("Easterman") have met the lawful requirements for marriage under applicable California law;  AND

WHEREAS, the ceremony commencing such marriage has been duly held and officiated and the appropriate certificate and licenses duly executed; AND

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that those attended here do hereby celebrate and affirm such marriage, subject to the general traditions of the United States of America, including, but not limited to, the drinking of wine, the toasting of the happy couple, the cutting of the wedding cake, the smushing the wedding cake into the bride's face, the tossing of the bouquet and of the garter and the dancing of both the Macarena and the Chicken Dance.Answer #2: Search the internet for *merger contracts*, which are contracts controlling the merger of two business entities, and then pay special attention to the preamble. Answer #3: I would just caution that a little bit of that is going go a long way.  More than 30 seconds or so and it will be more awkward than funny.Answer #4: I think a good and funny way to do this is announce that you got your hands on a copy of their prenuptual agreement.  You can make a show of pulling it out of your pocket and opening it up, and then read it.  It will contain legalspeak but also all sorts of ridiculous clauses and requirements specific to the couple that let you show off your knowledge of and care for the couple.


Title: Sold a bad used car off Craigslist.

Question:
I know the typical situation with "As-Is" sales, but please read. I just want an opinion.

I was sold a truck today that ran perfectly fine. Now I believe the alternator is broken because the battery won't charge, even while running, and it's making this awful clicking noise while driving it. It did not behave this way while test driving the vehicle.

I made sure to take it to an autoshop to have it checked out. The mechanic said that the vehicle is in perfectly fine condition, he took it for a drive and checked the vehicle. He said it was well maintained and all the fluids look fine, and I wouldn't have to worry about it. I purchased it afterward, and about six hours later my friend looked at the vehicle and said my alternator fluid looked mud brown and should be flushed immediately. On the drive home it began making a terrible noise and the battery light keeps going on.

I don't know what to do. If there's nothing I can do to get my money back, please don't rub it in, just tell me there's nothing I can do but pay another thousand for repairs.

Answer:
 > alternator fluid

is not a thing.

Methinks your friend is not an expert mechanic.


Title: UPDATE: Father needs child support advice with deadbeat mom

Question:
Hello Reddit! An update from this post..
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/38ajtb/father_needs_child_support_advice_with_deadbeat/

So I wound up hiring an attorney, and glad I did. She said she had never seen this type of situation and it's very odd the judge didn't order child suphport. Basically she said there was an oversight, please hear my case and asked for back support from when she received my service. The judge granted the hearing and I received a court date. Now she is avoiding service for my filing. :/

Edit: this is in Arizona, and the hearing is an evidentiary hearing for income etc. The ex has also failed to file her half of the affidavit of financial information I requested a couple months ago..

Answer:
 Oh, I *love* when people try to avoid service. That means alternative service. You want everyone in the entire town to know your business? Your wish is my command!

You did the best possible thing you could do -- you retained an attorney. Things should only get better from here! Good luck!Answer #2: Playing games with service will piss off the judge, this will work out for you.Answer #3: Thanks for the update!  I'm glad you sought out an attorney.

>Now she is avoiding service for my filing. :/

That sounds very frustrating, I'm sorry to hear that.  Keep trying!


Title: chargeback on still pending nonrefundable Broadway ticket

Question: Hi folks. I have a nonrefundable Broadway ticket from Ticketmaster that is still currently pending in my bank account. Am I in the clear for issuing a chargeback on it, especially considering it was so recently purchased and is still pending?

Answer:
 > I have a **nonrefundable** Broadway ticket from Ticketmaster...

A charge-back is a refund. The CC company may put a hold on the charge but when they investigate and are told the ticket was non-refundable the charge back will not be successful.


Title: Submitted ESA letter to landlord - he did not deny it but made up reason for our family to move out. [VA/USA]

Question:
Title says most of it.

Recently got a letter from my therapist for an emotional support animal (ESA). Submitted it to my landlord two weeks ago. While he normally responds to emails within a day or two, he only responded today, saying that his sister-in-law needs to live in the townhouse that we have been renting from him for a decade. We must move out by the end of next month. He never mentioned this at any other time during the 10 years we have lived here, and didn't say anything in recent months until this incident.

I am 90% sure he was spending this time trying to figure out a way to kick us out to not have to deal with the legal headache of denying an ESA. He is extremely slimy and untrustworthy. (Background- when I was in high school, he showed up to the house, keys IN HAND, threatening me with eviction because my mom hadn't paid the rent. WHICH SHE HAD. If I hadn't opened the door, he absolutely would have barged in anyway.)

Is there any kind of action I can take against him? While I'm fairly certain that the reason he gave forcing us to move is fabricated, or at the least, exaggerated, I have no way of proving it.

Answer: What are the terms of your lease?  If you're on a month to month, or it's scheduled to end, and this notice is consistent with the lease terms, he's under no obligation to continue the lease.


Title: [Massachusetts] Can you move to overturn a civil judgement for improper venue if you appeared to defend the suit in the improper venue?

Question:
I am currently being sued in small claims court in Massachusetts for a debt-collection case.  The venue I'm being sued in does not appear to be proper (the specific court has geographical jurisdiction, which territory is not a place where plaintiff makes its normal place of business, is not a place where I live, and is not a place where I work).

Can I still show up for the trial as scheduled and defend myself?  Plaintiff does not appear to know that the venue is improper, and I don't have any particular desire to tell them my actual home or work addresses.

I figure if I win, they'll never know that the venue was improper.  If I lose, I should be able to move to dismiss any judgement against me, as the judgement would not have been handed down by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Is this correct?  Do I have a duty to move to dismiss for improper venue before the trial?  Would I actually be able to get a judgement against me overturned on these grounds?

Answer:
 So it sounds like you're arguing that personal jurisdiction and venue are improper, correct?

Did you already respond to the complaint?  If you answered already, and didn't raise those defenses in the answer as affirmative defenses, or if you didn't motion the court to dismiss the case on grounds of lack of PJ or improper venue, then you already waived those defenses.  See [Rule 12(h)](http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/rules-of-court/civil-procedure/mrcp12.html).

But to answer your question, no, you cannot go to court, not mention the lack of PJ or improper venue, then if you lose try to appeal the judgment on those grounds.


Title: Difficulty providing sample during court ordered drug testing

Question:
My boyfriend (18) was charged with possession of marijuana and sentenced to a year probation. He has to randomly drug test once every month.   We live in Michigan.

There isn’t an issue of if he would pee clean, because he hasn’t smoked since before he was sentenced. However, he struggles with anxiety and “pee shyness” and can’t provide a sample when he drug tests.

He has been testing since March and has only been able to provide one sample. He still shows up to test and pays the amount of money needed, but just cannot provide a sample.

He has just gotten a letter saying he needs to come back to court to “show cause” for not drug testing. I was wondering what he could do.

We are asking his psychiatrist if they can release their records to the court showing his anxiety diagnosis and subsequent treatment. I was wondering if he could ask the court to take a blood, hair, or saliva sample proving he hasn’t been smoking because the urine sample is so hard for him to give. Does anyone have any experience with this or have any advice?

Answer: I don’t know if the court will agree to another form of testing, but wanted to say: Expect the court to be skeptical and assume he is lying. This is a common excuse used by people who can’t pass tests. They have likely counted every specimen he couldn’t give as a failed tests. Is the anxiety diagnosis specifically linked to not being able to urinate?


Title: CT My brother is getting paid 7.63$ an hour, how is this legal?

Question:
My brother is working at a summer camp in ct and just told me that he is technically salary making flat rate 305$ a week. He works 5 days a week, 8hrs a day. Which factors out to about 7.63$ an hour. They do give him food but I can't see this being why he's paid so little. He's also working as a lifeguard and certified which I would consider skilled labor; and google tells me CT minimum is 10.10$ an hour.
Thanks for reading and any help you have. Maybe report to the Ct labor board?

Edit: He also just told me that there was an informational class about the use of Epi-pens for the camp staff. The camp nurse used a real epipen instead of the practice ones and accidentally injected a girls thigh. The girl was not sent to the hospital and as far as he knows no medical attention was sought.

Edit 2:No lodging they have rooms for campers but all employees leave around 4:30 if not before. He said that it's been like this for years. He also just told me that since the Boy Scouts own the camp he has money taken out of his paycheck to pay them.

This is getting more and more confusing it sounds like he's paying for the privilege to work there.

Answer:
 Employees of summer camps are exempted from the minimum wage law.

>"Employee" means any individual employed or permitted to work by an employer **but shall not include any individual employed in camps or resorts which are open no more than six months of the year**

[Source](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2001/pub/Chap558.htm#sec31-58.htm)


Title: Can I Take Linkedin to Small Claims Court for Disabling My Account?

Question:
A few months ago after having been a member for over a decade, I found myself locked out of my account. To have a shot at restoring the account I had to upload an image of om driver's license or passport. From what I had heard from others who had experienced the same thing, I knew it was a long that.

In addition they knew who I was because I had used my credit card for over a year to pay for a premium account.

The disabling happened a few months after I reverted to a free account so there was no connection there.

Long story short, I didn't upload anything because why give them my photo ID when the odds were 99:1 that they were just looking to get rid of me.

I have experienced a decline in my income since then as I used Linkedin to market my business.

Do I have a case for taking them to small claims court in my small town which is a 1000 miles away from their HQ?  I'd claim damages and request restoration of my account.

Answer: You aren't entiteled to a linkedin account so they can stop providing a service to you.


Title: Sister's Husband Sold me a Car that wasn't in his name and has no paperwork what so ever. I need to get this car in a legal state to drive ASAP! (OR)

Question:
I am in Oregon. I had bought a car from my sister's husband. I had asked in full details if there was anything wrong with the car. He told me no and that it had everything. This is my first ever car, and with my budget he is allowing me to do payments.

I come to find out that the car's registration isn't in his name, because when he bought it, he didn't get it transferred. He also doesn't have the title to it either. I was convinced that he had sold me a stolen car. I have no idea how he drove that around without getting busted.

I now learned today, it is going to take a month or two to get this car in my own name, because it has to transfer through two other names. I do NOT have that time to wait, and I need to drive this car right now. I have collage and appointments I need to get to.

Is there ANY way to beat the system? I was told if I was able to get a bill of sale from him, and get insurance on the car, that if I got pulled over, that they wouldn't impound my car.  Is this true?

Does anyone here know any possible short cuts to get me on the road faster? I cannot back out on the sale either. This is an awesome car and there is no way in hell I can afford anything above $500.

Please help and Thank you.

-Zukiuke

Answer:
 We do not give advice on how to game the system.

It is an awesome deal because it is illegal. If the cat is reported stolen you are going to jail. If you get pulled over the car is likely to get towed and you may get fined.

It is not your car legally. It is not your in-laws car legally. He has no legal ability to sell it to you.


Title: [CA] What is my obligation to train my successor(s) and hand over my intellectual property when I think I'm being let go of unfairly at my job?

Question: I am a bar manager at a restaurant

Answer:
 What kind of IP does a bar manager own?

At any rate, you should do what your superiors say for as long as you're still working.  If you do anything that would constitute "misconduct" under your state's unemployment collection guidelines, your employer will have more evidence to fight you if you apply to collect unemployment.


Title: [CA] Can my past client send a bill to collections over a trade deal gone bad?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So just to be clear, they provided all the medical services for the cat, then you did half the job and left the state?

You owe them for services provided. Pay them what you owe. You have no standing.


Title: Officers let me go after DUI field sobriety test with no citation?

Question:
(PA)  I was pulled over for having my headlights out (forgot they were off).  He approached my vehicle and told me they were off,  he then asked if I had been drinking.  I replied "Yes, a few drinks earlier in the night" or something to that effect.  He asked me where I was going and where I was coming from.  I told him the truthful answers.  He asked if I had been driving all this way with no headlights, I said "yes, I guess so." He took my license/registration and my keys and went to his car.  He came back and asked me to step out of the car.  I did and he asked me to walk to his partner.  I approached his partner.  The partner asked what I was drinking, I said "beer, 3 or 4 earlier tonight".  He then asked me to turn around and walk to my car.  I did.  The other officer gave back my id/registration/insurance, told me my keys were on the back of my car, and to "Drive home safe".  I then shook his hand and said, "Thank you so much, have a good night."  They did not give me a citation or even a verbal warning.  Nothing.  Just "Here's your paperwork, Your keys are on the back of your car, drive home safe."

I am really confused as to why this happened.  Why did they let me go after even admitting to drinking?  Does this ever happen?  Will I be getting some sort of summons in the mail later?  I just need some clarification on the situation, Thanks!

Topic:
DUI

Answer:
 >Why did they let me go after even admitting to drinking?

They concluded that you were not impaired.Answer #2: >Why did they let me go after even admitting to drinking?

He must have felt that you were driving safely (besides the headlights) and not a danger to anyone else.

>Does this ever happen?

Apparently it does.  I wouldn't count on it happening very often though.

>Will I be getting some sort of summons in the mail later?

Doubtful.


Title: Landlord says they didnt know about pet exception in lease. Is now attempting to remove it and is threatening eviction if we do not get ride of our cat.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The lease says "one cat allowed" and in a separate section says the landlord must consent to pets, specifically listing dogs and birds?

Sounds like you have a lease that allows you to have a cat.  Tell your landlord if he wants to evict you illegally then you will see him in court.

Otherwise, he can pay you to end the lease early and you will take the cat with you.Answer #2: I'd say it's more "confused" than deceptive.  You've got two terms of the contract that might be contradictory, so we try to make as much of both of them work as possible, since the intent of the parties is reflected in the contract.

The one clause says two important things: 1. "no pets without landlord's consent" 2. "landlord can revoke consent at any time."  The other clause says a third thing 3. "one cat allowed."

Looking at those three things, the most likely interpretation is that the "one cat allowed" phrase of the contract was the landlord's written consent to have one cat, and now, he/she is revoking that consent.  Under the contract, that's all kosher.  If your landlord prevents you from keeping the cat, he/she is acting totally in line with what the lease says, sorry.


Title: (AZ, Mesa) Mom got a letter from Allstate saying she owes them over 8k in damages that happened last year for a car accident she wasn't involved with not sure what to do.

Question:
Long story short my dumb ass sister convinced my mom to put a car in her name for her so she could get a loan on it. Then she let her boyfriend take the car out while he was drinking and he crashed into someone and he had no license or it was expired. Somehow he managed not to end up in jail. This happened back in Jan of 2016 can my mom end up in jail over this?
Topic:
DUI

Answer: She isn't going to jail but it was her car bring driven illegally. So she owes the money. She can sue the awesome guy who crashed but I am going to assume he has no money


Title: My mom is being threatened by her doctor's office to be charged $100 per missed appointment (total of $1000) because they are having problems billing her insurance. She is on medicaid, and has no copay. New York State

Question:
My mom is disabled and on SSI, so she is enrolled in medicaid. Her doctor has been sending letters threatening to charge her $100 per appointment that were not covered by insurance. At first he told her she needs to fill out a form they sent her, but we called her insurance co. together and they had no idea what she was talking about. They told us the doctor was not billing the proper codes, or to the proper place. We passed this info along to her doctor's office and expected that to be the end of it.

Today, a month after the first letter, she received another threatening letter in the mail, with a nasty handwritten note on the bottom: "We can provide evidence that your insurance was billed several times." They told her she has 45 days to work it out with her insurance company or they will be sending her to collections.

I was livid when I read the letter, because she doesn't have any copays and is well below the poverty level. $1000 to her is a month's worth of income. I got on the phone with her insurance company to figure out what was going on. They told me that firstly, this is not our responsiblity to solve, it's the doctor's. Secondly, the doctor has not been pre-authorizing her appointments before she attends them, and because of this, the appointments were not getting covered since he is apparently out of network (how his office did not know this I have NO idea). Thirdly, even if he was in-network, he's billing the wrong codes, which would have been denied anyway.

The insurance company told me they will not be paying out the claims since this mess is due to the doctor's negligence, and they said if the doctor attempts to charge her, it would be illegal since she doesn't even have a copay. They told us that this doctor should be sorting this out himself, since we don't even understand the intricacies of the health insurance billing system (and I agree).

Should I be worried about my mother's account being sent to collections? Is there anything else I can do at this point to help her, or get the doctor off her back. Thank you.

Answer:
 Tell the physician's office (better yet, contact the actual physician) and inform them that you will be opening up a formal  complaint with ny Medicaid and with the ny state dept of financial services for "balance billing" a Medicaid beneficiary. If they claim they aren't in the Medicaid network, refer to Medicaid Act, 42 U.S.C.S. § 1396 (second source below)

Source link [still the law](https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/update/2014/feb14_mu.pdf) not only is it still the law, it's actually more strict now and gets providers (clinics, doctors, etc) fined, audited and can cause revocation of license to practice.

More:

Under the Medicaid Act, 42 U.S.C.S. § 1396, those doctors and hospitals who are willing to treat Medicaid patients must agree to accept the designated Medicaid rate and not ask the patient to pay any money beyond that amount. 42 U.S.C.S. §§ 1320a-7b(d), and 42 C.F.R. § 447.15 (1989). In New York State, a Medicaid provider is prohibited from seeking payment from a Medicaid recipient of amounts not reimbursed by the state program. New York City Health & Hosp. Corp. v. Perales, 954 F.2d 854, 855, 1992 U.S. App. LEXIS 1720, 1, 36 Soc. Sec. Rep. Service 216 (2d Cir. N.Y. 1992).Answer #2: Wait, so are these appointments she went to, or ones she missed?Answer #3: While the above posters did cover her not being responsible & that's all correct, if they should send it to collections while you are disputing with them odds are she is ungarnishable in any manor. SSI, welfare, SSDI are not income sources that can be garnished (except by the govt to repay overpayment of said services).

IANAL


Title: Carseat safety

Question:
So I saw a similar post that reminded me to post here. On mobile, sorry about formatting.

My brother in law and his wife have been driving with their 6 month old in the front seat, unbuckled, no carseat. They drove to our house once like that, but we didn't think anything of it because we thought they would just strap him in before they actually left our property (parked behind our house when we saw them). They live at least 15 miles away from us. It's not a quick drive, at least 20 minutes if not more.

A few days later my husband was talking to his brother. He said all three of them (brother in law, his wife and baby) were driving around town (different city than ours, around 40k population) with the baby in the front seat, again with no carseat, and how much baby loved it. He asked if he's never in the carseat and BIL said no.

The next day husband called his brother and asked if he didn't have a carseat for his baby (he does), he told him he needs to be buckled in at all times, while that vehicle is moving. He told him about what could happen if he were to crash, air bag and all that. BIL kind of shrugged it off as if it was nothing.

BIL and his wife are both very careless, but I didn't think they would be with their baby since they went through years of infertility. Breaks my heart to think something could happen to the baby.

Would I be able to call anonymously to report them. If so what will the police do? I'm afraid of their baby being taken away. I just want their baby to be safe.
My state (TX) has a seat belt law.

Answer:
 > Would I be able to call anonymously to report them. If so what will the police do? I'm afraid of their baby being taken away. I just want their baby to be safe. My state (TX) has a seat belt law.

If they get into a wreck, their baby will be taken away from them in the worst possible way.


Title: [NYC] Chinese Massage, Possible Physical Damage

Question:
I went to a chinese massage place that had good yelp reviews. Got 1 hour body work done. The man who massaged me was definitely straight from china and didnt speak english. Only now I realize that was a mistake, because he would just do things to me with no warning and not ask me if I want it done.

At one point he violently and quickly twisted my neck from side to side and I heard cracking along my neck/spine/back area. He did it so quick that I couldn't stop him. Now a week later I have pain in my spine/back/neck area and it feels like nerve pain. I am waiting to get x-rays and mri's done. I fear I have permanently damaged something in one of the most important areas of my body - the spine.

I have lots of regret looking back on the massage. However, I think that the massage person should warn you, and let you know what they are doing. I also did not expect the rapid neck turning, since I never had it done before.

The place was definitely licensed with NY state. Like many chinese massage places they accept only cash, and have mostly immigrants from China doing the massages. I went to them because of their good yelp reviews from lots of customers, however, I now think that many of those reviews are "fake" because many of these massage places ask for you to give them 5 stars in exchange for like 15 mins extra massage.

What should I do?

Answer:
 If you do have damages, speak to a personal injury lawyer about your next steps if you want to proceed.

Otherwise, feel free to leave a negative review and never go back.


Title: [Arizona] Awake at two in the morning because my neighbors are blasting a TV or music. Told management and called cops several times.

Question: Hi there. My title sums it up mostly. My direct neighbors are blasting something once again in the middle of the night. We've talked to management several times, and called the police twice now. The lease clearly states that disturbing other residents and such is a violation of the lease, but obviously the administration is not doing anything. We also have a ten o'clock "quiet time" rule, but still nothing. To me this means my neighbors are not only violating the lease, but the complex is not upholding their end. I want to know if I'm correct about this, what else I should do, and if/when I should be contacting my lawyer about my complex not upholding the lease.

Answer:
 >To me this means my neighbors are not only violating the lease, but the complex is not upholding their end. I want to know if I'm correct about this, what else I should do, and if/when I should be contacting my lawyer about my complex not upholding the lease.

Unfortunately, you cannot force your landlord to enforce their lease terms against someone else.  You can keep complaining to them and bake them cookies and ask them nicely, but you can't force them to enforce a contract with someone else - you have no standing in that regard.  My bet is that the contract that you CAN enforce (ie. the one that you signed with the landlord" doesn't say that you have any recourse if your neighbor makes noise, etcetera.Answer #2: Have you considered the direct approach?

Y'know, knock on their door and ask them to turn it down?


Title: FL How long can a friend stay with you before they are considered a tenant

Answer:
 Woops, I'm on mobile and hit submit before providing details.

I'm going to let a friend stay with me over the holidays. At most I don't expect them to stay past January 5th, which will be 2 weeks. In the state of Florida, past what point would what person be considered a legal resident?

I've heard horror stories of people calling the police to get rid of a guest only to be told it's a civil matter. I want to avoid that. This person will not be paying me any money for this short stay.


Title: [Maryland] Boyfriend is being laid off but offered a part-time transfer to a location 40 minutes away, and was told to sign this document. The transfer makes zero financial sense for him. What should he do?

Question:
My boyfriend has had a suspicion that his store would be closing because another company is buying out his location as well as several others in the area. January 2nd, his store manager and district manager finally made the announcement that the store would be closing come January 31st. The closure affects about ten people's jobs who are still currently at the location.

Today my boyfriend received a letter from the corporate office which contained what appears to be an offer to transfer to another location to do one of the two jobs he is currently doing at his closing location, which would make him a part-time employee. This new location is 40 minutes away from where he lives, requires tolls, and basically would cost him more money in tolls, gas, and parking fees than he would be taking home.

http://imgur.com/DSDUfDD

Two red flags that went off immediately are that the document is dated December 29th, but he received it today, and the second is when he called to ask if he can just be laid off, the distract manager flat out refused and asked that he sign the document. She said this document is "just an 'understanding'" that there is an offer to transfer.

We both read it as an acceptance to start working at this new location, which is the last thing he wants to do.

My boyfriend would rather be laid off and collect unemployment while he finds a new job than transfer to another location and pay more in transportation than he would make in the day doing part time work.

Would signing this document affect his refusal to transfer to a location that costs more money just to get to than he would make in the day, or his ability to file for unemployment?

Thank you for your time!

Answer: If he refuses the new work and quits he will have to make the case that this was not "suitable" work. If this were a 100 mile commute that would be an easy case to make. But 40 miles? Lots of people commute 40 miles. Unemployment is not a sure thing here by any stretch.Answer #2: do not sign. apply for unemployment


Title: [TX] Grandma sued

Question:
In 2016 my 80 year-old grandma was driving on a 5 lane high-way (2 lanes on each side and center turning lane). This is an EXTREMELY busy road, pedestrians do not cross the road or even walk on this road, so this was very unexpected, a young boy (8 years) ran across the road during the evening rush hour. My grandma threw on her brakes, but didn't manage to stop in time. He was taken to the hospital, but had no injuries. My grandma was not given any tickets for the accident, the police were actually more concerned about the boy's mother because she had left him home alone and he somehow decided to go wandering into a highway several miles from his home? He was alone at the time and his mother didn't show up for several hours after the accident happened. This mother has been reported to CPS before for neglect and has several other children as well.

Anyways, my grandma's insurance has been trying to settle with the family by paying for medical costs and a little extra. The mother will not settle and has gotten a somewhat "shady" lawyer. They are suing my grandma for several million dollars. One of the reasons in the law suit is that the mother is suing for emotional damages for herself and is claiming that she now has neck pain and back pain from all the stress of worrying about her son.

My grandma has pretty high insurance limits (she has the max auto plus some additional personal liability - a little over 1million). She no longer drives because she is scared after that accident. Her home is paid off, no debt, and she has a little left in retirement accounts, but it's been over 20 years since she retired, so she doesn't have much left. She mainly lives off of social security and some type of income from my grandpa's old company (he passed away in the early 2000s).

I'm worried about my grandma. She doesn't have the millions of dollars that they are suing for. I'm assuming they have the ability to take her home (worth maybe 200k) and what is left in retirement accounts (which isn't much, most likely less than 100k). Do they have the ability to garnish her social security and grandpa's income (possibly a pension?)?

TL;DR my grandma is being sued, can they garnish her retirement?

Answer: The insurance conpany will provide a lawyer for her for this frivolous BS. Just have your grandma tell her insurance (if they don't already know) about the clawsuit and request a lawyer.  That mom is shady.


Title: Bought a car at an Japanese Auction, buying staff overbidded without my consent. Forced to pay for fear of losing deposit Any legal recourse?

Question:
I'm located in Vancouver, Canada and recently went through the situation where I was forced to pay for a car that was over bidded without my consent. How car auctions and bidding on cars in Japan generally works is that you have a broker that you pay a fee to who knows people in Japan that can bid on your behalf, and find information on cars you're interested in. The people in Japan relay the information to the broker, who then relays that information to you, and you choose if you want to bid on it. I'm in the situation where I specifically told my broker who also resides in Vancouver to place a bid  of 1550k yen on a vehicle, which translates to around $19200 CAD, and ended up winning it for 1600k yen instead, which is 50k yen or $600 CAD over which I did not consent to. I wasn't happy with this outcome, but ended up paying it because they said it would be waived under different fees, and I didn't want to lose my $700 CAD deposit I had paid if I didn't pay for the car. Upon comparing and looking over the documents I was given, the fees were not waived at all. The car has since arrived, and has been in worse condition than what was expected and what I was told. I am wondering if I have any legal recourse or not because I felt like I was misled , and forced to purchase this car out of fear of losing my deposit even though they over bidded with out my consent.

Thank you.

&#x200B;

TL:DR;  Specifically bidded around $19200 for car, Japanese buying staff bidded $600 over, claimed it would be waived but was not and I felt like forced to pay out of fear of losing my deposit. Car shows up in very poor condition to what was shown.

Answer:
 You should have refused to buy it per your contract and demanded or sued for your money back.  Nothing you can do now since you agreed to it by paying.

If they said they would reimburse you money and did not, then you can sue for the difference.


Title: Can my High School essentially promote Ramadan and Fasting?

Question:
Hello. As many of you may know, the Islamic holiday of Ramadan , in which practicing Muslims fast during daylight, just recently started. My schools ESL club ( English is my  Second Language) decided to put a poster in the library about Ramadan. However, the posters essentially promote the holiday by saying “health benefits of fasting” and “societal benefits of fasting “ I find it deeply troubling that the school would not only put this up, seeing that Ramadan is a purely religious holiday, but also promoting fasting to teenagers. Should I do something about it?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: What, exactly, are you "deeply troubled" about here? Do you feel the posters should be prohibited because they are associated with a religious practice, or that you think teenagers will stop eating food because a poster suggests there are possible health and/or societal benefits to intermittent fasting?Answer #2: It’s not really promoting it to point out certain benefits. Without seeing the poster, it’s hard to say, but it sounds like it’s informational, to better help other students understand why their Muslim peers are fasting.


Title: Can a person be fired for doing something that is completely legal, such as smoking marijuana in a state where marijuana has been legalized?

Question: [USA]

Answer: yes


Title: Need help ending my 2-month long marriage. Divorce? Annulment?

Question:
Hey guys-

I fell in love with a girl and we eloped immediately.

Probably not the best call- now that we've gotten to know eachother, we realize that we don't like one-another.

How do we go about ending this?

No Kids

Both of us want to end it

In California

She is a citizen of New Zealand that moved out here to be with me, still waiting on Work Permit/Green Card etc.

Answer: What state do you live in? Are there kids? Does she want to end it too?


Title: My best friend was involved in an accident in which a guy crossing the road passed away. He wants me to be a witness even though I wasn't there.

Question:
My best friend was involved in an accident in which a guy crossing the road passed away. My friend was not at fault because this pedestrian was crossing the road at a place that is not a pedestrian crossing. He knocked the guy and sadly he passed away. This happened a few weeks ago. There is also a gas station and Mcdonalds at that 4 way intersection. They might have cameras all around their buildings.

I get a call from my friend this morning saying he wants me to be his witness. Now I'm a nervous type of guy and can't be put under pressure. I'm also looking for a job and don't want a criminal record for perjury. My friend is angry at me and thinks I'm letting him down. Am I wrong in following my gut? He is making me feel like crap for not helping him. I'm from South Africa if that helps.

Should I be a witness even though I wasn't there? Can I get into trouble for this?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 > Should I be a witness even though I wasn't there?

To. Be. A. Witness. You. Have. To. Have. Been. There.

So of course not.

Plus, trying to testify like this is illegal and can land you in prison. And can actually hurt your friend's case.

> My friend was not at fault

Then he doesn't need you to commit a crime by falsely testifying.

> He is making me feel like crap

I guarantee you that sitting in prison will feel worse.Answer #2: A witness in what context?  A character witness?  Sure I guess that’s ok. A witness to the event?  An extremely bad idea since you’d be perjuring yourself.


Title: [New Jersey] Loud neighbors party every night, nothing is being done?

Question:
I moved into an apartment about two months ago. From the first night onward, I hear loud music blaring through the floor downstairs at around 12am. My neighbors are both 21 year old newlyweds. At first, I left a note. Nothing seemed to happen. A few nights later, I knocked on the door, and spoke to them. They told me to "fuck off"... Pleasant.

The next day after that, I called the landlord to complain. Nothing was done. After this, I began to call the police because it violated the law to play loud music after 10pm. I called three nights in a row. The police told me on the third time to stop calling, that I was beginning to be a nuisance, and to just let "kids be kids".

I have no idea what the next step is. I wrote about this at another forum, and they recommended a white noise machine. The music is so loud, it is drowned out by it. I tried ear plugs, but they don't work either. I even went to sleep out in the balcony but the music can be heard outside. None of the other neighbors have complained because they don't want to be snitches.

I still have ten months left in my lease. I can't leave without having to buy out the entire contract ($10,000 I don't have). I can't stand it anymore, and the lack of sleep is affecting my health. What legal recourses do I have left at this point? Can I sue them? Will that even work?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Keep calling the cops, if they won't enforce the law go to their supervisors.Answer #2: Go to your town website and find the mayor's email. Write to him or her, explaining the situation and police response and ask him or her to help with the situation.

And don't think this is a petty thing to contact a mayor about. I wrote mine complaining about garbage not getting picked up. Worked like a charm.Answer #3: Go to the police station and ask to speak with a senior officer and tell them what is going on.

Keep calling the landlord.  Inform them that if it continues, you will have reason to break the lease and will do so.


Title: I Have an Emotional Support Animal but My Land Lord Wants to Charge Me a Deposit?

Question:
Im about to move to California and Im not too sure what to do. I sent back an email saying I've never been charged a deposit for my animal and she says "well you can either pay the animal deposit or I charge you 2 months rent for the initial deposit."

Here's the kicker though, I already signed my lease with the originally agreed upon deposit. What do I do? I don't have the money she wants and I have to move in or I'll be homeless.

Please help.

Answer: If you already signed a lease that allows pets, then you're set. If you haven't, and your landlord is demanding the money to amend the lease, then you don't have much ground and you may need to just beg. I believe landlords have the right to charge pet deposits even for support animals.


Title: (USA) Someone claimed I was following them this week. Completely false!

Question:
So I get home today to find a business card with a phone number taped to my door. The business card was from a Private Investigator.
I called the number because I was very curious as to what he needed.

I called and told him that he left a card on my door and what it was about. He said he just wanted some information on the incident a couple days ago...
I had no idea what he was talking about, but since I lived in an apartment I figured it was about something that happened here and if I was a witness or something. I asked him what it was and he said a lady claimed I was following her in my Camaro (which is what I drive). I said that's not possible. She apparently thought I was following her so then she followed ME and got my plate numbers and contacted the police and they sent a P.I. to look into it.
I was just so thrown off by that and I told this guy everything I did that day and said how insane this is.
Thinking on it now I don't know what to do. Should I call him back and ask for a name of who it is? Obviously I wasn't following this insane lady so I just want to know what I should do from here or just leave it alone.

Answer: If you want to take it further, contact your local police station on the non-emergency number and ask what this is all about.  The police won't be pleased that some private investigator is claiming that he works for them.Answer #2: Probably his client is in the middle of a divorce or crazy and has money to pay this guy. I wouldn't worry about it. Just forgot about it. Answer #3: The police don't send private investigators.  As /u/swalsh411 said, it's probably the lady who claims you were following him that is his client.  Just ignore it since you weren't doing anything.


Title: Getting arrested tomorrow [Toronto]

Question:
I made a post on here which is in my reddit history if anyone wants know what happened before this.

So I contacted him (guy I was seeing) after I got a warning cause he unblocked me on Facebook and I wanted to talk him out of pressing charges. The whole time, he made it seem like he had power over whether I was gonna get a charge or not. I stopped talking to him for a week then I called him while intoxicated yesterday. We talked and he told me how much he hated me.

Today, I got a voicemal from a constable stating that I have to talk to them with or without counsel and that there is enough evidence for them to put out a warrant for my arrest. I talked to the constable today and I told him about how I wanted to talk to a lawyer but I didn't know where to find one. We arranged to meet up tomorrow at the police headquarters and he stated that I will be arrested tomorrow and that if I don't show up, a warrant will be put out for my arrest. I am being arrested for criminal harassment.

In my defence, I thought that talking to the person would lead to him dropping the charges somehow. I talked to him about suicide and how I was depressed and he later told me that I should go kill myself (multiple times). He also used me (car rides and I paid for everything) and he later admitted that he was going to use me to buy a ps4 and then dump me 3 weeks later. I have evidence from whatsapp. I also made fake grindr profiles and he knows that it was me and he stated that he was going to call the cops.

So I'm assuming that I have no option but to get arrested tomorrow. I tried calling the legal aid hotline but couldn't speak to someone. I am extremely depressed and I only kept on talking to him cause I he lead me to believe that he could drop the charges if he wanted to. I also had no one else to talk to about what was going on in my life. I told him that I need to find help and he told me that I should just go kill myself.

The only reason I acted this way is because I was lonely from things going on in my life and he was initially being nice to me and so supportive. He actually made me get my stuff together and working on achieving my goals for a while. I kept I calling him and that's what frustrated him. He didn't want to talk to me till I showed up with a ps4 and a game… I couldn’t get it at the time but I kept on calling him through various means and different numbers.

I have never been arrested before. I have no idea what I'm going to have to do or what I should do. I really want to move to the states and I'm afraid of getting a record that will deny me a visa. What should I do to tomorrow?

Answer:
 First, you really, really, really need to stop contacting this guy. Not ever again. Not when you're drunk. Not when you're sober. Not when you think it will help your case. Just don't even let the idea enter your mind. There is no excuse for trying to contact this person when you have been repeatedly warned against it.

Next, get a lawyer. You called a legal aid line once and that's all you've done? Try calling again. Try opening a phone book or Googling lawyers in your area. You need to do this now, because you're getting arrested tomorrow and you're going to get a criminal record, and yes, it might prevent you from traveling to the US.

Third, stop trying to talk to that guy. Just stop it.Answer #2: Get a lawyer BEFORE you answer any questions. Seriously.


Title: [MS, US] I have been living off of bitcoin for the past few years and I'm just wondering exactly how legal it is.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Living off of bitcoin is perfectly legal. Income tax evasion is very illegal. You should be paying tax no matter how you get paid. If you think this income and the transactions you do are anonymous, you're kidding yourself.Answer #2: > I'm just wondering exactly how legal (or illegal) this is.

That doesn't seem to be the case. Numerous people have correctly told you that you're breaking the law, and how to avoid doing that in the future. But you refuse, and you're just waiting for someone to tell you that it's okay to break the law.Answer #3: >I haven't paid any income taxes because, well, all my income has been in bitcoin.

So?  You owe taxes on your income.  You made income and didn't pay taxes on it.

You are breaking the law by not paying taxes. Answer #4: This is clearly tax evasion. You earned income, regardless of the form. You should have asked an accountant beforehand, now it's an emergency.  Although based on your attitude I'm looking for your free riding, sovereign citizen ass to spend some time in prison.Answer #5: Lol. Not paying taxes is illegal. you committed a serious crime every year you did not file taxes.Answer #6: My father always told me there are 2 things certain in life.
1. You will die,
2. You will pay taxes.

what you're doing is definitely illegal and I'm pretty sure you were reasonably aware it is.


Title: Can a landlord increase the rent for sitting on your garage roof? [WA]

Question: Someone I know got a text from their landlord that their property management saw them sitting on the roof of their garage, and called their insurance who assessed that as an opportunity to increase insurance cost thereby increasing rent (going into effect this coming Monday).  Is this legal? Is the insurance company just looking for a way to exploit the tenants?

Answer:
 Is the someone you know in the midst of a lease term?  Or are they month-to-month?

If in a lease term, landlord probably needs to tell them to stay off the roof rather than increasing the rent.  If they’re month-to-month landlord doesn’t need a reason to increase rent (within any applicable limits).


Title: Drug addict brothers gf is pregnant. What custody rights does my mom have?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your mom has no custody rights and no you can't force someone to have an abortion. Answer #2: Holy shit dude. You actually think a Judge would force a woman to have an abortion? If the baby is born addicted to drugs and the mother is totally unfit then the State may take the baby at which point your Mom can step in and petition for custody.Answer #3: YOU CANNOT FORCE ANYONE TO HAVE AN ABORTION

Pretty sure that's stickied.


Title: Doctor will not release medical notes

Question:
I think the title is pretty explanatory. Located in United States.

I went with a company that was refered to me by a previous mental health facility. I worked along side a social worker for my therapy sessions and he had contact with the psychiatrist. The company knew I would need my notes for the VA later down the line and said they worked well with tricare.

I moved back in July and asked for my records. That way I have proof I was going to appointments and everything else. They said not a problem they would email them.

Three weeks laters no response so I called the main office and asked. They said the social worker did not want to give up his notes. I stated I needed them. They said they would try again.

Well today I got an email saying 'Here is her appointment schedule. Provider will not share his notes.'

I called again and they sent me up to the main supervisor. I left a voicemail explaining I needed my notes.  I am giving them three days to contact me before I call again.

I personally do not care if I see these records. But I want my next doctor to see them. What are my options?

Answer:
 Go to your state department of health.Answer #2: IANAL, however my experience with this has been that the new doctor needs to make the request directly, not the patient. I  don’t know if that changes with the VA involvement but this is how it works with most mental health facilities.

Source: am crayAnswer #3: The provider may be within their rights here.

https://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/hipaa

> The privacy rule gives rights to health professionals, as well as to their patients. **Under the new law, psychologists can decide whether to release their psychotherapy notes to patients, unless patients would have access to their psychotherapy notes under state law** (see the article about HIPAA and state laws in last month's Monitor). **Though the privacy rule does afford patients the right to access and inspect their health records, psychotherapy notes are treated differently: Patients do not have the right to obtain a copy of these under HIPAA.** And when a psychologist denies a patient access to these notes, the denial isn't subject to a review process, as it is with other records.Answer #4: I am not a therapist but I married into a family of therapists so I know a little about this. Therapists do NOT like to release their notes and generally only do so by court order, however they are more than happy to talk with your new therapist about your treatment, progress, and goals after a waiver has been signed and sent to them. Your new therapist should have one that you can sign and they will send it to your old therapist and then they will talk


Title: Adult child using credit cards in the parents name

Question:
My paternal grandfather (90) has been in the hospital for about 2 weeks currently. Probably has another 2 weeks in, minimum. My father went to his house to collect mail, and to basically figure out which bills hadn't been paid while he was in the hospital. He discovered that his sister and her husband had/had access to, several credit cards in his name. Turns out that they were all maxed out and un-paid. But all of the purchases had been for them, made by them. Ranging from concert tickets, clothes, food, and appliances.

However, being 90 years old, he is not entirely in a great mental state. He has been a life long farmer, who had minimal education and can barely read. They've obviously taken advantage of him, and it has been more than financially. But, I get that their non financial actions aren't illegal, but are just them being terrible people.

What are the legal options, if any? Help me, Legal Advice, you're my only hope.

Answer: Contact your local adult social services office (or contact the AARP for the local equivalent) and then call the police. This sounds like fraud and elder abuse


Title: Woman sued our S Corp for 245k and won, what's next?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Any assets that the corp has will be liquidated and the proceeds will go to paying the debt. If there is anything shady, such as the corp suddenly transferring all of it's property to a family estate to try and hide the money, then the court can address that as well. But you can't get blood from a stone, if they really have no money or assets in any way then it is hard to get any money from them.Answer #2: Just make sure not to transfer assets between corporate and personal accounts, and maintain a clear distinction between the corporation and the owners. If something is done to allow her to pierce the corporate veil then they can pursue owners directly(at least those determined to have established an alter ego in the company).Answer #3: If you have an attorney advising you about the suit, I would think it best for you to stay away from /r/legaladvice and stick to getting advice from your attorney.


Title: Rental house condemned after negligence, possessions destroyed, what is property owner responsible for? (OH)

Question:
This is about someone I know. I'll leave it at that. He, his wife, and 4 kids rented a house for the past 3 years. At the end of 2013 they started having problems with water leaking into the house every time it rained or snowed. The landlord refused to do anything about it. He often blew them off.

It all came to a head recently. There was a day of heavy rain. They come home and find the ceiling collapsed in at least 4 places. Water is pouring everywhere. Water is pouring out of light fixtures, power sockets are throwing sparks. The house is flooded everywhere. They called the fire dept. and got the power shut off. They called the landlord and he stopped answering their calls after they told him what happened.

Nearly all of their possessions were destroyed by this event. They called the Red Cross to get them a hotel room and other help. Now the whole family is living in a friend's basement sleeping on the floor.

The landlord has refused to do anything. He says he's not responsible in any way. In fact he told them they still have to pay rent until the lease ends. The house is being condemned.

Answer:
 >In fact he told them they still have to pay rent until the lease ends.

That's bull, a landlord is not entitled to receive rent for a unhabitable unit.Answer #2: *Please* tell me he has renters insurance. *Please.*Answer #3: That landlord will be in for a hell of a ride. But let your friends get a lawyer since (this landlord is at fault for all their damages) [here](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5321.04) you will find some information on the obligations of the landlord if you read 2. you will find that this landlord is in breach of his obligations.


Title: Selling alcohol underage

Question:
Location: Wisconsin

So a few years ago I made each of my grandmothers a home made bottle of vanilla extract, which is made by putting vanilla beans in vodka. My parents purchased the vodka for me and I didn’t use it to get drunk or anything, just to make the vanilla extract.

I’m going to be making another batch soon and I’m still not 21 so again my parents will be buying the alcohol. My grandmothers friends say that they would pay me to make them some.

What I’m wondering is if I could possibly get in trouble for technically selling alcohol underage or without a license or whatnot. The little bottles of vanilla extract you get at the store are made of alcohol too, I assume just in a small enough quantity that they can sell it to anyone.

I’m sorry if this is a dumb question, I just have never gotten in trouble before and don’t want to somehow be busted for an underground granny vanilla business lol

Answer: Technically speaking you could get in trouble, but it seems highly unlikely if you are doing it in such a limited fashion. If you want to be safer about it, have your grandmother's friends purchase the vodka themselves, then simply assist them in sprucing it up as you do. That way you're not possessing alcohol illegally or selling it without the appropriate licensing.


Title: Do I have grounds for class action?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 http://m.kidshealth.org/en/parents/positional-plagiocephaly.html?WT.ac=

The condition does not appear to be caused by product defects.


Title: My SO sold someone LSD, they went to the hospital and told cops they got it from SO. Need legal advice but any advice in general would be greatly appreciated.

Question:
I don't know if this is the right sub for this situation but I'll give it a shot. I'm desperate for help.

My SO sold LSD to someone who ended up having a "bad trip" and went to the hospital. This guy told cops that he got it from my SO, let's call him John.

A little bit of back story, John is a 20 year old ward of the state (parents passed away when he was younger) and on a full ride scholarship to a university in Michigan, living in the dorms. He got in a really bad car accident over the summer and had to quit his job because of his injuries and he was not able to drive there. He is still unemployed and without a car.

So, cops show up to his dorm. He steps out to talk to them and they ask to search the room. His roommate is at work so they contact him and he comes back to the dorm. The officers searched their room and I guess were really polite about everything.
Where they live, marijuana's decriminalized. John's roommate has a couple different bongs and bowls. I believe John had a pipe and a grinder too. The cops broke all of those and took them with them. The cops found one hit of acid in John's drawer and empty pill bottles from other people.
He has sold drugs like prescription pain killers, Xanax, and LSD in the recent past. Once the officers were leaving, they also said that they were taking his phone which most likely still had all of his deals on it, including a bunch of pill sales. I don't know if that was legal but he wanted to cooperate so he shut the phone off and gave it to them. He used the Find My iPhone app and set it up that it would erase itself the next time it connected to the internet.
They exchanged contact information and left with bags of broken pieces and other "evidence" I presume.
This happened Saturday evening and we haven't heard anything yet.
I told him to get a lawyer asap. He has no phone or transportation, I live 3 hours away and work a full time job so I can't help him too much from where I live. He did get in contact with his caseworkers, so hopefully they'll be able to help him work this lawyer thing out.

We need to know what to expect and how to handle this.
Has anyone been in or know someone who was in this situation?
How will this affect his scholarship?
Will he be expelled from the college?
Will he go to jail? For how long?

Any advice is appreciated, I've been reading online that LSD and other chemically made drug sales is a huge offense. I'm worrying myself sick reading this stuff.

Answer: He needs to hire a criminal defense lawyer. By cooperating with the police and confessing he doesn't have much of a chance of not being convicted. But maybe the police did something wrong that his lawyer can use to get the evidence and confessions suppressed in a criminal trial. Answer #2: Besides the standard advice to get a lawyer and only talking with the police via the lawyer, you need to delete/severely edit your post.Answer #3: I'm guessing he's about to become a ward of the state of an entirely different type altogether.


Title: Someone rear ended me and gave myself and the deputy at the scene insurance information for a canceled policy. I don’t have his contact information, and can not get it through my local police department. How can I proceed?

Question:
This happened in Texas. Right before the new year, I was rear ended. I was stopped and the driver behind me hit my car. He told me that he “looked down at his phone for just a second”. The deputy at the scene took all of our information and gave us cards with the other persons name and insurance information. I tried to file a claim with his insurance and they told me the policy was canceled in October.

I’ve got a $1000 deductible on my collision insurance, but I don’t feel like I should be pay anything. The deputies office can’t give me his contact information and I’m not exactly sure what my options are.

Please help if you can! This is my first post here, so if more information is needed, please ask! Thank you all in advance

Answer: Call your own insurance company.


Title: The DJ my fiancé and hired for our wedding reception next year won't allow us to downgrade to a cheaper package. We want our deposit back and they won't budge.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No you're not bound to a contract you didn't sign but you may have agreed the deposit is non-refundable.


Title: My wife is being denied her Esthetician license on basis of fraud from 2015.

Question:
I should add first that there was no fraud committed or anything like that. This is bullshit. At least not by us.

My wife just finished an Esthetician program couple months ago. She took her board exam and passed. She got a confirmation email about passing and even got a confirmation email with a license number and ID to look it up and print (they said they don’t mail it any more).  But when went to print it wasn’t located. After calling for awhile we were told it’s being investigated and got a letter telling us to wait with a number of a lady in charge of the investigation and told to wait 3 weeks before contacting here.  Once the 3 weeks went by we tried contacting her and the number wasn’t on service. After more phone calls again we were able to get in touch with her and she simply told us we have to call a lawyer (she provided the number) and he will answer our questions. Upon calling the lawyer we were told that my wife is being denied license on basis of fraud in 2015. They accuse her of trying to BUY her license for a large sum. Which is bullshit. My wife has been doing eyelash extensions since 2015 and for certified back then for it with a plan to get a license eventually through school which she did now. So I’m not sure where they’re getting this bs from. But basically they told us to go f our selves. The lady and the lawyer were talking to her like she was some piece of shit and a criminal. It was ridiculous.

So my wife seems pretty devastated. She got a job she loves in the city. Plus we spent 11k on school not counting other expenses or test costs. And now this BS.

I don’t know how to help her.

Answer:
 It's being formally denied or they are investigating? Big difference. Answer #2: Contact a local small business attorney, possibly one with a specialty in licensure issues.

There should be an appeals process with the licensure board.


Title: [EU] Accidently texted UnderAge girl "Horny?" am now afraid of Entering U.S.A.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 It is so unlikely as to be laughable that you will ever experience any consequences for this slight impropriety. Please, stop worrying about it.

In the absurd case that you are contacted by police about this or anything similar, take full advantage of your legal rights. In the U.S., that would be refusing to speak to them and hiring a lawyer. No idea in the various EU countries.

Edit/ the most trouble you probably caused the girl was a punishment from her parents. They've all probably forgotten about you.


Title: My cousin got divorced by her husband in a very cruel way Please Help

Question:
6 years ago my cousin 33 yrs old at the time was brought to Lebanon against her will, too scared to tell her husband no because of all the abuse she suffered under him. He brought her to Lebanon and divorced her here so he would have full custody of the kids and not have to pay her a dime. He then refused to give her any documents such as her passport and any I.D which forced her to stay in Lebanon unable to leave. He always forged her signature even when they were married which allowed him to do anything he wanted in her name. He abused her when they were married, and even broke her arm at one point, she was so scared of him that she told the doctors she fell off the stairs. Now my cousin is 39 years old and is married with 2 kids, however, she's still applying for her Canadian documents and is suffering a lot of psychological pain from her previous husband. I am here to ask is there anything she can do? She's suffered so much in her life, he doesn't even let her kids speak to her. I really want her to get anything she possibly can, she's so nice and deserves a lot more, she never knew anything and her husband used to take advantage of her. No one deserves to suffer like this and I really want her to receive some justice in her life. If you guys need any more information please feel free to ask me anything at all.

Edit 1: her ex lives in Canada with his kids.

Answer:
 I'm confused. What's her current situation?

Is she stuck in Lebanon? How long has she been stranded there? Were the Drs in Canada or Lebanon?Answer #2: So everyone's living in Canada now? Has she seen a lawyer in Canada about remedying the issues with her children?


Title: [US] Why are they allowed to keep a guy in jail during a trial if it's innocent until proven guilty?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 > Isn't that presumption of guilty until proven otherwise?

Nope. That's why most people can bond out of jail. It's to make sure he goes to court.


Title: Do our neighbors have to pay for damage if their tree falls on our house ?

Question: Our neighbors have 2 huge firs. Since we have very strong wind sometimes and they’ve been standing there for ages, I was wondering what would happen if one of them fell on our house. Would we need a special insurance or would they/ their insurance need to pay for it ?

Answer:
 In general, owners of property in Germany are responsible by default if stuff that is on their grounds damages others.To avoid that, the owner of the property would have to show that he did everything reasonably to be expected from him to prevent anything from happening. (§ 836 BGB)Answer #2: In the USA the responsibility would fall on the person whose property was damaged.
It's considered an act of God *unless*  the tree was known to be damaged or in poor condition.
Don't know how Germany sees it.

Google around with " "Germany" tree law " and see what you get.Answer #3: You want a “Wohngebäudeversicherung” . You want to have this anyway as it covers a lot of important things.

Depending on where you live you should check for flooding and such as well.
Most important for this case is an insurance against storm damage “ Sturmschäden “.

Your neighbors would only be liable if the trees were not healthy. Trees can get a few hundred years old and if they are used to strong winds they usually grow more sturdy anyway. If the tree falls and is deemed healthy the neighbors would not be negligent and as such not liable.