Title: (CA) Company refusing to give me a shipping label on an item that I did not purchase- they are attempting to charge me for the item.

Question:
Hello,

This is a bit of a mess.

Basically I was sent an item that I did not order- I even received a tracking number to my email 2 weeks prior. I called the company 4x when the tracking number was issued, asking what it was and to cancel the order. They then deducted $1691~ from my accounts, which over-drafted me and caused a huge headache for my banks.

I put a stop order on the payment, received the money back, and now the company won't stop calling me. I have answered the phone and called them 5x, but they refuse to process a shipping label since they don't seem to understand what the problem is. I have requested to speak with a manger multiple times, but I got put on hold for 30minutes and then hung up on.

I posted on their Facebook account with these problems, and the post has been removed.

I'm at a bit of loss what to do? The package weights 20.2lbs and I cannot afford to send it back, plus the insurance on it would cost around $100-200.

Any advice, legal or otherwise, would be greatly appreciated. I put a stop on any attempted payments or withdrawals from the company with my bank.

Thanks.

ED: California, USA. Japanese company, support appears to be Indonesian.

Ed 2: got a call from the company, they said they would email an rma. I'm not holding my breath.

Ed 3: this have been resolved finally, this took 3weeks and way too much time on the phone

Answer: How did they deduct money from your bank account if you didn't place an order with them?Answer #2: Under the UCC, which may not apply to the international nature of this transaction so take this with a grain of salt, if you rightfully reject goods that you've received from a seller (so, you don't have a requirement to pay for them), then you don't have to send it back to them at your own cost, but you do need to keep a hold of it until they arrange for it to be sent back to them.


Title: Hysterical Uber Passenger with Service Animal

Question:
Was just informed by Uber that they have suspended my account pending an investigation of a recent incident with a passenger that I decided to report myself. The passenger did not report me, i brought this issue forward to Uber in an effort to ensure this situation be less likely to happen again.

Today, I had an Express POOL pick up at the San Diego International Airport with two passengers, an  elderly Asian couple who had a TON of luggage. Their luggage took up the entirety of my trunk space in my Jeep. I received another pick-up for two passengers along the way, and went to the pick-up point. Upon arrival to the major road way intersection which the express pick-up sent me to (an unsafe location to pick a passenger up that the new express option keeps doing), I was flustered by my passengers in the back seat immediately expressing to me their fear of this pet which was a very large German Shephard, too large to fit in my front seat.

I began to try and explain to the woman with her service animal that I had two passengers in the back, in an effort to figure out this situation. She then assumed that I was denying her a ride and became hysterical. She yelled that I could put her dog in the trunk, which I could not because I had luggage in the trunk, she then mentioned the front seat, but there is no possibility this very large dog would fit in my front seat, and I have passenger airbags that do not turn off, which is a safety concern for an animal if there is an accident.

I tried to then speak with the customers in the back seat about arranging seats to fit this woman’s needs, but the woman outside then yelled how she was already late and this whole thing is “bullshit” and started screaming at me that I’m “no good”.

At this point it was no longer an issue of her animal, but rather this woman was harassing me when all I was trying to do was help during this incredibly difficult situation. She then proceeded to walk away while yelling slurs at me and the passengers in the back seat. At no time did I deny this ride because she had a service animal. I tried to figure out the situation in an effort to do my job and this woman became irrational and started scaring the passengers in my back seat.

I have no idea how else to have handled this situation that would not have resulted in the safety and concern of the passengers in the vehicle at the time and myself. I understand that Uber is very welcoming to service animals and I LOVE pets and helping those with them. But this woman made it to where I had no way in order to help her unless I dropped off my current passengers right there to make room for her. I reported this issue because I did not want another passenger to be in this same scary situation with this woman, though it seems me reporting it has suspended my account which is likely to affect my ability to work this weekend and possibly permanently.

I asked Uber that this entire situation be considered beyond the assumption that I just denied this woman a ride because of her pet. That is not at all the case. I denied this woman a ride because while trying to figure out the situation, she made me and my passengers in the vehicle at the time feel unsafe. I have no idea how long this investigation takes, though  asked them that it be considered to remove my account-hold so that I may get back to working and providing customers with quality experience.

In my ride reviews and ride comments, it is clear that I love what I do and I feel I am good at it. This situation is not reflective of the standard Uber experience, it was one tarnished by an irrational woman. This is my primary source of income at the moment and is how I provide for my family. Should Uber end my ability to drive with them, is such action legal? Please and thank you so much in advance for your comments and assistance.

Answer:
 You’re an independent contractor, so Uber can sever the relationship at any time.  You’re better off just moving on from this than wasting time fighting it.  Maybe look into driving for Lyft or Instacart or whatever instead.  Answer #2: >Should Uber end my ability to drive with them, is such action legal?

Yes, completely.Answer #3: Go to your local Uber hub, you'll have better experience talking to someone in person than over email or phone. Point out your (hopefully) spectacular scores, point out the moving blanket I hope you keep in back of your car in case of animal transport to show how willing you are to take animals, and mention your fond memory of every dog you've transported. Most issues like this are better solved in person. Source-Uber driver for 2.5 years and active member of the online community where issues like this are tackled on a regular basis.


Title: Is it legal for employers to implement software to track employee actions without employee consent?

Question:
I’m a designer/developer and my employer is installing software that tracks and saves our every action on work computers.

No one likes to feel watched, but I’m wondering about the legal implications because I’ve never consented to being recorded... but I’m not sure if this counts as being recorded or not.

I live and work in Florida which is a two party consent state.

Answer:
 If you're using their computer, they don't need your consent, they just need to notify you.

You don't have an expectation of privacy on their computer if they specifically tell you that you don't.


Title: NASA employee hit my car and won't co-operate

Question:
On the 18th of May a NASA employee from Colorado hit my car with a GSA issued jeep in the bay area. My wife, her friend, and their two toddlers were in the car at the time. Nobody got hurt in the accident.

There is at least $5,500 of damage to our Honda Fit, plus frame damage that hasn't been factored into the cost yet. Apparently government vehicles do not need to be insured because the government has an exemption for themselves, so instead of dealing with an insurance agency we have tried and given up on dealing with GSA. They've asked us for our social's, home addresses, work addresses, written claims about the accident on their paperwork...etc.

From what I've seen on the Internet, dealing with GSA can take years and sometimes you never do get your money back. Our deductible for uninsured drivers with Geico has a $1,000 deductible, our car is in the shop for an estimated two weeks, so we'll likely pay $500 for the rental car during this time. Looking at the Internet it also looks like they aren't going to pay us back for at least 6 months, if not an entire year of the the fact.

The problem is, the NASA employee is claiming he submitted our paperwork and even e-mailed us a copy. He hasn't, and when we call that office they also say that he hasn't submitted it. He is refusing to forward me a copy of the e-mail he claims he submitted with our GSA paperwork, now I'm worried I'm not going to get my deductible money back from the government. I told the guy that I think he should lend me $500 until I actually get money back from the government because right now he hit me, has gotten off scott free, and now has no skin in the game. He is refusing to do that to saying he "submitted the paperwork", I get that I can't force him to pay me the money, but I figured it didn't hurt to ask since he did rear end my wife while not paying attention in traffic (she was at a stop sign and he hit her at 15 mph!).

What recourse do I have here? If he doesn't actually file his paperwork then GSA isn't going to pay us. Can I have the police check with his cell phone company to see if he was messing around on his phone at the time of the accident? I don't know what to do, this is super frustrating for us and we don't have the money for this right now.

Answer: I'd highly recommend not getting into a loan situation with the other driver. Pay your deductible and let your insurance company deal with the situation, that's why you have insurance. They keep you from having to deal with the headache


Title: Housemate wants to sublet his room to two people. Can I stop it?

Question:
Location: New York City, USA

My housemate is going away for the summer and wants to sublet his room to two people. It is a small 3 bedroom, one bathroom apartment that can barely hold all 3 of us at the moment. To share the communal space and the bathroom with an additional person just doesn't seem feasible.

Is there anyway I can stop this? My lease says that he is allowed to sublet as long as he gets permission from the landlord, but it doesn't say anything about subletting one room to two people.

Answer: Complain to your landlord.


Title: Can I (24f) sue my father for back child support?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No. Even in the case your father owed someone child support (he doesn't), it would be owed to your mother. You have no standing.


Title: What parenting rights do inmates have?

Question: My brother in law is in prison for the next 18 months and has 50/50 custody of his daughter. His ex will not bring her to go see him even though the daughter wants to go. Is this against the custody agreement even though he is prison? How does he go about giving us ( brother and sister in law) guardianship for his half until he gets out? I feel like he still has some rights to his daughter and say in her life since the custody Agreement hasn’t changed. He feels like he can’t even call the school or if he has rights to do Anything. Any advice?

Answer:
 You can hire a lawyer for him to file a motion to compel prison visits.  The frequency of these will depend on logistical factors, especially how far the prison is from their residence, and the age of the child.

You are not going to get his 50 percent of time.  That's not how it works.


Title: How should my parents leave my sister and I their rental property so that I am the manager/co-owner and my sister only co-owns.

Question:
My parents/heroes/role models, are getting to that age where they need to make sure they have a solid will and plan for the distribution of their assets. The most valuable asset is their 90 unit rental operation here in NYC. The units are spread between a few different rental buildings(seperate LLCs for each), as well as a few individual houses.

My parents have agreed that I should be in control of the business after they are gone(I have been in the industry my whole life and work as a property manager/ accountant) It would be my full time job so its also agreed that I'll take a salary/management fee on top of my share of the owner distributions.

How can we structure this so that:

* I am the sole managing member/ desicion maker of the business.

* I am prohibited from selling any property unless there is a unanimous vote.

* My sister and I each receive an equal share of the owner distributions.

* I am entitled to take a salary/ mgmt fee, I am NOT allowed to take more than X% of Y (6% the monthly rental income for example)

* We account for anything I might not be thinking of right now related to this agreement that may cause a rift between my only sibling and I later in life. (I understand if this sounds absurd, I just don't know how else to phrase it)

*Edit: We will be seeing an estate attorney, I just want to learn more about what to expect, and what to make sure gets included so we are comfortable that things are being handled properly.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 >The most valuable asset is their 90 unit rental operation here in NYC.

You are describing enormously valuable assets, and your parents need to hire real-life attorneys to plan their estates and business transitions. What you want to do will be very easy for a professional, but the stakes are too high to do it yourself.


Title: hey champs- I have data proving some seriously corrupt stuff with an Illinois local PD. where can i find a HTML savvy attorney in IL.

Question:
ok- i feel like a kid in a candy shop, ive never been so ecstatic when talking about police. im overjoyed. I not only may have done my DUI attorneys work for him but hopefully i can do more!

A local PD has an incredibly deceptive website, and email system, causing defendents to potentially incriminate themselves when seeking to contact the Police chief, when the e-mail goes directly to his underlings.

How did i find this?

I was attempting to email chief of police to request a hearing to regain the fee that was required to get my vehicle back from hte impound.

 i clicked on a link below his name. It kept popping up Microsoft Outlook, the link (from what i understand is incapable of anything else- and its broken) I tried like 5x to set up my google account with correct password and all but upon being fixed is still not sent to the chief of police- it's sent to any cop on the force who wants to read it.

so the link is not only broken but forces outlook to start up, unless you read the HTML command on the link you can't find the address listed under the Chief of Police photo, name, and title any other way.

I said the link is broken because it misses a space after the "mailto:" before the email address. (if im not mistaken thats the reason, its broken regardless)

I have not only photo data, i have an email conversation in which the officer (who now blocked my email address) was caught in several lies when i discuss the matter.

im still so excited haaaalllppp meeee

Answer:
 How is that corrupt?

And if you admit anything to the chief of police, you already incriminated yourself. So why does it matter if another cop sees it?  Answer #2: Even if you're 100% right, this will have ZERO bearing on your criminal case.

If you send me an email, I can show that to anyone I want to.  I can divert it to my assistant if I want.

You can email the President, too.  Do you think those go directly to him? Do you think he sees them at all?


Title: Am I a felon?

Question:
I don't really know how to go about this, but I had gotten involved in a hit and run about 7 years ago. I was 20 and on the verge of moving back to my hometown a couple weeks later. I went to the court date before I left and plead guilty because I mean I freaked but I wasn't denying that I hadn't done it. It was stupid I know... No one was hurt, but still stupid.
   Anyways, I plead guilty, but the judge wanted to appoint me my own court ordered lawyer and wanted to put the case on hold until a later date, but I had tried to explain that I was leaving to a different state in that amount of time. I had no idea the severity of this and pretty much like an immature child didn't take this seriously and just figured I'd have a fine to pay and then I could get on with my life.
   Well in that amount of time I haven't been able to get my license renewed. I assumed it was from my home state for needing to prove I had insurance even though all my fines had been paid off there. But after trying to renew it I was told that NC (where the incident happened) was not allowing me to renew my license. So I had got NC's number to find out about the issue. Which then I was prompted to only communicate through email.
    After getting a hold of them they told me that I needed to go back to court to finish out the sentencing? I told them I was in able to go back to NC because I lived about 3000 miles away! They told me all they could say was to go to court or higher an attorney. So, I put it on the back burner again figuring I just needed to save money to higher someone and hopefully get this thing over with.
   I recently applied on a website to her some extra income and all these years have been putting no on felony or misdemeanor charges because I was never told that's what that might be. Well I just got a copy of the background check and this came up. Said it was a felony and misdemeanor search, but I can't tell what it's listed as or if it's both.... And now I'm freaking out because I was planning on joining the military and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to because of this.... So how the heck do I know if this is a felony charge? No one will tell me anything...

Answer: Contact a lawyer in the jurisdiction where you got the ticket.  That's the best course of action for you right now.  You can't put this off any longer.Answer #2: NAL this is such a strange read. I know there is nothing you can do to change it but its as if you treated the entire legal system like some kind of joking formality? You dont even know what you plead guilty to. The judge could have said anything and you just say yes? This is very strange


Title: Twitch/Blizzard not enforcing tournament rules cost me 5.000 $

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's going to cost you more than $5000 to win and enforce an international judgement even if you have an easily winnable case.   Answer #2: Consider looking at the terms and conditions of your participation.  This may include provisions about rule changes, discretion to alter rules, limitation on damages, and forum for grievances (most likely binding arbitration).

Without a complete picture of what you agreed to when you participated, it is difficult to know what your potential remedies are.Answer #3: >The rule was declared not legally enforceable as it was introduced too late

Seems like trying to sue that they didn't enforce it isn't going to serve a purpose.

It's also a for-fun competition, and suing on a technicality is against the spirit that. Your contention isn't that this other person cheated, but that they didn't comply with a late-introduced rule that was rescinded as it was un-enforceable.

You aren't going to get anywhere with this, and you will generate legal fees for yourself, but if it will address your raging justice-boner go right ahead.Answer #4: FYI - This event was not in any way hosted by Blizzard.
>I was a participant at a tournament hosted by twitch&blizzard


Title: Started a new job, got pregnant and not eligible for FMLA. What are my options (PA)?

Question:
Throw away account time. As the post states, I started a new job and within a few weeks got pregnant. After my 12th week, I told my boss and HR I was pregnant. When I deliver, I will have only been at the company for ~10 months. I spoke with HR and was told I do not qualify for FMLA since I won't have been with the company 12 months. I was told I would only get 6 weeks and then would be required to come back to work. I only spoke to HR about this and not my boss or president of my division.

As a little more background. This won't be our first child and it definitely wasn't planned. There was no intention to get a job, get benefits and get pregnant. My last job had better benefits. I work for a large company that everyone would know in sales. Very demanding role with travel, salary + commission in the multiple 6 figures.

Based on how bad my last pregnancy was, I know I won't be ready in 6 weeks + I actually want to spend time with the newborn. I know PA has the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act where, if you're disabled, you can't be fired. Pregnancy counts. I'm doing fairly well so far and I should hit my numbers in my first quarter so perhaps for this discussion we can assume I'm performing before I give birth :).

Do I have any options here? Should I discuss with my boss and/or president of my division (obviously after I hit my first quarter numbers!)? Ask them how I can get 12 weeks off? HR told me it's company policy, but I'm not sure they ever ran into a situation like this before. I could be the first. I don't care about the pay. I just need the time off to recover. Plus, I want to give 100% to my job and I know I can't do that going back on the job at 6 weeks. I did some research and can't seem to find anything online about others in a similar circumstance.

Answer:
 The PHRC doesn't say you can't fire disabled people. It says you can't discriminate against disabled people. Firing someone for a longterm absence isn't inherently discriminatory. Now, if it turns out they held Bob's job for 8 weeks when he broke his pinkie but won't hold yours, that could be discriminatory. And, of course, the desire to be with your baby isn't a disability.

In short, it doesn't look like there's any law that would require them to hold your job. So going to your manager is your best bet--propose a return date, understand what return date you'd be willing to settle on, and see where it goes.


Title: Pawn Shop rung it up wrong!

Question:
So i walked into a pawn shop to purchase a gaming laptop. short story is i found one i wanted, asked if they would go lower on the price. the sales associate said he could do $50 off. then when he was ringing me up his attitude of a manager said no, full price. they offered me a free 30 day warranty and they would pay taxes and i would have the laptop for $400 even. they rung it up and said ok it will be $413.88, i asked what happened to $400 even, they said its $413 kuz of taxes, i then said i thought they were covering the taxes, to which they said it was $413.88. i said i guess so, the cashier rung it up and i didnt notice until i was long gone that instead of the cashier ringing up $413.88 he rung up $143.88. they called me saying i owe the other half of the $413.88 but i never signed anything stating i would pay $413.88, i did however approve of the $143.88 because i put my card in and i typed my pin approving it. also, the purchase required an approval code from the manager so im sure there were multiple people to see the error. im worried they will harass me about the other half o the $413.88. Do they have any legal stand they can make against me? Do i have any legal defense? What do i do?
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer: Pay the money you owe them


Title: Landlord charging me insane fee for having guests over

Question:
Firstly, this is in England.

My mum is coming over next week, and my landlord has a rule where if guests come they need to pay too. There's nothing in the tenancy agreement about this, and the amount she's charging is ridiculous. I'm renting a single room, paying £80 a week. The visit will be for 6 days, and she is charging me £80(!!) for those 6 days.

My mum has visited before for 2 weeks, and that cost me £20. I paid because although this may not be legal, it wasn't too much to pay to avoid hassle.

She also is trying to charge me £15 per week for my boyfriend staying at the weekend.

Could anyone advise if this is legal? And do I have to pay?

Thanks for your help.

Answer:
 IANAL

As a general rule, your lease is king. If it's in the lease then you have to comply. If it's not, then you don't.

Of course your landlord may then chose not to renew your lease.


Title: My job offer was resended after a background check due to a prior termination. Is that legal ?

Question:
Two weeks ago I got the amazing call that I was selected for the job of my dreams. I was over the moon excited and was so eager to get started.

I filled out the background check form with my last 5 years of previous work history with exact dates and was truthful about my termination 2.5 years ago. I didn’t think much of it at all and told all my friends and family about my new job.

Tonight I got a call that due to the circumstances around my termination they would be resending the offer and I would not be allowed to be employed by the company in any position due to the termination. I am beyond devastated.

Was this decided since I was forthcoming about the information or was it something my pervious employer said ?

Is there any way I can go after my pervious employer for limiting my current employment due to a minor offense ?

Answer: NAL, but I see nothing illegal here. The only legal recourse you may have is if your previous employer acted maliciously in a way they knew you wouldn't be hired such as falsifying events. Other than that, any employer has a right to rescind their offer upon new information. It's what the background checks are for. Answer #2: Do you think your previous employer lied about the circumstances surrounding your firing?


Title: Please Help - International Child Custody US/Taiwan

Question:
Situation:

Child was born in US may 2015 to, unmarried, parents of different citizenship. One parent is US born and the other Taiwan.

Child went to Taiwan with Taiwan born parent in summer 2016 to visit.

The child was left in Taiwan under the pretense of child care with the expectation the child would return to the US in spring 2017.

Excuses were made to delay the return of the child to the US from the original intended return time frame of January-February.

A hard deadline was agreed by both parents to be May 15 2017.

No plans have been made to date to return the child to the country by the Taiwan born parent.

The Taiwan born parent plans to leave the country with no definite plan to return to the US at the end of July 2017.

What if any legal options does the US born parent have?
Topic:
Treaties and International Law

Answer: This is lawyer territory. You would want a family law attorney that is familiar/versed with cross-border custody issues.


Title: My roommates and I owe $10,000 to our apartment company

Question:
I am an Illinois resident. Me and my two former roommates in our 20s have have just received a letter from a debt collection agency for $10,000. The story is that we were 4 college roommates in an apartment on campus. We were all buddies, but one day, one roommate got into an argument with anther roommate and he got physically pushed and didn't want to live there anymore. So he used a lawyer to threaten the apartment company with the "Safe Homes Act" or whatever. And they dropped him from our lease. This made us remaining 3 responsible for his portion of the rent (600 extra per month) since it was a joint lease. So we paid a month of his rent, then said fuck this and stopped. But then my stupid roommates decided to sue the apartment company to make them return the extra money we paid for our 4th dropped roommate. We used a free attorney provided by the school and she was terrible, did not even advise us against suing a big apartment management company, ended up losing the case and having a judgement of $5500 against us for the attorney fees of the apartment company and unpaid rent. This all concluded in summer 2015. We decided to just ignore it, stupidly (we did many stupid things that resulted in this). Now in summer 2016 we have received a letter from collections for $10,000. This shady fucking apartment company already took our $2500 initial deposit amount for random "repairs" around the apartment when our lease ended.

What is the next step for us to minimize the amount we have to pay? Do we have to hire a lawyer to negotiate a lower price? Do we have to sue our 4th roommate? This is a ridiculous amount of a money for a recent college graduate with lots of debt already. I appreciate any and all advice.

TLDR: in 2014 my apartment company dropped our 4th roommate from our lease after he felt "threatened" living there. The remaining roommates were still responsible for his rent. We tried to recover 1/4 of the monthly rent that we paid for him (600$) by suing the apartment company with a free lawyer from our university. We lost the case and were ordered to pay 5500 in summer 2015. Now 1 year later, we received a letter from a debt collection agency for $10,000.

Answer:
 All I see reading this is one bad decision after another.

- Don't pay rent

- Sue apartment complex

- Don't pay judgement

Somebody is going to eventually pay this judgement, whether by pay check garnishment or bank account levy. It could be any one of you whenever they feel like acting on it. You may not make much money now but presumably you're going to college so you can get a good job. Then one of you will get a "please call me" email from payroll and 25% of your disposable wages will be taken from each check.

Answer #2: You can negotiate with the debt holder to see if they will accept a lower price.  You do not need a lawyer.

Your 4th roommate bears no liability.  He was legally and legitimately removed from the lease.  You should not sue him unless you want to lose again.

> This is a ridiculous amount of a money for a recent college graduate with lots of debt already

That's no one's fault but your own.  You made poor choices, created a large amount of legitimate debt, and now you have to pay it back.Answer #3: All you can do now is negotiate. Sounds like the debt is valid and I don't see how any of that makes the management company "shady" at all.


Title: Soon to be ex husband hit me, said if I call the cops he will tell them I attacked him and have me arrested?

Question: My soon to be ex husband came over and took my tv. (Were separated) I said no and was blocking the tv. He kicked me in the stomach and punched me in the arm to shove me away and grabbed the tv. I grabbed his shirt as he was leaving and it tore. He said great now when you call the cops it will look like you attacked me and you'll be arrested. He did this all in front of our 3 yr old son. What can I do? If anything. I didn't touch him (besides grabbing his shirt).

Answer:
 > What can I do?

Call the police. Tell them your estranged husband came to your place, robbed you, and then hit you. Tell them he threatened to lie to the police about you if you reported this.

They aren't going to believe a word he says when they arrest him. Get in touch with a domestic violence support group. They can help you navigate the courts, find a lawyer, and work through the process of divorce and getting sole custody of your kid.Answer #2: The law enforcement will believe the first-contact report and treat it truer than any follow-up, corrections, or retalitory accusations made by either party. If you call and say he hit you, they're going to believe you. Answer #3: Also do keep in mind that the child was a witness. If he can essentially recall that "dad hit mom", or something very similar, it would be in your favor.
Sending you and your baby all my good vibes


Title: [PA] Employer threatening to no longer "honor" my disability accommodation.

Question:
I work at a large, well-known rent-to-own corporation at a store in Pennsylvania, and have been working there since roughly the beginning of June/end of May.

I have a sleep disorder that has, in the past, caused issues (e.g., I have had to withdraw from college before because of this issue), and I have an accommodation filed with the store and written by my sleep specialist, basically saying that I will likely be late frequently simply due to the difficulty of waking up much of the time thanks to this disorder. I take medication for it (though I haven't been able to this past month due to health insurance issues) and see my sleep specialist regularly to adjust the dosage as needed, and there have been times in the past where the problems have been essentially under control for periods of up to a year to a year and a half.

I didn't bring up this issue during the interview process because of the fact that it'd been under control for a while in the past *and* because in my experience there are a lot of people who treat my problem as "not real" or as laziness rather than a medical issue. During the first few weeks of the job, things were okay and I was mostly making it to work on time, but the sleep problems began becoming an issue and I got the accommodation. It has been honored for the last several months.

Within the past week, my district manager has informed me that, because my medical issue is pre-existing and because I failed to bring it up during the interview process, they are not legally required to honor my accommodation and my manager agrees with him. I have reviewed some FAQs provided by the Department of Labor, and nothing seems to suggest me needing to inform them during the interview process or similar.

Is what they're saying legal?

Answer:
 > they said because my medical issue is pre-existing and I didn't bring it up during the interview, they are not legally required to honor my accommodation ^* ^edited ^for ^clarity

Whether you brought it up in the interview is not relevant.  What does matter is whether the request is reasonable:

[**Earl v. Mervyns, Inc., 207 F.3d 1361 (11th Cir. 2000).**](http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/207/1361/545035/)

Debra K. Earl, a store manager, sought an accommodation in the form of being allowed to clock in late without reprimand whenever she arrived, and the employer rejected the request as unreasonable.

The Eleventh Circuit found that **punctuality was an essential function of the plaintiff’s job** as a store department manager.  To require the employer to accommodate her by allowing to come to work whenever she wanted was unreasonable.

Edit: Added link


Title: Nephew (3yrs) was grabbed in the face and screamed at leaving marks by daycare provider in the morning, not reported until afternoon.

Question: Title mostly says it all. My nephew (sister's son) was grabbed in the face and screamed at by one of the daycare providers this morning. Then around 4:30PM the daycare called and advised of the incident and said they fired the woman responsible. When my sister went to pick him up the police and DFACS were there and asked if she wanted to press charges (she did). Mind you, about \~1month ago my nephew came home and said that one of the teachers was hitting him and my sister approached the daycare about it and they essentially denied it but said they would conduct an "internal training", we have no paperwork to prove that my sister approached them a month ago. We hate to be pessimistic, but the fact that it happened in the morning and wasn't reported until the afternoon makes us feel like the police/DFACS even being contacted was because they knew my nephew would come home and tell us about it, and they were trying to cover their own asses. Is there any kind of legal action we can take against the daycare? Because now we are going to have to not only find a new daycare, but also my sister will have to take time off work until we do find a new daycare. We appreciate the efforts they took to attempt to remedy the situation, but we are extremely skeptical because of the wait in reporting the event. Also, this happened in Florida.

Answer:
 Your claim against the daycare in this situation would theoretically be something along the lines of negligent employee supervision, that the employer should have known based on the employee's behavior/background/reports from parents.  To find this kind of information, generally you would need to go through the discovery process of a civil suit, which likely isn't appropriate for the limited costs you likely experienced.

If the police/prosecutor are trying to bring a criminal case, they might find some of this relevant information.  You could try and keep in contact, though it is unlikely that any case information would be released.


Title: Turkish Lawyer here looking for an advice for Quebecois Law

Question:
Dear québécois friends. I need your help. First of all, je peux parler un peu français mais pas assez pour la recherche juridique.

One of my clients is seeking to invest in Montreal. He asked me a full report on these issues:

1- How to apply for construction/project (especially for a condo project)

2- What are the laws applied to the foreigners on subjects of acquiring immobile property / real estate (biens immobiliers) and application of construction license (autorisation de construction)

Note here: He may be a Canadian citizen or Canadian resident, he told me before but I have forgotten and I am ashamed to ask again. So please answer accordingly.

3- Can I find an online database of market values of the immobile properties / estates in Canada?

Thanks folks! Have a nice year!

Answer:
 Obviously you aren’t equipped to prepare this report, and answers on this sub won’t fix that. Instruct a Montreal lawyer to prepare the report.

For god’s sake find a subtle (or not so subtle) way to get your client to confirm his citizenship/residency status. And take an attendance note next time.


Title: What accommodations am I entitled to from my University?

Question:
I am a freshman attending a public university in the US. I also suffer from severe anxiety, including social, obsessive-compulsive and general. My primary care provider has diagnosed me with such, as well as I am medicated. I currently receive housing accommodations that are embodied by a single room at a discounted rate. As the end of the year approaches, I have realized that I am not set up in the best environment for myself. My dorm has a communal bathroom which causes a lot of anxiety itself while also dissuading me from taking multiple showers a day to help with my anxiety. It is also on record that my anxiety has negatively impacted my academics. I have had credits removed and am retaking classes because of such.

My university has housing that includes private bathrooms, however there are very limited singles. As you can imagine, I was unable to sign up for such do to my registration seniority. I have talked to my schools disability center, whom I am already registered with about it and was told to try to contact the director of the center as they handle all housing accommodations. This started about 5 weeks ago. In that 5 weeks, I have called, emailed several times and also been in the office several times (She’s rarely in the office and the other people in the office aren’t allowed to set up appointments). In all my efforts, I have gotten one email about 3 weeks ago showing interest in helping, but nothing else.
I have talked to the housing services who cannot do anything, but I did find out that about 70% of the single rooms with private bathrooms are reserved for athletes and rooms to be made into doubles. They do not possess anyone at the moment.

I guess my question is how much are they required to accommodate? It is to my understanding that accommodations must be made, but the severity is gray area. I sure the answer is that they don’t have to do anything, since they know much more about it than I do, but I would like to be certain before I stop pursuing this.

Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 you are entitled to all "reasonable" accommodations.  what defines "reasonable" might have to involve a judge.  if they do not have any vacant singles with priv bathroom available, then kicking someone out to accommodate you would not be considered "reasonable."

why not just live in private housing and not university housing.  if the college has a rule that freshmen must live in university housing, a "reasonable" accommodation would be to waive that requirement for you.


Title: My moms employer gave out her birth year out to the entire office. Is this illegal?

Question:
My mom is rightfully very upset about this. She was born in 1955 and is the oldest person in her office. While she was out of work her boss announced my moms birth year to the entire office.

Shortly after my mom was flooded with texts of people from her office letting her know what happened.

This seems illegal for her boss to do this. What can my mom do?

Answer: Nothing about that is illegal; anyone in the office could probably have found that information and more from a simple Google search.  What would be illegal is if her employer *discriminated against her* because of her age, but there's no evidence that has happened here.


Title: (N.D.) I just got a call from a private investigator regarding a car accident from a few months ago

Question:
In February I slipped on some ice on the freeway and got rear-ended. I got a “care required” ticket and I was considered at fault for the accident. I provided my insurance with everything they asked for and haven’t heard from them since other than having my monthly cost going up. I had liability coverage but not full coverage. I thought everything was all said and done as I hadn’t heard anything from my insurance but this is my first accident so I’ve just been doing what my insurance has been telling me to do.

Fast forward to tonight. I got a call from a private investigator who was hired by an attorney who represents the person who hit me. At the time of the accident, the person didn’t have any injuries from the accident (although I know that can change), and the damage to the vehicle, even if totaled, would have been less than my liability covered.

The PI asked me questions about the accident and I just reiterated what was on the accident report.

I have a few questions:

-	is there something I should be doing to protect myself?
-	should I be contacting a lawyer or is this just due diligence on the other person’s part because they think they’ve been wronged somewhere in the process?
-	if I’m contacted again, what should I say?

Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Do not ever talk to a PI hired by the opposing party.  Direct all questions to your lawyer or insurance company. The PI isn’t helping you, they’re helping their client place more blame on you.


Title: property lines cut off my garage?

Question:
Hello,
We are first time property owners; just bought a house in Jefferson County, Kentucky (Louisville). In the course of planning a porch addition, my designer brought up [this GIS imagery provided by the City.](https://imgur.com/a/qJZFM)  It shows half my garage in the neighbors' property. I also seem to have a chunk of another neighbors' house in mine. I haven't mentioned this to either neighbor. It would appear that the imagery itself is  simply offset, so moving forward with other projects, house sale, etc., should I be contacting a surveyor to get a "true" picture of the property lines?
Thanks!

Answer:
 Get a survey.

GIS models and photography are good, but not perfect. "Minor" issues (like a property appearing offset by half a lot width) show up fairly frequently. A survey will show the true property lines, according to your title documentation.


Title: What is the legality of doordash drivers using children to get food for them? (Texas)

Question: I worked at a pizza restaurant for a little while, we sold pizza, seafood and sandwiches. Due to the fact that no one really wants to work right now, we could not deliver pizza. So we started using door dash. One day i noticed a kid came in (he probably was like 8 or 9) and he asks for a doordash customers order, so of course i give him the order and he takes it out to his moms car, gets in, and gives it her, and they drive off. Considering that most of the work of being a door dash driver is picking up food and then delivering it, how legal is it to do this?

Answer: No clue on the legality but that mom is pretty clever for finding a way to work and watch over her kid at the same time.


Title: What will happen if I pull the fire alarm in school?

Question: [removed]

Answer: There will be lots of noises and flashing lights, many people will go outside, big red trucks will show up, and you'll risk discipline and possible criminal charges if there was no reason to pull the fire alarm at the time you pulled it.


Title: [HI] AirBnB burned down and owner has stopped communication

Question: Hello there, I was staying in an AirBnB in Honolulu, Hawaii a couple of months ago that burned down. I was not hurt but lost four suitcases full of clothes and small appliances. AirBnB claims that they are not responsible unless the fire was caused by negigence of the homeowner. The whole house is gone so they weren’t able to figure out the cause. The homeowner told me to submit receipts to her and she would claim them on her insurance. This was more than a month ago and after reaching out multiple times, I have heard no response. I was just wondering if I should start contacting a lawyer or what my options are. I really don’t want to be an ass because the homeowner also lost her house. But I would like to have some kind of recourse for losing all of my stuff. Do you guys have any advice? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 If there was no negligence, then the homeowner (or her insurance co) isn't responsible for your lost personal property and is likely why you are being ignored.  This is what travel insurance is for.  File a claim twith *your* travel insurance.Answer #2: Generally a landlord's insurance isn't going to cover items that the landlord doesn't own. If you wish to be insured in instances such as this then you need to purchase insurance, don't rely on someone else to CYA.

Be thankful the home owner isn't doing what you are. They could tell you that you are responsible for their loss since their property was in your care, custody, and control at the time of the fire. You stated yourself that the place burned to the ground and the cause can't be determined.
I don't say that to poke fun, I say that to point out that it's a two-way street.

Did you book the Air BNB with your credit card? Does your credit card provide insurance?


Title: [FL, USA] Funeral services paid for, deceased loved one held hostage

Question:
I am not willing to disclose this business until my girlfriend's family have, in fact, received the ashes of their Father. Also, I'm aware that even though the service involves the handling of a loved one, Funeral Homes are still businesses.

With all that said, I'm curious about the legality surrounding an issue that is unfolding which really just boils down to, imo, modifying the terms of a transaction after the transaction has been paid for. Information:

1. Loved one was recently deceased and retrieved by a funeral home.
2. It was decided by the family that the body be cremated.
3. Payment for cremation services were made to the funeral home.
4. There was a conflict between the family and the funeral home regarding the length of time it would take to perform the cremation and deliver the ashes.
5. The funeral home has produced a waiver indemnifying themselves from any penalization that results from this conflict, has asked the entire family to sign the waiver, and has instructed the family that the service will not be performed and the ashes won't be delivered until this is complete.

Obviously, this is devastating for my girlfriend's family but despite the emotional reaction/turmoil I'm curious if there is legal standing on their part. The 'waiver' is clearly produced by the funeral home rather than a lawyer and I have yet to see the contract that was signed when services were paid for.

Thank you much and I'll be happy to disclose the name of the business in FL once these ashes are retrieved.

Answer:
 I can tell you we don't care what the business is named and it's against sub rules to post PII so don't.Answer #2: NAL, but 3rd generation in the funeral industry.  Most funeral homes don't actually operate the cremation facility. Is the family trying to hold the funeral home responsible for the timeline of the crematorium or does this funeral home actually do the cremations on site?

Second...how overweight is the deceased individual? I usually see the waivers pop out when a family doesn't want to deal with the consequences of cremating a plus-sized individual. It does take longer...sometimes a lot longer. It's also dangerous if the facility isn't equipped.

Lastly, you can chose another place. You don't have to use the funeral home.


Title: Local carwash charges more for Lyft/Uber drivers

Question:
Seattle,WA

A local carwash sells a monthly unlimited car wash package and charges $20 for unlimited washes but charges $40 if you are an Lyft or Uber driver. You get the same wash and get unlimited washes with both packages. Is this legal?

Answer: Not only legal, but very common to charge higher rates for commercial use.


Title: Workplace retaliation question

Question:
Location: California

I have read the retaliation section for my work but I am a little confused about my specific situation.

I asked for a raise at my work back in May and haven't heard anything yet. Yesterday, there was an issue with an employee and a program they needed working on their computer. To just cut to the chase, I was not able to fix it because so much has changed since I was given the duty of installing that program back in 2012 that when I install it now, it doesn't work properly and a third party vendor needs to come fix the problem. I wasn't give any information about it so I never had a solution to the issue. The employee then started to go off on me telling me that I should know the solution and to fix it, but even after explaining to her that I cannot because I do not manage the back end setup, she got upset. I get called into my boss' office today and he says that she thought I was giving her attitude telling her that it's not my problem and leaving it at that. I told him my side of the story and he had a better understanding of what was going on. In short, I was not rude and told her to talk tot the vendor.

My boss believes that if she files a complaint to the guy who approves raises, that I will get denied my raise. My question is; is this grounds for workplace retaliation? If I do get denied the raise and they tell me that it's because this lady complained about me and not being able to fix her problem, is there anything I can do? The whole workplace retaliation is still a bit confusing to me.

Any help in understanding will be greatly appreciated.

Answer: That may be retaliation, but it's not *illegal* retaliation.


Title: Someone created an amazon account using my email. What should I do?

Question: So I was making an account on amazon to order a splitter cable when amazon informed me that my email had an account already attached to it. Ok so I thought it was just an account I had set up earlier and I just didn’t remember it. That was until I saw the name Rosaly. I know no one with that name. I was wondering if I should do something. And if this is not the place for this post, could you redirect me to a subreddit that could help?

Answer: You should probably ask amazon customer service.


Title: Cops raided my apartment

Question: So this is a throwaway for obvious reason. So I had a good friend who texted me one night and asked if I could find some bud for his friend and I'm like sure I'll get some and gave him my address.I sold him 7 grams of bud. Did it again 2 times after that. Turns out he was an informant for the police and the day after 4/20 cops raid my apartment. I didn't have any on me cause I don't really sell like that but my roommate had a safe which had 2 ounces in it which I didn't know about. I kept my mouth shut and got a good lawyer. I was charged with failure to affix drug tax stamp which is a class d felony and I am waiting for my court date. I was just seeking advice as to what I'm looking at for consequences. I have no priors and I am a college kid getting good grades. This also happened in Iowa.

Answer:
 >I was just seeking advice as to what I'm looking at for consequences.

Ask your lawyer this.


Title: Is it illegal to have emergency lights on your car? We have an ex police unmarked ford explorer with the bar/wheels of a cop car, and put lights on for a movie we're doing.

Question:
We don't want to take the lights off between every shoot/set and I use it as a DD as well since it's insured and everything. No I'm not pulling people over but the lights (off obviously) are visible on the bar itself.

Vancouver, BC.

Answer:
 I'm not in BC, but where I live, just having the lights is not legal on a road legal car. Movies can get special permits for things, although I know nothing of that process.

From a practical standpoint: Did you buy the car w/ the lights already on it from auction? If so, then you could probably talk your way out of a ticket. Answer #2: EDIT: Disregard my comment. In light what has been pointed out to me, I retract my comment. I do not advocate breaking the law.

~~Not a lawyer, but instead of taking the lights on and off between every shoot, is there some way you might be able to more easily put some kind of obscuring cover over the lights? This way, even if you do get stopped, you can show that you've taken an active step to prevent unintended deception, and maybe that could give a LEO second thoughts about stopping you, or a court second thoughts about convicting you.~~

Again, not a lawyer.Answer #3: I'm a career Firefighter, in our jurisdiction any vehicle with emergency lights that are not in service are supposed to be covered with a black shroud, and identified as out of service, or in your case you could put "prop". You can remove it to film and replace it for transport. Any decals need to be removed or covered as well.

Not sure about your jurisdiction, but I think you'd be fine as long as you are covered and identified. Answer #4: Look up whatever passes for your jurisdictions vehicle code and check out the lighting section to find out for sure.

Most likely it’s illegal.


Title: TX - Son's Roommate Not Paying Rent

Question: My son and his buddy rented a house together a few month's ago with the agreement that they would split the rent and utilities.  There is no official lease.  Roommate is consistently not paying his share or only partially paying his share of the rent.  What's the best way to go about getting the non-paying roommate to move out so my son can get a roommate who actually pays his share of the bills?  Rent is due tomorrow and roommate just told my son that he again won't be able to pay his full share of the rent.  My son thinks that he should just pay the landlord his half of the rent and explain that the other roommate is not paying.

Answer: Usually when a house is rented together rather than each person renting a room, if one roommate decides not to pay the other(s) are stuck with their share because the rent still has to be paid. Since there’s no formal lease here, your son might be able to talk to the LL, but he should be prepared to pay the full amount if they can’t work something out with the slacker roommate before the LL can evict for nonpayment.


Title: I received some random guy's W-2 in the mail (probably a former resident.) I was planning on shredding it, but do I have any other obligation?

Question:
This is in Indiana, USA.

Thanks!

Answer: Write "Return to Sender" on it and put it in your outgoing mail.Answer #2: write misdelivered or 'not at this address' and return it. w2 is how most people get their overpayment from their payroll withholding back. you wouldn't want someone to screw you over like that, would you?


Title: [Hypothetical] Legally speaking if you were pulled over, and then you let your drugs fly away would you be charged with possession since the officers don't know for sure what flew away? (Context Within)

Question:
Location: LocationBotIsA ScurbLord

Gif: http://i.imgur.com/raliHy1.gifv

Let's say got pulled over, and let your drugs (or whatever it is that may or may not be illegal) fly away. Other than littering could the cops prove that those were drugs (or whatever the stuff that flew away) were yours?

A few scenarios I see happening, but am not sure about:

* The cops find the balloon, and try to finger print match you.
* The cops shoot the balloons, and then say that they were yours.
* The cops somehow find the balloons, but you claim they weren't yours.

Thoughts?

Answer:
 If you release a balloon on a traffic stop, and officers recover a balloon in the area of the same color/style a short time later, and the recovered balloons have drugs in them, you could be charged and convicted under those facts.

The prosecution doesn't have to prove beyond *all* doubt that they are yours.  Only beyond a REASONABLE doubt.

I mean... you never know what a jury will do, but it doesn't take much to be able to connect those dots.
Answer #2: Yes, you can often avoid prosecution by hiding or destroying evidence.

This is why hiding or destroying evidence is itself a serious crime.Answer #3: /u/Citicop, please set this young OP straight. ThanksAnswer #4: "North St. Botsnark elementary school is in mourning today, following the death of seven young students. It appears the deaths occurred after a helium filled balloon fell from the sky onto the playground, which when investigated by the curious youngsters was found to contain several smaller balloons filled with white powder attached to the balloon's string. The students opened the drug filled balloons, and even threw them at each other in play, during which at least one burst open dousing the children with the contents. The children were later found unconscious, and rushed to the hospital where seven of them unfortunately perished.

Police are on the lookout for a criminal mastermind who apparently believed disposing of his or her drugs in a way that would obviously be incredibly attractive to small children was a reasonable thing to do, because fuck the police."


Title: [Rhode Island] Is it legal for me to set up a security camera (indoors) that looks out on the common parking lot area of the apartment building I reside in?

Question:
I live in a 3-story, 3 family apartment building with a 6 space parking lot adjacent to the building. Each floor is allotted two spaces. After only living there for 2 weeks, the woman on the floor below me is starting to be a bit of a bother, leaving angry, passive-aggressive notes in the staircase going to my floor and calling my landlord to complain. The situation isn't too unbearable but as a precautionary measure I'd like to install cameras inside the apartment, with one that looks out onto the parking lot to make sure that neither of my vehicles that I park there get vandalized. Obviously I don't want to do anything illegal, and I don't know if recording a common area outdoors would be considered a breach of privacy if I kept a camera looking over it. Does anyone have any advice?

&nbsp;

In case anyone is wondering about more backstory, I live on the 3rd floor, the neighbor in question lives on the second right below me. She moved into the building about a month before I did, and after being there only 2 weeks she started with the complaints. She left a note in my mailbox and 3 copies of the same typed note going up the staircase to my front door saying "everyone in the house could hear everything going on, she didn't want to hear stomping up and down the stairs, or me having sex, and for guests to park on the street". I'm 6'1", around 200 pounds, and wear steel-toed boots for work, so coming and going down a narrow wooden staircase early in the morning wasn't the quietest of affairs. Otherwise, I am very considerate of the people I live around and always make an effort to not be excessively noisy, by any means. I always keep my music/TV low, don't have a lot of people over, etc. Each apartment gets two spaces, so I park my car in one space, and my girlfriend parks hers in the other when she visits on the weekends. As far as the sex thing goes, me and my girlfriend are not particularly loud, but there's only so much a person can do. I've made a conscious effort to keep it down as much as possible.

I left a response, hand-written and taped over one of her original notes where she would see it, basically stating that I was sorry for any disturbance I might have caused, that I would make a conscious effort to be as mindful as possible to other tenants, and that I would use my two parking spaces however I saw fit. I then signed the note, and left my name and phone number telling them to feel free to call, text, or knock on my door if anything else came up.

Four days later, my girlfriend and I were having dinner at 8:30 on a Sunday night, and my sister and her boyfriend stopped by to visit. The had JUST walked upstairs, and we were chatting in my living room, when I heard/felt someone pounding on the ceiling below repeatedly. The next day I got a call from my landlord saying she had called to complain at exactly that time that I was being too loud and disturbing her. I had the tv going at a quiet volume at that point and we were walking around upstairs, but that was it. No shouting, no being rowdy or really making any sort of disturbance at all.

Answer: It would be illegal to put a camera in a place where someone would have a reasonable expectation of privacy, but a common area that can be seen without stretching from your window is not such a place.Answer #2: You can legally video record a public area.


Title: I’m financially dependent on my emotionally abusive mother and want it to stop

Question:
Was hoping my first Reddit post wouldn’t be so depressing but here it goes ig, also I’m using throwaway account and on mobile.

I’m 19 in Canada and have been living with my family during summer break after my first year of uni. My family pays for my university and other general necessities I need. Despite this my mom is very emotionally abusive towards me. Although she can be friendly and kind one day, the next day she’ll be in a vengeful mood and bring it out on whoever is in the nearest vicinity. It’s awful.

What triggered this post was when she came back from the nursing home for her parents (she visits them a lot due to their needs which stresses her out) and asked me what I was doing today. I said I wasn’t sure yet but I would see what would happen and she lost it at me because it wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. She said I should move out and how I don’t do anything (untrue, I recently got a job that I told her I was starting this week and she knows how hard I worked to find a place to hire me). When I left for my room she followed me up and continued harassing me with multiple questions. Whenever I answered one she would bring up something else or say the answer I gave wasn’t good enough. I asked her repeatedly if she could leave but she wouldn’t, saying things like “I’ll leave when you give me a straight answer to what I asked” and when I said  in exchange for me answering she would leave my room she would say “No this will not be the last thing”. I said we could speak about this later tonight but she wouldn’t listen. Eventually I started crying and she continued berating me before leaving finally. She came back shortly after to me crying on the floor after hearing thumps on the wall (I was banging my head against a corner to inflict self-harm), to which she burst through the door to harass me further and started throwing items out of my room, screaming I should move out. She continuously shouted at me while I was on the floor saying that I was crazy and how she’s calling the police.  Eventually she left (but tried to break into my room a couple more times, to which i threw my body against the door to prevent her from getting in).

My dad came back and said he wanted to talk about what happened. While I was telling this story to him he said “You really bring out the best in people.” In a serious tone. His whole point was how it was all my fault and that I made mom that way (he said he believed me when I said what happened but I can’t tell anyone).

I’m so tired of this abuse, I’m afraid of moving out because I’m worried about if they’ll decide to cut me off after that. I need the money for university but this abuse is so mentally damaging and has pushed me to serious self-harm twice. I don’t want to live with this anymore but I don’t know what else I can do. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

I’m sorry if this is rambly or off-topic.

tl:dr: Mom emotionally abuses me and dad doesn’t do anything about it but I can’t cut them off because I’m financially dependent on them for university
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer:
 I'm confused on what you want. If you are looking for a way to force your parents to pay for college then you are out of luck.

If you want to move out that do it. Your parents cannot stop you.Answer #2: This is a relationship question not legal.

My advice would be to look for a new place to live during summers and try to graduate as soon as possible while they are paying for school. While it's possible your mom is completely stressed out due to her parents it sounds like there is more to it.


Title: I just reported my long time criminal stalker who has attempted to frame me for a violent crime to the F.B.I.

Question:
Any idea what will happen next?

This guy has successfully convinced all local authorities that I had slandered his name and caused a assault. I had been describing his illicit behavior and damages caused and someone beat the hell out of the guy. He continued stalking me and began using the assault to slander my name and fuckup my life evem more. I cant get through to anyone avout what he is up to in my life. He has close relations woth people in my family and now at my job again. Trying to convince them to railroad me which is whay he has done for years.
Says Im a piece of shit and wants my life destroyed so that I live in the streets so you can imagine how angry he was that while trying to accomplish this someone assaulted him and fucked up his life instead.

That is almost four years in a nutshell.

Answer:
 >Any idea what will happen next?

Probably nothing, because it's unlikely the FBI is concerned about the events that you have described.Answer #2: Yea, I can pretty much guarantee the FBI isn't going to give a shit about this. Report violations of local laws to your local law enforcement agency. Also, you may want to talk to a therapist.


Title: MA: Parent dies, biological (adult) children specifically written out of his will, what are their options?

Question: Father was obviously a douche but what recourse do the children (all adults) have? Also, father has not been in contact with any of his kids for over 20 year and they have no idea what assets he might have (Life insurance, savings, retirement, home value...). They have copy of will but what else can be done to find out more info or take action to make sure there truly is nothing coming to them from him that they might deserve? Their mother has been dead for several years.

Answer:
 They don't deserve anything.

It's up to the father where his estate goes. If he chose to not give it to them, they get nothing. Answer #2: > father has not been in contact with any of his kids for over 20 year and they have no idea what assets he might have

And yet they are surprised he didn't leave them anything?

And their immediate thought is that they want to start a legal fight with people they have probably never met to steal the inheritance from this father they haven't seen/interacted with in 20+ years?

The father isn't the only douche in this scenario...

You aren't entitled to anything.  It doesn't matter what he had, or who he chose to give it to, or even if he didn't give it to anyone and simply wrote "Don't Give Anything To My Rotten Kids!"...

It is none of your business.  Move along.  Answer #3: Where did you get the idea that you are owed anything? Legally you are entitled to nothing as your father wrote you out of the will.


Title: Guy knocking on patio door at 1am

Question:
Not sure if this is the right place, but I'm not really sure where else to. Sorry if not!

My roommate and I were watching TV late at night. She was laying near the patio door, the blinds were closed. However, one slit was open because the dog likes to look outside. Anyways, around 1am there was suddenly loud knocking/thumping on the patio door and a dude looking through the slit. It kind of looked like he was looking at her, but it was hard to tell. Anyways, she ran away from the patio and hid behind me. I go up to patio, whipped open the blinds, looked at him directly in the eyes with a pissed off look, and said "who are you"? He looked startled, like he thought it was surprising someone answered the door he just knocked on. He then just said, "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." and then ran away across the street. (I should note that we're in a townhome, so there's a line of apartments). At first I thought maybe he just had the wrong apartment, but the fact he ran away in another direction instead of trying another apartment makes me think he might have been up to something nefarious.

I was wondering, should I call the police? Should I look out for anything? Any other advice?

Answer: Yes, make a police report.


Title: I accidentally spilled beer on my housemate's laptop. Now she wants to take me to court over it. Will this actually hold up in court? (UK)

Question:
So a few days ago we were all drinking in my housemates room playing a bit of beer pong. As I went to catch the ball my hand caught a full can of beer which proceeded to spill all over my Housemate's laptop.
Fearing the worst I scrambled to disconnect the power and remove the battery, leaving it to dry overnight. It turned out that a few keys and a USB port no longer work and the battery doesn't hold charge for very long. I am studying for an electronic engineering degree and know a bit about computers and electronics in general so I offered to repair it. I have already sourced a replacement keyboard, battery and a usb extension block, and have asked for her to wait until these arrive so I can attempt to fix the laptop. If this fails to remedy the problems then I have offered to pay for a new laptop. These parts will arrive in 5 days, during which time I can lend her a usb keyboard so she can continue with her uni work. I am currently studying to become an electronic engineer so this is a subject that I know a bit about. Anyway this is apparently unacceptable and I need to replace the laptop or she is threatening to take me to small claims court, would this claim actually hold up? Am I at any legal fault?

Answer:
 I'm not positive about the UK, but if it's like the US, she would have a claim.

She would not be required to let you fix it just because this your field. She would be allowed to go elsewhere.

In the US, she wouldn't get the value of a new laptop, or the costs to repair if it that exceeds the value of her used laptop. She would get what the laptop was worth prior to you damaging it. She would be made "whole" so to speak. She wouldn't get a new laptop out of this accident.

I would offer like you did to repair it, or offer her a reasonable value for the laptop based on what it would cost for a similar used laptop and see where it goes. Answer #2: Generally repair or replace is sufficient.  So you are doing the right thing.  You might want to let her know that getting into court will take longer than the 5 days it would take you to repair her laptop.


Title: Aunt had legal guardianship over my younger sister (12-17) and I (16-18), conditions were rough for me but worsening for my sister.

Question:
(Throwaway account)
I'm not too familiar with reddit but I've heard maybe you guys could help. My aunt is a very hardheaded person, she argues or shuns until she gets her way. She's kicked me out numerous times and the last time I decided to stay out for good on behalf of my sister's requests. I will always do whatever I can for my family, so for the past 4-5 years I've lived with my aunt she obtain legal guardianship over me and my sister. She gets child support for my sister and got it from me as well. She receives a lot of government aid for us. During my school years she would lock away food from just my sisters ( five sisters in total -25, 23, 22, 20, 17) and I in an older fridge she received from our old house, we ate almost every day, some nights she would just let us wait and pull out food for my cousins while my younger sister didn't eat. Aside from the food, my aunt constantly puts my sister down, moves her from school to school and forces her to stay home from school because of arguments they get in with each other. My younger sister has mental issues as well and my aunt takes her to her appointments more than none. However, when my younger sister feel suicidal she refuses to let her call for help. She locks away the phone from her and all of us. While I was living there as well my three older sisters and I slept on the floor and air mattresses for the two years I was a minor and currently. My younger sister had a bed until my aunt took it away as punishment, she's been sleeping on an air mattress for one and a half years now. There are a lot of things I've seen while living there that I can't bare to see anymore. I tried my best and obliged by the threats my aunt gave us all. We are all afraid to call CPS because we're afraid our cousins will be on the streets. We've lost our youth and what could have been spared. I'm leaning more towards getting them involved, they have been to the house a few times to check up on us since we were in the system. My younger sister also has a juvenile record currently and my aunt doesn't allow her to speak to me, she threatens to call her probation officer. My aunt also refuses to give her any food other than ramen, she doesn't buy her clothes often only on Christmas and she takes items our mother brings to the house, she doesn't let any of my sisters shower when they need to, she keeps her room door locked when she leaves and leaves food, the phone, and the only shower behind her door. We put in money to live there, three of us put in $200 minimum and my older sister (23) puts in gas weekly to get to work. We all just normally walk places we need to get to. I'm really seeking advice because I don't know what to do anymore. I can't stand living like this or allowing it to go any further. I want my sister to get the money she needs, clothes, her nutrition. I don't know what legal steps I can take. If you need more information if you can help I will tell you anything! If you have any advice in the slightest it will mean so much to me. Thank you!

Answer: This is really hard to read. If the underage children are being abused, call CPS. If the adult children don't like it, they can move out.


Title: [FL] Cruise doctor read X-Ray wrong, foot is actually broken in 3 places

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 > Can anything be done for the fact that not only was the doctor closed when they should've been open

No.

What further damage did she suffer from the misdiagnosis?


Title: MD - Sister's abusive, estranged husband has barred release of info as well as prevented visitors to my ill sister, even her own mother!

Question:
SUMMARY: After 1.5 years, my sister's estranged, abusive, mentally unstable husband shows up, and has now barred any visitors, even my elderly mother, to my ill sister. He has even barred any info from being released. A nurse let it slip that my sister "can't respond" now. I'm terrified that my sister might be dying, because her husband stopped/refused treatment, and we can't even see her! I've been told variously by a county judge and by members of the hospital staff that legally H can't bar us from seeing S, but other members of the staff have told us that legally he can, or that it's just a "hospital rule" that he can.  What legal recourse do I have? Can I get an emergency injunction since I believe H is a danger to S? Please keep mind, if I could afford an attorney I wouldn't be posting here. Unfortunately it doesn't even seem like I can find one to take the case pro bono or low cost either. At this point I can't even find an attorney that would specialize in this.

DETAILS:

Some background: H (my sister's husband) has, in the past, been emotionally and verbally abusive towards my sister. (We strongly suspect him of physical abuse in the past, but haven't witnessed it first hand).  In the past he has kept her from seeing family, and has locked her out of the house. He is mentally unstable; he has occasionally bursts of violent temper, including towards children. H is a hoarder: his house is completely filled top to bottom with junk, with only tiny narrow pathways in-between. He has 3 disabled cars in his yard fill with junk. He has no oven, no heat, no hot water, no home phone. Additionally, he has, for lack of a better term, an "imaginary friend" in the form of a rag doll that he talks to and takes with him even to the grocery store. He more-or-less believes it's real. If you fail to play along, he may get belligerent.

About a year and a half ago, my sister (I'll call "S") had a stroke/seizure, which included incoherent babbling. Her husband (I'll call "H") called other members of her family, described what was happening, but refused to call 911 or any other sort of help. I had to call 911 for her; this on police record as they investigated why the husband refused to call. Apparently what happened to S, a known diabetic, was determined to be caused by insulin shock. While at hospital, it was also determined that S had a nerve disorder that, while incurable, is generally manageable. She started treatment and was later moved to a rehab. At this time, her husband was calling S's family members, complaining to them and insulting S.

While at the rehab, H showed up, and became increasingly abusive. He screamed things such as "hurry up and die" and "you cost me too much money" and "I don't care if you're in a wheelchair forever". H had S in tears. H had to be escorted from the building, barred from the premises, and S made clear that she didn't want H to see her or have information released to him.

Since then, I've been her contact person. I've been taking care of her bills, medical info, etc and working with the social worker, helping S to get Medicaid, and so forth. Everything but insurance claims were mailed to either myself or our mother. S even told the social worker (and the social worker has faxed me record/statement of such) that S planned to move in with her mother, and that S thought I had POA. Not once in 16 months has H been involved in her care. H has never so much as called to ask about her. I asked S several times is she wanted me to call H and she said no each time.

S has had a combination of great progress and terrible setbacks. S had to be brought back to the hospital, and since was at that hospital's on-campus rehab. About five weeks ago, H called my daughter, and my nieces and nephews (some of which are/were minors), and cursed them out and threatened them. He complained about bills piling up and S costing him money. H claimed his boss was making him find out where S was. H said he would call the police on them if they didn't tell H where S was, but they all refused.

As it turned out, H already knew (like I said, anything to do with insurance was still sent to his house). He called the next day just to giggle and say, "Guess where I am? I'm in [S]'s room!" S agreed that H may have information, but that I was to maintain my status as primary contact person (this is on file at the hospital).

I talked to my sister about medical POA, because twice the doctors were ready to give up, the first time they were completely mistaken as to what was wrong and she recovered with the proper treatment, the second they said there was little hope but she was on her way to a complete recovery when H showed up. I was very afraid that H would pull the plug the first chance he got.  S was eager to sign, but I told her to wait and think about it carefully. I think this is where S got confused, because she told the social worker she had signed and I had medical POA, however S didn't get it notarized and the papers mysteriously disappeared after H started showing up. (Side note: S started having panic attacks when H started showing up, might not be related, but nonetheless I thought I'd make note of it.)

I was also afraid that S would be intimidated and again under the thumb of H. Even the social worker suspected S was under duress. Somehow, approx 4 weeks H had S moved to a care facility over two hours away. This is where things become murky. What I gather is that S agreed to this, but S thought I had POA and that I would remain as a contact, without knowing that she'd have to reiterate that I was a contact at the new place (I in fact did not know this myself).  H made only himself as contact person.

I was trying to find out where S was and what happened, when three days ago a hospice nurse called my elderly mother, the nurse saying that she'd been trying to get a hold of H. Already long story short, I called the nursing home where S had been and asked to speak to her. The nursing home told me that S was taken to the hospital two weeks ago! I called the hospital and was told no info was being released, although they did tell me her room number. My brother called H's mobile to find out what happened, and H did nothing but mock my brother.  Yesterday morning before leaving, I called to make sure I could see her, and was told legally H could not keep family from seeing S. I make the two hour trip, only to be told that "10 minutes ago" orders had come down that S was to have no visitors except H.

I asked to speak to someone. Eventually the head nurse, floor nurse,  patient's advocate, and chaplin came down to talk with my family and I in private. They said they had pleaded with H to let S's family come and see her, and to think of S would want no matter what else would be between us. When asked if S couldn't say herself, it was let slipped that "she can't respond now." (Can't talk, or in a coma??)  They were told all of what H had said and done, that H abandoned her, threatened her, etc. They merely said that their hands were tied.

The feeling I got was that they were begging H to let us come and say goodbye. I am terrified that H refused or stopped treatment, that S may be dying because of H, and H, just to be vindictive, greedy, and spiteful, is refusing all visitors, even her own mother!

The nurse gave us directions to the district court a few minutes away, but we were basically told by them to go to the circuit court all the way across town which would be closed by the time we got there. Asked them if any circuit court would do, they said yes. Went to the circuit court nearby this morning. After talking to several people I was basically told there was nothing THEY could do. Calling the hotline they suggested, they wouldn't give the names of any lawyers in my area and said I'd need one from the county my sister was in, so I gave my name and number and still no one has called back. I've been given the run around at every turn.

Wasn't there a case a few years ago, where the blood relatives had to sue to continue treatment and for rights, or some such? Can I apply for some sort of emergency legal guardianship, or have H declared unfit? How in the world is it possible that her abusive, estranged husband can show up and have more rights than our own mother!!

If there's ANYTHING AT ALL I can do, PLEASE tell me. I'm so afraid my sister may be dying because of H and I wont even get to see her ever again.

Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 Daughter here. Situation has changed. Just found out "S" passed away yesterday. 99% sure "H" withheld treatment for something minor (pneumonia?). Found out from hospice. "H" has not called anyone to give info. "H" will not tell us about if/when/where there will be services.

**New questions:**

*Can "h" bar us from services and/or prevent us from having her buried/having services? Prevent us from even finding out where she will be laid to rest?

*Any legal way to force him to tell us? Any legal redress? Litigation?

If I'm being completely honest, I believe this human filth will keep us even from paying our last respects, and throw her in a pauper's grave/leave her to the state to deal with/have her cremated and tossed -- whatever's cheapest for this sonvabitch. He kept us even from saying good bye. No one was there with her.


Title: My neighbor used his job to send another neighbor to collections over an imaginary debt

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice. I have a question about something that is happening on my street. It's nothing to do with me, so I don't need to get a lawyer or anything, I'm posting here for my own curiosity because I'm not a lawyer and I imagine law is not like what I see on TV. My location is Virginia.

One of my neighbors had his fence torn down and rebuilt. His lot is on a corner so he only has one neighbor with property that touches his. He sent her a bill for half the cost of the fence, even though she never spoke about getting the fence fixed, he never consulted her about it, she didn't hire the workers, and all of the work was done exclusively on his property inside his side of the property line. She of course refused to pay, he kept giving her bills adding interest and she just ignored them. He filed a lawsuit in small claims and it was dismissed in her favor.

I don't know exactly where he works but I know it has to do with finance and loans. After the lawsuit used his job to send her to collections for the bill. He lost the lawsuit but still sent it to collections. She was in the process of geting a job with the government and a security clearance and she lost it at the last minute because they thought she lied about the fake debt. She ended up getting the job after taking a loan and spending $5000 on legal and PI fees to convince them she didn't lie and it came out during this that he used his job to do this.

My question is what is going to happen to the neighbor who lied about the debt? Will he go to jail or does she have to sue him? Like I said, none of this affects me and I am just curious. Everyone on the street is on her side and wants him to nailed for this.

Answer:
 There aren't enough details here, but it is likely that if the "creditor" misrepresented the nature of the debt (claiming it was due after losing a lawsuit would appear to qualify) the "debtor" could recover her losses as a result of that misrepresentation.  But it would seem to be a civil matter and not a criminal one.

Guessing that the potential employer found of the debt through a consumer credit report, an action against him under the Fair Credit Reporting Act would be one of the viable theories.


Title: Pay docked for not putting in two weeks

Question: This summer I worked as a lifegaurd in North Carolina for 9.00 an hour. I have school coming up and decided to quit a bit early because I was tired of the job and the company says that they are going to dock my check with the hours from the last two weeks down to 7.25. These were hours I worked prior to quitting although apparently when I got the job I signed paperwork saying it was legal for them to do this. The only problem is the website paycon where I filled out the paperwork and my tax forms for the company, I’m not able to log into and see anymore. The management is avoiding me about this as I have asked to see it. Does this sound legal or is this a common thing for companies to do? I just quit abruptly and apparently because I didn’t put my two weeks in , it’s their policy to dock my check from 9.00 to 7.25(minimum wage). What should I do?

Answer:
 [State info page on this.](https://www.labor.nc.gov/workplace-rights/employee-rights-regarding-time-worked-and-wages-earned/changes-or-reduction-wages)

>An employer cannot make changes in pay or wage benefits that result in the retroactive reduction of wages or wage benefits that are already earned. In other words, the reduction in wages cannot take away pay or wage benefits that have already been earned up to the time of the notification. Any reduction in pay or wage benefits must be prospective from the time of notification. An employer may, however, retroactively increase an employee's pay or wage benefits without prior notification.

If they do not pay you your full paycheck, you should contact the Department of Labor at the number on that page.
Answer #2: They can change your wages going forward but it's illegal to retroactively change your pay. Let them know if this paycheck isn't at the $9 hour wage you will be filling a complaint with the Department of Labor.


Title: Pending divorce: wife wants to move out of state with our daughter without my permission.

Question: I live in Virginia with my wife for about 10 years, and we have a 3 year old daughter.  We are planning on getting a divorce but my wife moved to nyc with my daughter without my permission.  I don't want to put my wife in jail or anything serious.  What are my options? Please advise, thank you.

Answer:
 Your wife has committed no crime and won't be going to jail.

You do need to file for divorce in Virginia as quickly as possible so a formal custody arrangement can be made.  Broadly speaking the court can't stop her from moving but they can order your reasonable custody and parenting time which in most cases, absent claims of someone being an unfit parent, is shared custody with 50/50 parenting time.  Answer #2: She hasn't done anything to be put in jail. She's allowed to take the child places, as are you. That can be changed by a court order. Talk to a divorce lawyer today about your options.Answer #3: Can't speak for Virginia but I can tell you what someone in your position in my state would need to do: file for divorce immediately and get a temporary protective order of restraint ("TPOR") that prohibits a party from changing the parenting time arrangement that has been happening for the period before the filing.

In my state if you wait more than a cursory time to file you significantly increase the chances of the TPOR not being signed by a judge or being signed but so factually poor that it becomes unenforceable.

Talk with a VA divorce lawyer IMMEDIATELY.  If you wait you will only have yourself to blame.


Title: [Georgia] 17 yo charged with possesion of drug related objects. Best course of action

Question:
Hi. I live in Georgia near Atlanta and me and some friends were pulled over on the way back from work for no reason. After dealing with 5 or so cops harassing us, insisting we were on something (none of us were and driver passed sobriety test) but eventually one cop said the dreaded "smells like marijuana" and of course we all had to get out while he searched the car, finding a a bowl piece in my backpack (no weed). I ended up going home with a court date several months in advance for possesion of drug related objects. The court date is almost exactly one month away now.

For starters, my family is very poor and there is no way in hell we can afford any sort of lawyer. Most of my friends and people who Ive talked to say I should be fine for my first offense and will end up getting probation or community service. But my friends got charged for upm, and Im only getting charged for paraphenalia. They're telling me to plead "no contest".

Also, I live with my dad alone and he isnt super supportive and I will probably have to go to court alone unless he absolutely  HAS to be there by law, and even then Ill have to beg him to go. Any advice going to court alone 😟

Thanks in advance for answers.

Answer:
 You can plead not guilty and get a public defender.  You don't want drug-related charges on your record.  It'll interfere with you

If you're poor, don't waste money on drug or drug-related paraphernalia.