Title: Can University Parking & Transportation legally run my license plate number and fine me for parking tickets?

Question: I am a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia and I have never registered my car/license plate number via the university parking and transportation offices, not even online. I have never tried to buy a parking permit nor gave them my license information. Yet, just today, I got three emails of three different parking citations (all about a month apart and the third one being dated for today) sent to my student university email. It appears after the third ticket I got this morning, my car was just magically registered to my student ID and email without my consent or verification. They do not write paper tickets so they sent me an email to notify me of these fines. I’m confused on how they obtained my license plate number and matched it to my student ID. It was to my understanding that only law enforcement can look up your license plate information and be able to identify the owner. Which is also weird, because my father (same last name) is the actual owner of the vehicle, I am just the driver. Can they legally obtain proof that I am the daughter of the owner of the car? Like I said, it’s through the university parking office and is a non-legally binding ticket so It just seems odd considering I never registered the vehicle through them. Also they have absolutely no connection to city parking. There would be no other way for them to identify me as the driver of the car without looking up the license plate.

Answer:
 Pay your parking tickets.

Yes.  Your university can look up the vehicle registration by license plate number to enforce citations written.  Yes.  The university can check the information the find on the registration against their student registration database and match you to your father by permanent address, by his presence on your student records, or by whatever other information they may have.

I suppose you could refuse to pay.  The result would likely be the university dunning your father for the fines.  Perhaps in addition to whatever other holds they may place on your student account as a result.


Title: Small town speed trap... Can fight it or do I eat it?

Question:
So I am driving back from a nice weekend camping. Traveling the back roads of Washington when all of a sudden I round the bend and the speed limit goes from 55mph to 40mph to 30mph in what was less than a half mile. Of course there is a cop waiting there for me and pulls me over. Cites me for doing 57(possible but cruise control was set to 55) in a 40. Unfortunately forgot to ask to see the radar or how he judged the speed.

Is there any chance I can fight this or do I just have to eat the cost and hope for traffic school?

Answer:
 Fight it based on what? You were speeding and got caught. They have evidence of you speeding (the police report) and you have nothing.

You could get a lawyer to try and get a deal.


Title: Albuquerque, NM - Is evicting family members like any other eviction?

Question:
Hello:

I have an acquaintance who was evicted from her home by her father. The father owns the house, and the daughter is over 18. She's lived there her whole life. The daughter doesn't present a danger to the other members of the household, wasn't damaging the property, isn't using drugs, etc. They simply had a disagreement about some of the daughter's life choices, which he disagrees with.

The father put her out immediately after a heated argument, giving the daughter no notice at all. The father has certain conditions that he expected the daughter to fulfill, and will probably say that because she failed to live up to them, he had no choice but to show his daughter the door. These conditions had nothing to do with the living arrangement, but rather revolve around things like her choices in relationships, career, etc.

EDIT: As far as I know, the daughter doesn't pay rent, and his conditions are related to that. For example, as long as the daughter is in school, she doesn't have to pay rent.

My question is this: Does the fact that they're related affect either of their rights as landlord and tenant? Or to put in another way, in this situation, are they landlord and tenant, or is there some other (family) law that modifies or the relationship? EDIT: What about the fact that she's not paying rent? Does that fact modify the relationship?

My goal isn't to encourage the daughter to bring legal action; rather to inform her of her rights, and to help him see that there's a general consensus that it's wrong to simply throw tenants out because of disagreements between adults and that the fact that he's her father doesn't entitle him to any special rights nor relieve him of his obligations, if any. I would like to have my facts straight before I wade in.

Thank you!

Answer:
 > Does the fact that they're related affect either of their rights as landlord and tenant?

Not really.  I'm aware of some places where the family relationship affects it, but I don't think New Mexico is one of them.

However:

> help him see that there's a general consensus that it's wrong to simply throw tenants out because of disagreements between adults

This is not accurate.  In a month-to-month situation, which she almost assuredly is, either party can terminate the tenancy for any non-discriminatory reason, or for *no* reason.  So it's perfectly legitimate to terminate tenancy for a disagreement between two people.


Title: What should I expect for a Minor in Possession by Consumption charge? (Michigan)

Question:
Im 18 years old and live in Michigan. Recently got pulled over by the police while I was intoxicated and driving (breathalyzer read a 0.05), and also had two passengers that were minors that were intoxicated (both above a bac of 0.08). The officer wrote me a ticket for a misdemeanor of Minor in Possession by Consumption and a listed court date on the ticket. What should I expect in court, how do i prepare, and what are all the repercussions?
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer: I'm kinda shocked that they didn't charge you with a DWI..


Title: Is there any point of suing a poor person?

Question:
I have this tenant before and she had not paid me her bills, and she has no money, is there any point of suing her / filing a lawsuit?

Edit: In Washington State

Answer: Self-satisfaction/validation of a court judgment or a miracle that they some how come into money so you can enforce the judgment.


Title: My buddy inherited debt

Question: His grandma and grandpa died, grandfather left him a house worth around 100k grandma left him 120k medical bill. He is only 20 he and his sister got the house and have to handle the ownership change charges. Is there anyway they can deny a will or push the medical bills away ? I don't have enough info from him yet but any idea in this sort of thing would help a lot.

Answer: In most jurisdictions, debts are not inherited. Did your buddy cosign his grandparents' debts, or did they live in Pennsylvania, or something?Answer #2: The deceased's estate is responsible to pay the debt using the estate's assets.  Family or heirs are not responsible for the debt  unless they have voluntarily signed/agreed to take it on.  The house will likely have to be sold to pay for the outstanding medical debt, but your friend/sister should consult with an estate attorney to determine if any other entities (such as Medicare, supplemental policy) should be tapped first to pay the medical bill or if it can be negotiated down.  Any amount leftover after insurance or the proceeds from the house sale are applied to the debt is not your friend's/sister's responsibility.


Title: Got scammed on a phone. Don't know what measures to take.

Question:
I purchased a galaxy s6 off a guy I found on craigslist. I did a check on the Imei and he sent me photos so everything looked good. I met up with him later in the night and checked out the phone. I was super foolish and not extra careful to make sure it was fake. It was a really good fake and i fell for it. I called the cops and went over to the house to retreat my money but he played dumb and refused to give me my money.

The officer wrote everything down and told me if he didn't return my money i could take him to court. I'm prepared to do that but i'm not exactly sure how I go about it. I want to know if there's anything else I could do to get my money back? It's not much only $240 but it's still something and the principle of being scammed also hurts.

Any advice on what I could? I would really appreciate it. Located on Long Island, New York.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: You can sue him in small claims court for the amount of money he owes you.


Title: [Indiana] If I failed my probation drug test a week ago, would I know by now?

Question: I have been on probation for a DUI since February 2014. It was supposed to be a year, but due to an incident (turned out to be Reckless Driving, but they suspected it'd be another DUI despite my bloodwork coming back spotless) a year ago, I've still been on. I have completed all of the requirements and as of today, paid it off in full. My question is, last Thursday (8/20) I had what I hope is my last urine screen. On my bill today, I saw it was $40, $25 but an additional $15 for it to be "enhanced," which I'm guessing means EtG testing for alcohol. It had been about 85 hours since I'd last drank any alcohol, so while it's pretty unlikely, there is something of a chance that I failed. At the very least, my pee was pretty clear because I tend to stay hydrated(/was anxious and paranoid about it to the point of nausea), and I know too little creatnine can be cause for failure, despite no drug/alcohol metabolites. I go to court Tuesday the 1st, and am hoping to be taken off probation. Unless I failed the screen, I see no reason why I should be continued on it. So, my question is, if it's been a week and I'm this close to my court date/being done, would I know if I failed the test by now?

Answer:
 Not necessarily; your probation could be revoked, but since you already have a court date in a few days, they're just waiting until that time to tell you. Nobody here will really be able to hazard a solid guess, though.

It's inadvisable to drink when the terms of your probation forbid it.


Title: [PA] Dad has warrant for his arrest, I’ve convinced him to turn himself in but have a few questions.

Question:
Basically, my mom cheated on my dad and my dad fell off the deep end and allegedly threatened to kill the guy. There’s no evidence of this and there was only word of mouth of the person that called the police. My dads getting charged with terroristic threats and a felony count of terroristic threats where a building was evacuated. (The police evacuated the guys work because they thought that’s where my dad was going to attack him.) Its important to say, the person that called the cops originally is a shady business partner of my dad who has tried to overtake the company after my parents divorce and has been exploiting the situation for personal gain. My question is, in this type of situation, if my dad turns himself in, will he be jailed and held until his preliminary hearing, or will he just get formally charged and then be free to go and given a court date.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Your father should not turn himself in without first speaking to an attorney.


Title: Cheating wife/ big debt

Question: So I just found out my wife of 8 years has been cheating on me for about 2 years. We've been seperated for 10 months and in this time she's been seeing me every week and telling me we're going to work things out. Just last night I caught her with another guy at a store and I confronted her and he thought she was divorced. Later he reached out to me and asked me alot of questions and I asked him a few too. Turns out they had been dating and living together for the last 10 months. He also claims she was pregnant and lost the baby recently. I have that and alot of his messages on my phone along with bank statements showing she's been spending money from our joint accounts and credit cards. She's responsible for most of the $19,000 debt. I've told her we need to work out something for her to pay this debt but she has not responded. Should I get a lawyer and is it worth it?

Answer: Yes, lawyer up ASAP.


Title: Possible to sue someone without knowing where they live?

Question:
My landlord is pestering me to tell him where my old roommate moved (I have no clue). This person owes thousands of dollars in rent and his room needed to be re done from extensive damage, he was evicted and there are resulting court fees. So, does my landlord actually need my help on this or can he sue him regardless of knowing where he lives?
Live in MN, united states

Answer: Legally, he needs to serve him court papers, so no, he needs to track him down.Answer #2: He doesn’t need to know where he *lives* but he does need to know a place where he can find the defendant so he can be served. The place could be his work or school, so a home address is not necessarily needed.


Title: I'm pregnant, getting in trouble and possibly fired for using the restroom too often. TX

Question:
So I work in a call center. Since there's so many of us we run off of an adherence policy. Were given a set amount of time we can be off of the phones without getting a notification, and after 3 we're fired.

Now, doing the math, to meet minimum adherence I can use the restroom 4 times in a 10 and a half hour work day... Which, normally isn't too much of a problem, but being pregnant and having to constantly throw up or use the restroom, is pretty much impossible. I tried explaining this to my employer, but was pretty much told being pregnant doesn't get me any lenience and to time using the restroom to my breaks. I have not been able to do this of course, so since I'm falling below the adherence due to having to of course run to the restroom fairly often, I'm now at high risk of losing my job... If I'm not above the policy this week, which I'm pretty certain I cannot be, ill be fired instantly. Is it really legal to fire me for this despite the reason for it? Its not like we can control morning sickness.

Edit: Sorry for horrible formatting, I can't seem to remember how to or figure out how to do paragraph breaks.

Edit 2: Thanks for all the advice everyone. Me and my husband talked about it and he said he can afford the bills on his own right now and said I can just quit if I'd like and focus on college, so I'm just going to go ahead and do that instead of stressing about this.

Answer:
 Get a doctor's note showing you need a reasonable accommodation to use the restroom as needed during the workday.Answer #2: I've never been pregnant but I did work at a call center with the same adherence issues. I was on a diet where I had to drink lots of water and I peed about once every hour or so - way over the allotted 5 mins they give me in a 8.5hr shift.

I had to get a doctors note that said I pee a lot. My doctor laughed and said it was a first. After that, I was never talked to about my "personal" time any more.Answer #3: Go above your supervisor, they are an idiot.  Google your company name human resources, if you are a larger company skip the local guy and call as high up as you can and tell them you are not being accomodated. Answer #4: How many employees at your firm?


Title: AC not keeping up with heat. Apartment complex blames the summer even though we've lived here 4 years and never had a problem.

Question:
Live in northern Alabama. As stated, we've been here four years and never had a problem. The apartment was just bought out by new management, not sure if that's relevant.

As of about two weeks ago, our AC would continuously run while the temperature would continue to rise. We complained once. Maintenance came out and said it was working. We complained again, and they supposedly replaced the condenser motor. We complained again and they changed the filter. My wife just talked with the leasing office and one of the maintenance guys said "the heat index is so high, the apartments on the second floor is just getting baked".

So basically, they're saying they can't do anything, so I'm required to pay extra on my utilities to have the apartment semi-cooled. We're supposed to renew our lease in August. Does this give me any leverage? I really don't wanna deal with moving to a new apartment because I'm planning on buying a house next year, but this is a bit ridiculous.

Edit: already looked at the lease. "AC is not an emergency. You must inform the office and we will do our best to fix/reconnect, but malfunctioning equipment does not abate rent in part or in full" or something along those lines. Also, the AC is "working", just not very well.

Edit2: maintenance guy came by and claimed to use some "old school trick taught to me by an old guy" to overcharge older AC units. Then told us to unscrew half our light bulbs. Seriously?

Answer:
 http://www.limestonesheriff.com/FAQ/rent%20handbook.pdf
Link to Alabama Tenant Law.
Your landlord has to maintain a working air conditioning unit. You as the tenant have the right to a basic livable condition.

Do not withhold rent. You cannot legally do that and it may screw you over.

If the a/c is not fixed within 2 weeks of a written date to fix it, contact a lawyer. At that point you are allowed to break lease and have your security deposit returned.


Title: [US] Can a child of a foreign diplomat receive US citizenship?

Question:
Semi-hypothetical. My cousin was born in NYC while her father was posted there. Does she have US citizenship?

This wouldn't matter much legally, since my cousin is past the age for dual citizenship and already has a passport from our country. I'm just curious.

I know that her brother, who was born in Vancouver, doesn't have Canadian citizenship because apparently children of foreign diplomat born in Canadian soil during their parent's posting are excluded from being given citizenship. I was wondering if the US have the same law/requirement.

Answer: [No birthright citizenship](https://www.uscis.gov/greencard/born-in-us-to-foreign-diplomat).  Though they can get green cards.


Title: Am I going to go to prison?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Anyone who would report this to police would qualify as "not evil".

You don't belong in anger management, you belong in jail. Stop blaming others, bare-minimum decent people don't think like that, ever.

Get a lawyer now, get ahead of this, and then see a psychiatrist. Answer #2: Beyond just anger management, you need a full on psych evaluation Answer #3: It's really quite likely they will take this seriously if someone reported it.


Title: [UK] If I know that I am going to die, what can I do to prevent my mortgage debt falling on the signatory?

Question:
As above. If I know that I am going to die and I don't have the means to pay off my mortgage, what can I do to try and prevent that huge debt being the responsibility of the mortgage signatory?

I live in Scotland. Not sure if there may be differences across borders.

Answer:
 You might want to try /r/LegalAdviceUK for UK specific advice.

But as long as the house can be sold for more then the mortgage currently is then there should be no issue I believe.


Title: (CA/GA} I may have a substantial bank account that has sat dormant for over 30 years but have little information to go on, please help.

Question:
My mom and her ex husband set up an account with $20,000 for each of her children and his children that we would not be able to access until we were 18. It has just been realized that I have never received this money. I thought I had in the form of a car that was bought for me when I was younger but I just found out my mother used other money.

My mother nor my ex-stepfather remember the details. My mother is confidant that all three of our names were on the account. We know it was set up in California, likely at Bank of America but we aren't positive. I now live in Georgia. It was set up in the mid to late 80's. I've looked in a couple unclaimed registries under the related names but have not gotten any results. Does that mean it's a lost cause? I tried calling Bank of America with my mom on the line but it was after their customer service hours.

Does anyone have any advice if I can still claim this money? My parents did bank with Bank of America at during that period but there could be a chance it's somewhere else, what then? This money could greatly change my family's life and if it's out there I'd really like to claim it. Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Answer:
 Go to a branch and bring ID. Ask to speak to a banker. Tell them you believe you had an account setup in the mid to late 80s and you wanted to see if they would be able to help you access the account.  Bring Mom. Answer #2: >I tried calling Bank of America with my mom on the line but it was after their customer service hours.

So you just found out today? Try calling them during business hours or going to the nearest branch.


Title: [USA] Am I going to get into trouble for this

Question:
This is my first time on this subreddit, so sorry if this sounds convoluted, I will try to paint this really confusing story in an easy to read light. Any advice would be helpful. Location (California, United States)

I regularly visit a chain coffee shop and I too myself am an employee with them (at a different store). I was studying the other night in the starbucks and noticed a jacket that was left there for quite a while (near the end of close).

I looked around the table and there was only a jacket, so I brought the jacket up to the register (where there is a camera) to show my friends like hey someone left this jacket and they said "Ew why do you have someone's jacket, they might still be here." So I went over (off camera) and put it on a different table and left.

Now fast forward to the following day and apparently the jacket and this lady's passport is stolen, her jacket (the one I was holding) was stolen, her wallet was stolen and she is filing a police report. She is going crazy. She wants to look at the security camera, and literally it will show me holding this lady's jacket that night.

Now I am freaking out because I sure as hell don't need a women's small jacket, I definitely didn't steal a passport (??? who would want that). But I fear that I am going to lose my job or get in trouble for this, just because I am on camera holding her jacket.

The jacket was found in one of the lockers in the back (customer brought it back), but there was no wallet or anything.

I know this is a small thing and I may be freaking out for no reason, but I am stressed out for getting charged with something or losing my job, and maybe someone here can give me a little advice as to what may happen if this lady goes all the way through with this police report.

Answer:
 Would the cameras also show you putting it back on a different table and/or you leaving without it?Answer #2: You may be arrested, sued, experience no adverse effects whatsoever, or even a combination of the first two. We really can't say. You can get fired for this, though if someone from the store reviews the camera footage but neither knows who you are nor that you work for another store in the chain, I don't know why this would be the case.

 Why would you put it back at a different table?

 Your friend is the culprit.


Title: Need some advice. Jacked some kids Xbox account and Dad Threatening me with Police etc. etc.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I'm not sure, is computer fraud illegal?  It sounds like computer fraud would be illegal.


Title: [TN] Hospice and placing my terminally ill Father in-patient care, need advice/help.

Question:
First of all I'm not 100% sure if this is something you guys can help me with, but no one else seems to have answers for me so I'm giving this a shot!

I'm in Rutherford County, TN. My father came home from the hospital a month ago under Hospice care. I've been his 24/7 caretaker. And I'm now taking care of and taking over home schooling for my 17 year old brother who lives with my father.

*extra info, probably not needed* My father has been emotionally abusive our entire lives, he's an alcoholic, and he's continued treating me and my brother like shit even though I'm taking care of him because he selfishly decided to go home to die instead of staying in the hospital. I'm not in a good place mentally to do this anymore, and I don't deserve to be treated like shit. I've lost my job, and I have my own life (husband, dog,my own home, etc) *end of extra info*

He is on day 3 of his 5 day respite care through Hospice and I **refuse** to continue caring for him. They are not taking me seriously, and aren't helping me get him care. He's to be brought back to his home on Wednesday and they've offered me volunteers to care for him for a few hours a day. This is unacceptable, as I'm done caring for him. I am his POA, but I didn't sign anything stating I would be a slave to him.

TL;DR: 24/7 caregiver DONE taking care of Father. No one will help, what can I do? Any advice or legal knowledge on this matter would be fantastic.

Answer: Hire caregivers, if dad has the resources to afford it.  If not, contact Medicaid ASAP and get him qualified for medicaid.  You do not have to care for him just because you are his POA.  You have to make sure he GETS care, not provide for it.  Also, call the Ombudsman thru the local Area Agency on Aging.  Tell them Hospice is discharging your dad to an unsafe situation.  (You can't care for him, therefore it is unsafe.)  The Ombudsman will get involved and potentially help you place him in skilled care that takes Medicaid.  Call the local public fiduciary office as well and see if they can take over as his agent.  You don't need to do this.  Care for your brother and yourself.


Title: CA - Grandma says I have to move out if I don't pay bills.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Talk to a couslener at school. If she's on Section 8 your income is counted as household income and the assumption is you are assisting in household bills. There's a chance she's not just being an ass but she's passing on information her caseworker told her.


Title: Title IX Process

Question:
I live in Florida.

Hello everyone,

Someone I know has filed a Title IX complaint against me. Both the complainant and I have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (so it is not as if one of us had power over the other), and she alleges that I have sexually harassed her. Personally, I feel she is at least as much at fault as I am.

What I am wondering is the following:

* Does anyone know what happens now? I don't understand how the Title IX process works
* Should I get a lawyer if the worst should happen and I am suspended or expelled?
* How worried should I be?

Thanks!

Answer: Depending on your university you could be entering a world where due process is a sham and fair investigations do not exist. You should really get an attorneyAnswer #2: Title IX does not follow anything like the normal legal process. You should get help from a lawyer to navigate it, and not just a normal lawyer, but somebody who actually has experience. I would search for resources online related to this. Maybe find a case that has made the news and try to contact that lawyer for help or a recommendation.


Title: Told roommate to pick up her dog

Question:
My roommate’s dog is currently in our apartment locked up in a dark room with no food and water (which I found out when trying to put a cleanup document in her room).  There is no light and poop and pee all over. I haven’t seen her there in a while. Got advice from my dad (who is a cop back home) and let her knew that her dog needed to be picked up by a certain time before I called animal control about her abandoning her animal. She freaked out and said she stops by and feeds and gives him water once a day (haven’t seen her) and if I or anyone else touches her dog she would pursue legal action. I just wants what’s best for the dog but I’m scared of her following through.

She also owes me almost $600.

Answer: Contact Animal Control. To hell with her abusive ways.


Title: Do all hospitals drug test babys? And if a baby tests positive do they have to keep the result private because of confidentiality laws?

Question: In the state of Alabama do hospitals test newborn babys for drugs every time? Or is it only done if the mother doesn't look clean and they think she's an addict? Say a baby tests positive for weed, meth and oxys. Do the doctors tell the police or do they have to keep it private because of the law that medical stuff is confidential? If a pregnant women used drugs all during the preganacy but mostly stopped like 3 weeks before would it still show up on a test? What happens to the mom and the baby if there is a positive test? thanks.

Answer:
 > do hospitals test newborn babys for drugs every time?

Likely not.

>  Do the doctors tell the police or do they have to keep it private because of the law that medical stuff is confidential?

Endangering a child is not confidential.  A newborn that tests positive for any significant drugs is endangered, by default.  A report would likely be made to CPS in such a case.


Title: (Ontario,Canada) can I farm rats for human consumption

Question: Title

Answer: Not profitably...  :-)


Title: Crazy neighbor claims ownership of PUBLIC sidewalk, how do I use the law to get back at her

Question:
Just yesterday I (19,f) was walking my dog (12, super cute big boy) around the block when suddenly some lady comes zooming down the road, halfway outside of her car screaming "GET YOUR DOG OFF MY PROPERTY!" before pulling into the driveway of the house we were in front of. Though there is no concrete separation between property and sidewalk I looked up her property in the city database and sure enough there is a 10 foot space between the edge of the road and her property.
Not only is she aggressively yelling at people to get off of the public sidewalk, but the row of flowers she planted are well within what is reserved as a public walkway. Is there any way I can get her penalized for this? I want such a spiteful person to face damages for their harassment and ignorance about their own property.

Now I make sure all of our walks cross that segment of the sidewalk, but is there a way I can get them in trouble for blocking the sidewalk? If not, any other suggestions to annoy them without breaking the law?

Answer:
 Call the city resource manager, or zoning or something along those lines(dependent on your city/state) to do an inspection. Also, if you really wanted to be petty, just get some folks together and hangout on the sidewalk(of course with some sort of legitimate reason for being there no matter how big or small) and when she calls the police, they can inform her that you guys are breaking no laws. This is what 1st amendment auditors do to private businesses and public places, knowing that they are on public property with legitimate business thus cannot be loitering.Answer #2: If the flowers are in pots on the sidewalk or if her plants impede use of the sidewalk you can file a complaint with your city. You may need to do some research to figure out where best to call, but your municipality will almost certainly have bylaws against blocking sidewalks, which could result in fines for your neighbor.

If the plants aren't actually an issue (they probably are allowed to plant next to the sidewalk), then just keep using the sidewalk. Calling repeatedly over something that your neighbor is allowed to do will get you a reputation as a nuisance caller.

Not a lawyer, just had to deal with residents and complaints to the city while working in residential road construction.


Title: My girlfriend's art was stolen from a local coffee shop. What can she do?

Question: My girlfriend's painting was stolen from a local coffee shop four months ago. The owner did not contact her about this until this week. He didn't put in a police report. He offerrd her $200 as compinsation. Her asking price to sell her work before this happened was $600. I am so upset about this whole ordeal. I want justice. What can she do? Thank you reddit.

Answer:
 She can report the theft to the police.

She can consider suing the coffee shop owner **if** she can assert some actual failure on his part.  The theft, itself, isn't necessarily sign of fault.


Title: [WA] Is it legal to prevent us from reading the lease until the day we arrive with the moving truck?

Question:
We're moving from Utah to Washington. We found a place we love. (We flew out there for three days and looked for places in person.) We got approved. We've submitted a security deposit, and the place is being held for us until we arrive.

We've been told to come by the office the day we get there, and they'll have the lease for us to sign. We asked for an advance copy so that we can read it before we get there. (We're going to arrive in town after 6-8 hours of driving with a moving truck, we don't want to spend a couple hours reading fine print before we can get the key to our place.) They said that we would have to be there in person, on the day of signing, before seeing a copy of the lease.

Is this standard? Is this legal? It just seems to me that preventing someone from reading a lengthy contract until the very hour they are supposed to move in (and therefore have little choice but to sign) creates a high pressure scenario that could border on coercive (especially since *not* signing results in a forfeiture of a substantial security deposit/holding fee).

Answer:
 > Is this standard?

No.  It's stupid.

> Is this legal?

Yes.

> could border on coercive

It would only seem coercive to people who act recklessly and paint themselves into a corner by not insisting on reading the lease in advance of actually putting all their belongings into a moving truck and driving to the location.


Title: My Dog Was Hit By A Car

Question:
My dog has recently passed after being struck by a vehicle in my neighborhood. As far as I know my grandfather who was visiting had left the back gate open, I have not discovered who had hit him, but I do know dogs are considered personal property, I just want to know who might be at fault and whether it would be smart to continue to search and fly for a lawsuit, go to court, or forget anyone hit him

Additional information that might be important:

I live in Lutz Florida

My dog has already been buried

I live in a VERY small neighborhood (20 houses max)

Speed limit is 25mph with in the neighborhood

He was <2 years old

My grandfather has gone back to his home north

Answer:
 You’re liable for the damage to the car.

Let sleeping dogs lie.Answer #2: Sorry for your loss. Generally owners are responsible for keeping their dogs secured on leashes. As such, provided that the dog was hit by a car in the street, not only is the driver not liable, but you are actually liable for damages to their car.

Again so sorry for your loss, but you are best to not pursue this.


Title: Dealership is denying my warranty claim (aftermarket parts). Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

Question:
2019 Subaru Crosstrek Premium. First time Subaru owner.

Since i've owned the car I always heard a faint popping noise from the drivers side front end. I mentioned it to the dealership in passing  while I was in having them look at an issue with my A/C unit not getting cold (this was one week after purchasing the vehicle). They said it was normal function for the car. This was 8 or so months ago. Came in for another warranty repair on my A/C since a friend and I discovered some fluid on my firewall near the A/C. The shop actually did diagnostics at this point and found that 3 o-rings were faulty. During this visit they noted the clicking sound and stated that it is normal operation of the car to have such noise, or stated it was due to aftermarket parts being installed. I added new wheels, springs and spacer blocks to my suspension, the sound persists.

I went to dealership yesterday to have them listen for the sound and the mechanic confirmed what I was hearing. They came back to me and said that they can't do any diagnostics or repairs on my shocks or struts until the car is put back to stock. They said contact Subaru of America and ask if they will cover putting the car back to stock, then they will look at it. Subaru of America is backing the dealership's decision to not investigate my car until it is put back to stock. This would require me to pay money for the dealership to put stock parts back on and then pay again to have my desired parts returned to the vehicle. Their claim is that they can't prove that their part is faulty until after market parts are taken off the car.

Is the dealership by law allowed to claim that my aftermarket parts made this shock go bad without investigating?  They missed the A/C diagnosis the first time and they missed diagnosing the noise. While investigating myself I found a lot of rust and small corrosion under the dust cap of the shock. In the 2018 models they had a warranty issue for this exact problem (Technical bulletin 05-62-18). Common sense tells me that wheels, springs and lift spacers can in no way cause rust to happen. Can they state as matter of fact without investigating?

&#x200B;

So now I am lost and not sure how to pursue the next steps in this process. I did find that the FTC states "simply using an aftermarket or recycled part does not void your warranty. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it illegal for companies to void your warranty or deny coverage under the warranty simply because you used an aftermarket or recycled part." Do I have any recourse under this law?

Answer:
 Work for a very large Subaru dealership and deal with these claims all the time. But still NAL.

I'm guessing you put a ADF kit or something of that nature on your crosstrek. The fact is SOA and any Subaru dealership will not work on those parts or anything related to those parts. THats not to say they don't know what the issue is. I guarantee the master tech in their shop knows exactly what the issue is. But if they choose to work on the suspension in the state it is in they are opening themselves up to liability if that kit fails or breaks your car. So they will 100% refuse to work on the noise coming from the installation of that kit and they have the right to do that.

Now your warranty is not voided. It will still cover anything outside of where you modified. Engine, Trans, Electronics in the car, ETC. But they will not touch the suspension while the lift kit is on it.

If you truly do have rust under the dust cap and want to get it fixed you have 2 options. Take the car as is to an independent shop and have them perform the fix at cost and leave the lift kit on. Or pay or remove the kit yourself and take it back to the dealership to get it covered.

Btw the wheels are fine as far as warranty is considered. Its the springs and spacers that are causing your issue.


Title: [NY] Got scammed $1,500 by a girl claiming to be underage

Question: I messaged her on Reddit , she claimed she was 20. We exchanged a few pics then claimed to be underage and sent me pics of myself and my family from Facebook. She first asked for $100 to keep quiet and not notify the police, which quickly changed into multiple payments which now total $1,500. She keeps asking for money and I do not know what to do. I’m tired of sending money and I just want all of this to be over with.

Answer:
 It's a scam. There is no girl. Block the number and learn from this.Answer #2: This is a common scam. There is no girl. You won’t get your money back as the scammers are likely located outside the US.

Lock down your social media as much as possible, stop sending money, block the person. They may or may not send private photos to your friends and family but that could’ve happened anyway. You can’t buy people’s silence, only rent it.Answer #3: There is no girl and there never was.

That money is gone and is never coming back.  Block and move on.


Title: Can a police officer own the towing company he calls for while on duty?

Question: Yesterday  I got pulled over in Indiana and my car got towed and impounded. The officer who pulled me over called for a towing company which I later heard that he partially owns, I am looking for proof of his ownership. Is it legal for him to use his own company while on duty for the police? That seems like extortion. What do you guys think? Sorry if I am seeming paranoid. It has been an awful 24 hours for me.

Answer:
 NAL. Certainly could be a conflict of interest but I think you’d need to prove the impoundment was unnecessary and steered to his company.

Some localities operate from a wrecker rotation ensuring that all get relatively equal calls.  If that’s the case the officer may not have had any discretion in which company was “next on the list”.Answer #2: It is likely that there is no law against it.

But it would certainly violate my department's policies.Answer #3: Unless your city is wildly different from the industry standard, the officer at the scene has nothing to do with who tows a car.  They tell dispatch to arrange it, then dispatch calls the next contracted to company in the rotation.


Title: How should I approach the homeowners of a mailbox I hit?

Question:
Let me start by saying I am 18 years old. Last night at around 2 am I dropped my friend off at his house. While leaving the neighborhood, I became distracted while changing the song. I overturned while making a right turn and I hit a mailbox dead on. The moment I hit the curb I instinctively sped up which is when I made contact with the mailbox. I am sure that the mailbox (wooden post, plastic top) had broken in half. Given that it was so late at night, I decided to go home and tell my parents and wait til morning to go back. My car has decent damage but I'm more worried on how I should go about approaching the homeowners today. I am completely willing to cover any fees for replacing the mailbox but I am worried about if they have filed a police report or if they would pursue hit and run, even though I am returning to fix what I did the morning after. What do you suggest I do? Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: I went early this morning to talk to the homeowner. I had already filed a claim on my car and my insurance covers the mailbox. They had not seen that the mailbox had been damaged and were extremely understanding. Thanks for the advice.

Answer:
 I think you should approach by the front door. Preferably up the sidewalk. Good luck!Answer #2: While I understand that you want to make restitution, I wouldn't advise a client to ever admit to a crime. You committed the crime as soon as you left. At my office, this would typically go like this: "we will dismiss the charges if you pay for the damage in full." that being said, I work in a very large county so we may dismiss more cases than smaller agencies. If you go tell the owner it was you, that can be used as evidence of your guilt. I doubt anyone knows who did it and from a criminal law standpoint I believe you shouldn't expose yourself to more liability than you already have. Answer #3: Look, there are consequences to your actions. Your best bet is to contact the homeowner before they call the police. Write them a check for whatever you negotiate on the spot (a check allows you to memo the purpose, providing civil settlement that can be proven).

If you're there bright and early, how many home owners are going to call the cops on a kid doing the right thing. Sorry, I know you're 18 and I called you a kid, but you *are* young and older people will view you as a child trying to do the right thing.

Now, a home owner who sees their mailbox destroyed with no explanation is going to call them. You need to get there first, as once the police are involved you will get charged (car damage will link you, if not porch video from a house).


Title: My mother was ticketed for illegally parking, but the problem is that she was parking legally.

Question:
This is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Where we live you have to pay for a monthly permit to park on the streets. My mother has already done this, yet this morning we found out that she's recieved a ticket for parking where she did.
It isn't because of the spot where she's parking as that's where she's been parking for the past month.

I heard that things like this are common because the person who tickets has to meet a quota, so they ticket random people to meet the quota by the end of the month, and sure enough, every other car had a ticket.

Can my mom do anything to fight this?

Edit: I've told my mom all of these things and she plans on calling them up and working things out. Thanks to everyone who provided help.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 You aren't going to fight the charge by ranting in court about some rumor dealing with quotas.

If your mother believes she is not guilty of the **cited offense** she can challenge the ticket and present her evidence.  Answer #2: I am a Milwaukee area resident. You should be able to call up the parking authority and get this sorted out fairly quickly. I was improperly ticketed for parking in a metered spot which is covered under the ParkNow app as well as normal meters. I had not used the meter, since I'd never had issues parking and paying for the space via the app, and parking enforcement left a ticket. I contacted parking enforcement and they were able to find record of my payment for the spot and eliminated the ticket with no work on my part beyond the phone call.

Note: parking enforcement's phone system is not the best, and they are understaffed perpetually, so you may have to wait a while to get a hold of a person.


Title: Breaking lease and land lord is changing terms required to break

Question:
I am in the process of breaking my lease and my land lord (property manager) has recently changed the breakage terms, and I suspect he will change them again.  Basically, it seems that he is leveraging his position in order to try to get as much money out of me as he can.  My questions are, can he do this and what kind of rights do I have in the matter.

For context, the back story is following:

I notified my property manager last week about my intent move out and to inquire about move-out instructions and cleaning guidelines (typical stuff).  When I re-signed my lease last summer, I told my property manager that I was probably going to move during the year and would thus terminate my lease early, so my doing so should not be a surprise to him now.  My property manager replied back to inform me that I would have to pay a re-leasing fee in the amount of 50% of one month's rent in addition to all rent due (pro-rated) until the property is re-rented.  I was aware my liability for all of the rent until the end of my contract (or until my place re-rents) and am ready and willing to pay it, but I was unaware of the re-leasing fee.  I don't want to pay the fee, but informed my property manager that I will pay it (so I can move on with my life.)

Well, yesterday my property manager contacted me to inform me that he had spoken with the actual property owner and the owner doesn't approve of the re-leasing fee plus rent arrangement.  The owner wants me to use the buyout option in my rental contract, which is a flat fee equal to 3 months rent.  The problem for me with this, aside from the fact that it will likely cost me 2-3 times more money, the buyout option states that it is only available if the term remaining on the lease substantially exceeds 3 months.  I have 3-4 months remaining on my lease, so I don't think the owner can push for this option.  I have emailed my property manager to ask for clarification on this and am still waiting to hear back.

I suspect that if the owner can't get the buyout option then he will push for a higher re-leasing fee.  In my contract, the fee amount isn't fixed, but rather listed as being up to one month's rent.  My property manager said he typically charges 50%, so that is what he offered me.

Can the owner and property manager go round-and-round like this about what I have to do and/or pay in order to break my lease?

Answer:
 Your property manager can hold you to the terms of your lease agreement. If there's a one month releasing fee, then they can charge you for it *or* decide to charge you for only part of it. If there's a 3-month buy out clause, then they can hold you to that as well.

The issue here you're facing is that the property manager is making decisions the owner clearly doesn't agree with. This is more of a customer service issue than a legal one.Answer #2: You have a lease.  You are bound to the terms written there and codified in state/local laws.  You aren't required to do anything more.

Look at your lease.  It will almost certainly have rules for breaking the lease early.  If you're concerned some provision is illegal in your state you can ask here but include your location next time.


Title: Car dealer forgot payment on delivery

Question:
Our car broke down two weeks ago. And were in a bind and had to get a replacement quick. Went to a dealership Wed evening and they talked us in to a car we agreed with a $1000 down payment. I could only withdraw 500 due to debit restrictionso they said I could pay the rest when we come in next time.

The next day Thursday we go in to sign our lives away. I sign all forms and they said the vehicle is in the shop getting rust coat etc.. and will be ready for pickup Friday pm. They did not ask for the payment then.

Friday we go in they shake our hands give us the keys and say enjoy. They hand us the bill of sale and send us on our way.

A week goes by and then this afternoon the finance manager calls saying there was a discrepancy found and we owe $500.

Am I obligated to pay this amount or is that their loss for failing to collect the rest of the payment on the Thursday and Friday.

More details are available if required.

I know the right thing to do is to pay and move on but during the whole process I felt as if I was being lied to and taken advantage of(a typical car salesman I guess) and want to haggle and cheat them now.

Answer:
 Your agreed to pay it. You signed a contract. Legally you pay it. Answer #2: So? You think that matters and it doesn't. You still signed a contract to pay $1000.

> want to haggle

The time for haggling was before you signed the contract.

> cheat them now.

You know what we call those people? Deadbeats. Are you a deadbeat?


Title: [Austin, TX] Is it legal for an apartment to quintuple the application/admin fee if I don't lease within 24 hours?

Question:
I'm interested in an apartment in south Austin, TX. They're application and admin fee is on "special" for $99 if you lease within 24 hours, but if you wait any longer than that to lease, then it quintuples to $450. Is seems shady as all hell, but is it even legal? It's a very nice, upscale apartment complex, but this is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Just to be clear, my question is whether or not it's LEGAL, not if it's a shitty thing to do (it is).

Answer: First, welcome to Austin, where the housing is difficult to find. Second, pretty sure that's just called creating a sense of urgency, which is a marketing technique.


Title: Neighbor threatens "I'll get whats coming to me".

Question:
Putting up a fence along my property line. Offset so that it is in no way on my neighbors property and does not butt up right against the line. There a set of really shitty looking bushes there that she doesn't take care of and look horrendous and we are tired of looking at them.

Long story short, she approaches me as I am setting up my string lines to delineate the property and just explodes.

"Why would you do this? No one else does it?!?I want the breeze to come through and a fence will ruin that! Your such an ASSHOLE. I'm gonna make sure you get what's coming to you!"

We have three neighbors who have something similar or even more imposing, so it isn't super unusual, in addition I've already met with the city who has stated my plans meet their guidelines and in no way are illegal.

I've been stressed to the max and just keep wondering what she's intends on doing. Physical altercation, continual harassment, property damage?!?

What should I do? What can I do? I plan on filing a police report, but am afraid it will stoke the fire. On that same token, I can't just let her walk all over me and tell me what I can and can't do on my property.

She's had a history of treating her neighbor on the other side like complete shit as well and it feels like I'm just her new target.

Oh, and in addition, she's a law professor (finance, she is from NYC) at the local University. So what else is she gonna do? Use her network to somehow harass me more?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Ignore her and build your fence. She hasn’t made a meaningful threat, and what you’ve described doesn’t rise to the level of harassment. Don’t worry about her “connections”. Nobody is going to put their career in jeopardy to help out a colleague with a neighbor doing ordinary things.


Title: I was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of my duties at work. I quit before being diagnosed and now am seeking worker's comp & payment for medical expenses. I was denied both. What do I do next?

Question:
I worked with victims of very graphic crimes in Washington DC. Because of my former employer's negligence to provide a good support structure for dealing with the secondary trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue I faced - I am now suffering and treating C-PTSD (complex PTSD).

I quit this job because I felt I could no longer perform my responsibilities without doing long term damage to myself. I moved out of the area to another state (home with parents).

About a month later my therapist diagnosed me. I will need to continue therapy (2x a week for the foreseeable future) and will not be able to work until I get better at managing simple daily tasks without high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and nausea.

I asked my former employer to pay for my therapy sessions and applied for worker's comp. I was denied by work's insurance company for both due to "No coverage" (no other explanation). I can appeal the process, which will be in person. It was extremely stressful to jump through the initial hoops and application process and I no longer wish to deal with the insurance company as it has become a barrier to my healing. I do wish to get hire an attorney to help with the process of compensation and hold my former employer accountable.

Edit: 3 other coworkers received WC for similar reasons. One was diagnosed with PTSD and received 2 months of WC.

My questions are as follows:

1. Should I seek a worker's comp attorney to help with the appeal process?

2. Or should I seek an attorney who can help me sue for damages and whatnot?

3. Does the attorney have to be from the state of my employer?

4. How do I find the right attorney?

Thank you for your time and any help you can give.

Answer:
 You can definitely hire a lawyer to help you appeal, and that's probably a good idea, but I don't think you should hold out much hope for being compensated for this. Answer #2: Sure you would have a difficult road since you quit before being diagnosed.  But to echo what /u/grasshoppa1 said, your endeavor is next to impossible because you're seeking recovery for a mental-mental injury, and from your description it seems like this was part of your job.  To recover on a mental/mental (if you're in the US and your state even allows it), you have to prove your injury resulted from stimuli greater than what the average employee IN YOUR JOB faces on a regular basis.

You were working with victims of graphic crimes.  I'm sure other people doing the same thing as you have heard similar, if not worse, stories.

You should still consult with a local attorney, but don't get your hopes up.


Title: (MD) Friend’s Ex-Husband beat her up on Friday, she pressed charges. Today he pressed charges against her for assault even though she didn’t fight back.

Question:
My friend left her husband last January and they were officially divorced a month ago. He’s a horrible drunk, as in he regularly gets so inebriated he has no control.

Somehow he was still granted shared custody of their 2 children 3 days a week. On Friday my friend got a call from one of her children that their father was “acting crazy”. My friend spoke with him and could tell immediately he was drunk (to make matters worse he had just picked them up from school so was likely intoxicated when he did). My friend told him she was coming to get the kids.

When she arrived she waited in his driveway and after both her children were out the ex husband came storming out holding a fishing rod and yelling at her to get off his property. He then started swinging the rod and her and punched her several times. He had her cornered between the house and car so she couldn’t get away. She has multiple injuries, but had the frame of mind not to fight back.  She got out of there with her kids before the cops arrived. Cop came to her house to file a report  and called an ambulance to come examine her. they wanted to take her to the ER but since she didn’t require stitches or anything she refused because she wanted to stay with her children. She did take herself to the hospital the next day. She also filed an official report at the courthouse. He was arrested yesterday.and Today  she also filed a protective order.

He’s apparently already out. Today while checking the judiciary site to see if her protective order went through, she discovered he went and pressed charges on her for assault. Does this have a chance of holding up? The only time she touched him was once while he was beating her with the fishing rod, she tried to push him off of her so she could get away. Her kids were there and witnessed the entire thing. A neighbor also came out at some point and yelled at him to stop, but I don’t think they saw the whole thing. The thing I can see making this difficult is that he lives with his mother who is a major enabler, and i could see her lying and saying she witnessed my friend attacking him. The mother also works for a law firm and has the funds to hire a good attorney, my friend does not.

Answer:
 She needs an attorney. Immediately. Answer #2: There are a number of services in MD (and all states) to assist people in domestic violence situations. In Maryland, House of Ruth has attorneys on staff that can provide assistance http://www.hruth.org/get-help/legal-services/ as well as The Women's Law Center of Maryland (depending on your location) http://www.wlcmd.org/services/domestic-violence-law/legal-representation/

Maryland Legal Aid has locations throughout the state that can also provide assistance/information. There is also the Maryland State Bar Association - here is a list of their attorney referral numbers by jurisdiction: http://www.msba.org/public/lawyer-referral.aspx Answer #3: In the future (and for anyone reading this), if she feels that the children are in danger, she needs to call the police and/or CPS.

She was taking the law into her own hands, and (as I am reading this) attempting to violate a court ordered parenting plan by removing the children from his home during his residential time.

Your friend needs to get an attorney.Answer #4: Neither your friend nor her ex can press charges unless they are the DA.

The police will investigate the complaints on both sides and then forward to the DA, which will decide if charges need to be pressed.

Absolutely no one knows an answer for it. We weren't there. It's all up to law enforcement and the criminal justice system to take it's course.


Title: Erasing things considered Vandalism? If so, what am I looking at? Er what is my "Friend" looking at, legally? [Colorado]

Question:
I'm fairly certain "my friend" was caught on camera erasing a dry erase-board full of typical retail numbers of a local gym. He received a phone call from the GM attempting to entrap them and admit their wrong doing which "my friend" mostly avoided in doing.
Question is, is this "just a prank bro" scenario actually illegal and if so, what is plan of action now?

Answer: Your friend is looking at a lifetime of disappointing their loved ones.


Title: Applied to a job (got accepted) but they require a $100 payment. Is that normal? [NY]

Question: If there is a better place to post this I will do so. So where we go. I was working part time at this place and the manager acquaintance asked if I was willing to work somewhere else to make it "full time." I said yes and told my manager about it. So the next day I went in to the interview/orientation (financial advising company). A few days later I got a call they said that I was accepted and that they require a $100 fee. I filled out forms such as w-9 etc. Now I had a solid day to think about it is it normal for them to charge money? I am getting kind of sketched out by it. I can provide more information if needed.

Answer:
 What is the fee for?

Generally if a place requires employees to pay for uniforms or maybe some training, it is deducted out of a paycheck.

I can't think of any other reason to charge a fee.  Sounds like a scam.


Title: (Florida) Called out for family emergency on New Years Day, am i protected by FMLA?

Question: My mother was taken to the emergency room early New Years Day so I called out of my shift on New Years Day.  Later I found out that my employer has a policy of automatic termination for call-outs on holidays.  I am currently under review, but am wondering if this leads to termination is that a violation of my rights under FMLA?  Can they ask for documentation for my mother's hospital stay?  Wouldn't that be a HIPAA violation or her right to privacy?  I work in healthcare so this should be common knowledge.

Answer: FMLA is to care for family that need it. Not visit people in the hospital. And FMLA paperwork gets filled out by doctors to show there is a need for the missed work. Answer #2: It’s not a HIPAA violation for the doctor to provide a letter saying “OPs mother had a serious medical condition which required a hospital admittance and OPs assistance”. It is a HIPAA violation to give details of the diagnosis or treatment. And the mother always has the option to waive HIPAA anyway.


Title: She [29F] dumped me [31M] with extreme prejudice and is, from my perspective, stealing my stake in our car.

Question:
Hey all. Crossposting this from /r/relationship_advice.

7-year relationship finally imploded and she dumped my ass. I think I'm doing okay in terms of moving on, but there is one factor I really, really need advice on.

We are in Michigan. The car is in her name (stupid, I know).

For most of our relationship, we had been driving a Honda that was entirely owned by me, and paid off. I totaled that sucker a couple of years ago, and we decided to go in together on a used Subaru. I think I got about $8k from the insurance company for the Honda, and I applied $4k of that to the Subaru as a cash down payment when we bought the car (I can prove this with bank statements, she is not disputing this). GF took out an auto loan to cover the rest, and had been making payments since.

The remainder of the insurance money I just used for bills, which included contributing to those car payments. None of this was put down in writing.

Yesterday I asked her how much I could expect back from my share of the car. I figured we would calculate the depreciation in the car's value and apply that to my $4k share, and I would write off my contributions to the car payments as that would just be really complicated to calculate. The car has depreciated in value by about 25% according to KBB, so, $3k seems fair to me to buy me out.

So, she tells me today that she contacted a lawyer, who said these types of things are handled in small claims court. She said the debt "we" owe on the car could cancel out my contribution, and there "may not be any money left in the car" for me.

The more I think about it, the more I think this is BS. It's not my loan or my debt. I did not co-sign or anything like that. I paid cash from a payout of a totaled car that we both drove equally.

Am I wrong in thinking that I should be bought out with cash? I am completely willing to have the car assessed and take a lower amount if it is shown to have significantly depreciated below the KBB estimate.

I don't particularly want to fight this out in small claims court. I feel like if she stood firm and demanded we take it to small claims court, I would probably just walk away from the money.

BTW, she still want me to pay her back for some bills I owe her, but that only comes out to like $500. She actually tried to get me to initial her scratch paper where she calculated all those bills.

Please let me know if any other details would be helpful.

TL;DR: How handle getting bought out of my share of a shared vehicle? Worth fighting in small claims court? Please help.

Answer:
 The car is in her name, so it's her car. You can sue her for what you put into it, but it probably isn't worth the time and you probably won't win much, if anything.

It's probably best to just walk away at this point. Shit happens.


Title: [NJ] How to protect yourself during marriage.

Question: I am SUPER on the fence about marrying my girlfriend. I had the whole ideology that the only way I would be fine with it is signing a prenup, and saying that I'll be fine with it, but after reading more online Prenups get thrown out like it's absolutely nothing in court. I recall reading that someones parent's were lawyers and all it took was that the woman was saying she didn't have a lawyer present and she was "coerced" into it. Another user claimed that you can just sign financial assets to be out of the marriage deal and it'll be okay. So is there any way to protect myself from all these downsides against marriage?  Any and all advice besides "Don't get married" would be fine!

Answer: So how old are both of you, and how many assets do you each have?


Title: [CA] Signed lease saying no pets, has two cats that they just found after 6 months, wants $500.

Question:
And I want to mention that the apartment just got bought out by a new buyer but my lease is still binding. I understand that I was not supposed to do that but isn't it a form of extortion especially if they dont have us sign anything?

Edit: Thanks all for the input. I of course will own up to it and pay the fee.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You signed a lease stating no pets. You have two cats. They can now evict you if they want. $500 seems like a fair pet penalty especially if they aren't also raising your rent monthly.

Edit: it is not extortion.


Title: [OH] denied medical care in nursing home

Question:
I'm 25 and a paraplegic, currently staying in a skilled nursing facility for wound care.

The wound doctor who comes every two weeks to see me has refused to treat me any longer and states that I denied to see him twice. However I do not ever remember him coming after the first visit. Because of this I was given a cut letter that I signed in order to not cause any more issues. And my disability had been taken from me as well as the cut letter stating I would no longer be receiving benefits of the "skills nursing" (don't remember the exact wording). I have asked over and over again to get the treatment that I need and told the administration that I did not willingly refuse treatment and I believe the guy just came in while I was sleeping and decided to say I refused.

The administration don't seem to care so I have to make them care if it's even possible. Is there anything I can do? Some section of the revised code that I could print out to motivate them legally? Anything?

Answer:
 Its hard to tell exactly what's going on here and this is a situation where your options are very specific to what exactly is going on.

It sounds like you signed something which said you were better and/or were refusing treatment and, as a result of you signing that, your Medicaid and SSI were terminated.  Is that accurate?

If its not or you're not sure then you need to find out the specific reason why the nursing home can't provide you with treatment that you currently consent to.


Title: Can I sue for Carbon Monoxide poisoning on a boat in Idaho

Question: My son was swimming near our boat when he got sick and and almost drowned. We learned form the doctor that his sickness was caused by Carbon Monoxide poisoning. The doctor says that my son will be cognitively impaired for life. Can I sue? What kind of settlement should I expect? WHat kind of things should I investigate

Answer:
 > Can I sue?

Sue who? Yourself? Exhaust is like *the* most common source of Carbon Monoxide. Exactly who do you think is to blame here?Answer #2: >Can I sue?

Yourself. I would focus your resources on taking care of your sick son rather than sue someone else for something that was 1. entirely your fault and 2. lose the case because again, it's entirely your fault.


Title: City is doing Road work outside my house. At night

Question:
Last Sunday I discovered the city is doing a 2 year nightly road work project outside my house. Every night from 8 pm to 4 am. I live on a Main Street in CT that I also work from. I have not slept for a week and apparently won't until 2017.

My landlord won't break the lease, I can't get in touch with anyone who has anything to do with this lovely project, and I wouldn't know what to ask them anyway. Is there something I'm entitled to?
Since I have signage outside and they will be busting up the road blocking anyone from coming to my business for x amount of time, shouldn't I be compensated somehow? I'm just so frustrated and hate the sound of bulldozers
 and also have a 4 month old baby who wakes from the noise at all hits of the night. I need help please can someone let me know if there is anything I can do?????

For your amusement, I am attaching a live action view from my bedroom window http://imgur.com/t3czxAB

Answer:
 IANAL.

Since this is being done by the city, it's unlikely that you have any remedy other than a political one. You might contact your city counsellor.

>Since I have signage outside and they will be busting up the road blocking anyone from coming to my business for x amount of time, shouldn't I be compensated somehow?

I would be very surprised if you were legally entitled to compensation for this.


Title: My 89 year-old mother was coerced into changing her will, leaving everything to one sibling and disinheriting the other three nine months before passing away.

Question:
With a mother who lived to 89 I'm obviously older, so if I don't follow etiquette or post appropriately, please copy to r/oldpeoplefacebook and have a laugh at my expense. I did read the FAQs, for what that's worth. I and my siblings are really in need of some advice, though.

There's quite a story here, so without going into all of the details (unless you really, really want me to and then it's gonna get awfully long), my mother has had mental health issues for most of her life. So has one of my sisters. The other three of us managed to get out of childhood fairly unscathed by leaving home at early ages.

After my father's death in 2004, my mother was shuttled between myself and "that sister," with me taking on most of the burden of her care. In early 2014 it was decided by ALL siblings that our mother should be moved to an Adult Family Home in Minnesota, in her old hometown and where my brother resided. That being said, the bulk of this saga has taken place in Washington State...Kitsap County to be specific. This was in April, 2014, and prior to the move, her will, life insurance policy, and investment allocations were divided evenly between her four children.

In March 2015, "that sister," without consulting anyone, went to Minnesota, brow-beat my mother (this was witnessed) into coming to Minneapolis for a little get-away to isolate and brainwash her into believing that the rest of her children had stolen from her. She then had my mother pack up, drove two hours south and stopped at an attorney's office to have my mother's Power of Attorney changed.

She then put our mother into an independent living apartment in Washington State, which she was not capable of handling, took her to a local attorney, and had my mother's will changed so that she was the executor and sole heir. My mother quickly graduated to assisted living, palliative care, and hospice in the space of nine months. Her death certificate clearly lists dementia.

Yes, we contacted Adult Protective Services in Minnesota and Washington...they could not help. Yes, we consulted the appropriate court for a restraining order when it was clear that "that sister" was moving mom. Yes, we consulted with an attorney in Washington who said it would cost 50-100k for a civil suit, but also assured us that we have evidence for a criminal charge.

We have filed a grievance against the attorney who altered the will with the state bar association. We have generated a case number with the police department (as advised by the county prosecutor's office) with jurisdiction of the address where my mother passed away. I have tried several times to contact the officer who took my statement and gave me the case ID number, but he has not returned my calls asking for status.

I understand that a Prosecutor's Office has a limited budget and a stack of cases to prioritize. "That sister" has committed a crime and we want her to be accountable for what she's done. It isn't about money. Though my mother's finances were controlled by "that sister" for the last year of her life, it's unlikely that there was much left. We just want some justice.

Is justice possible in the court system anymore? How do we convince the prosecutor's office to look at our evidence (which is vast and damning) and file charges against "that sister?"

Any help...any advice would be greatly appreciated. We're just slamming into brick wall dead ends left and right.

EDIT: Thank you for your comments and suggestions. We already consulted an Elder Law attorney, but can't afford and ongoing $350/hour. I understand that it would be low priority for a prosecutor. It's just frustrating to know that "that sister" is going to get away with this.

Answer: You need to hire a lawyer to challenge the will.


Title: Motorcycle shop sold me a motorcycle with the VIN scratched off and painted over

Question:
Keeping this as vague as possible but also providing necessary details where I can...in case of any potential future legal issues...

I live in Oregon. I purchased a motorcycle (financed through a small motorcycle shop near me), last Saturday. When I bought it, there was a malfunction indicator light (check engine) active and the dealer said that it was due to the exhaust not being stock. I decided that it would be a good idea to take it to my local dealership to have the check engine light diagnosed.

When I took it there, it was discovered that the VIN has been grinded off and painted over. There is also a lot of "overspray" on other parts of the bike (basically, they didn't tape anything off, so the spray paint or whatever is all over the frame and elsewhere).

Additionally... The fork seals on the front of the bike are leaking, the rear brake is "loose" (doesn't actually really do much right now), and there are some other minor issues.

I contacted the seller about the issues and he said to bring the bike by so it can be "looked at"...But with the VIN being removed, I just want to return the bike.

Can the shop keep me in contract when they sold me a motorcycle with the VIN removed? What will be my legal discourse, should they try to fight me? Just report them to the DMV for selling vehicles without a VIN on it?

Any thoughts, ideas, or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Take the bike back to the shop, calmly explain that you've discovered the missing VIN which will prevent you from registering or insuring the vehicle as legally required and that you want your entire purchase price refunded *immediately*.

This bike was not legally sold to you and the "shop" is in BIG trouble.  If they don't get your cash out of the drawer right then and there, tell them that your next stop/call is to the authorities to report a chop shop.


Title: I have a welsfargo account for a company i created in high school but they are holding charges tell they can run them all at once and overdraft my accounts.

Question: what can i do?  the account is just a holding account for money before our accountant moves it and pays people and buying supply's.  what do i do about welsfargo bulking all my charges together as soon as someone makes a change that will allow me to be over drafted.  this system is designed this way to milk us, this isnt legal but what do i do?

Answer: Don’t spend more money than you have or try to game the “well I’ll have the money by the time this goes through.”Answer #2: Are you charging more to the account than there is money in the account? If not, it shouldn't matter what order they put them in.


Title: Help! My sister got a DUI last night driving a car not in her name. She also had paraphernalia in the car. This is her second DUI. What should the owner of the car do? What’s in store for my sister?

Question:
She didn’t wreck or hurt anyone but I’m very very mad at her and disappointed! This is her second DUI in a year and a half and this time she wasn’t only high, she was high and drunk. As far as I’m concerned, she was far over the legal limit. The car is in someone else’s name and she had thc wax, weed and a thc pen. Maybe a pipe, but I haven’t gotten that out of her yet. What’s going to happen to the owner of the car? I read online it doesn’t affect the owner of the car, but those were only cases where there was no paraphernalia. What about my sister? Thank you!
Topic:
DUI

Answer:
 Was the owner of the car in the car? If not, it has nothing to do with him/her besides maybe having to retrieve the vehicle from impound, if it was in fact towed by the police.

Your sister needs to contact a lawyer. She's probably going to jail though. Answer #2: She needs to hire a good lawyer. Answer #3: Owner of the car is probably fine, unless cops determine there was some coordination or conspiracy. Not likely. Your sister, on the other hand, is probably going to get the book thrown at her. Two times in a year is a bad sign, and those are good facts for a prosecutor.

Her lawyer will take it from here. Maybe the lawyer can get a deal for a rehab program instead of jail, but this isn't going to just go away.


Title: My cousin has been taking money from my mom’s bank account

Question:
My financially illiterate mom doesn’t handle her own finances. Instead of trusting me (since I’ve been handling my dad’s finances since I was in high school), she trusts my cousin more since she works in the finance industry.

My mom went to the bank recently to check her bank statements since she’s in the negatives and it turns out that my cousin has been depositing money from my mom’s into her own account for the past half a year. She’s taken an accumulated CAD$20,000. We’ve tried to contact her and all she would do is cuss us off and deny it. The bank statements literally have her name under the transfer transactions. We want to take legal action and get that money back. We’re from Ontario, Canada.

Answer:
 >We want to take legal action and get that money back.

There is no "we".

This is your mother's decision - what does SHE want to do?

Did your mother authorize your cousin to move those funds?

What did you mother authorize your cousin to do specifically?Answer #2: *If you have financial power of attorney for your mother-* than you can file a police report for the theft, and report it to the bank demanding they reverse the transfers.

If you don't have financial power of attorney, then your mother can do these two items.


Title: Landlord is FUCKING me

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Why change the locks? They forced their way in.Answer #2: Did the burglars have keys? If not, what is changing the locks going to do?

And being burgled is not a sufficient reason to break a lease. Neither is "not feeling safe." You want LEGAL advice right? That's what were are telling you here. The landlord didn't commit the crime. Some random criminals did.

Unfortunately you don't have extra legal option because of this event. You have the standard legal options that someone who wants to break their lease faces.Answer #3: This would not be grounds for breaking your lease. Your LL has done nothing wrong.

Unfortunately, you are bound by the terms of your lease. Answer #4: I'm sorry how is he fucking you? Your post does not discuss any form of penetration...

On a serious note, your LL has no duty to make you feel safe and cozy.Answer #5: Your landlord is not a police officer, nor is your landlord Batman, so your landlord does not have the ability to control nor prevent crimes that occur in and around your home, and, as such, is not obligated to allow you to terminate your lease without penalty.Answer #6: You don't have a legal issue or reason to break lease.


Title: Punched in face at party, broken eye socket/possible surgery, police did not make an arrest or give me any sort of victim's information, even though the person who assaulted me was at the scene. What rights do I have? Please help.

Question:
I apologize if this isn't the easiest to read. It is difficult for me to see due to the damage done to my face.

I will try to make this as short as possible. Last Tuesday I was out with friends. I got invited to a house party by a friend of a friend who I spent a few hours with that night. I said sure, why not (my mistake, yes. It probably isn't the smartest decision to go to a party with people whom I just met but again, I didn't see any harm at the moment).

Throughout my time at this house, another female became very hostile towards me. Staring me down, asking who I was, trying to intimidate me, etc. Everyone else at the party kept on telling me how much of an awful person this girl is, that she is mean to everyone, one of those girls who needs to be the center of attention, etc. I just laughed it off and continued mingling with other people.

As I was getting close to leaving (this part is a blur), I did something to make this person mad again. Honestly I don't know what I did because she just hated me from the get-go, but I think I said something along the lines of, "I'm not afraid of you, punch me if you want." And boom, KTFO. I went unconscious and woke up in a pool of blood. The attacker came to hug me to tell me she is sorry, I told her to get off of me and that I am calling the police. The attacker's friend then took my cell phone from me, and held it hostage from me for about 20 minutes or so. Everyone at the party kept telling me not to call the police, to talk to the girl to because she want's to apologize. After asking for my phone back repeatedly I finally snatched it from her hand and proceeded to call 911. This girl wailed out "don't hit me!", when I got my phone. I did not hit anyone, nor did I threaten to, or even attempt to.

So this is where things just continued to get shadier. The cops come, they interview me, the people inside, take photos of my face, and get me a cab home. That's it. No arrests were made. I got no victim's paperwork. No court date. No nothing. The police said they interviewed everyone in the home and the attacker and they all denied the attack. The police then said that she had no visible markings on her hand, so there was no proof. Even though there was blood everywhere in the home, on myself, and the fact that my face was clearly the result of a violent attack. I asked the police for their badge numbers and business cards several times, they continued to basically ignore this and called me a cab home. At this point my phone was dead and I had asked them numerous times if I could plug my phone charger somewhere in their patrol cars so I could call a friend or family member to pick me up. They said "No we cannot do that ma'am". So I had no way of calling my family, no way of calling work (at this point hours had gone by and I had to be at work soon). They also did not think to take me to the ER. The cab driver picked me up and gave me the address of where I was at because no one at the party would tell me (of course), the police did not offer to tell me or write it down.

Got home, boyfriend took me to the hospital, got a CAT scan and my eye socket is fractured in two places and I have to schedule an appointment with a surgeon because this may require a metal plate if it doesn't heal correctly. Anyway here I am, a broken face, having to miss work, with no information, no paperwork, nothing. I don't even know the attacker's name. The police gave me no copy of the report....is this weird? What happened to "protect and serve"? Why would the police make this a "she said, she said" situation when it was obvious that I was assaulted? Any and all legal advice is welcome. I don't even know where to start. Thank you.

Answer:
 It's obvious that you're injured.

Whether that injury is from an assault, or an accident, or from some other method is almost certainly *less* obvious to people who weren't there, especially if others at the event said that it didn't happen.

Had you been drinking or using drugs the night of the assault?  That might have colored the officers' assessment of the events as well.

You can't *make* the police arrest or charge someone with a crime.

You can absolutely sue the person for your damages (medical bills, lost wages, etc.) if you want to do that.  Someone at the party knows who she is- you can probably find out if you want to.Answer #2: If you can figure who it was, you can try to sue them for medical expenses. Go down to the police station and see if you can get a copy of the incident report. It might take a few days for the officers to file their report. The 911 call and officer notes should be available to you in a week or two.

Ask people at the party what they saw, if they all denied seeing the punch, you might be out of luck.

If no one wants to come forward and be a witness for you, you might need to rethink who you hang out with.


Title: (UCMJ, USA) Wrongfully accused

Question:
Alright, I'm in the national guard and I'm married to an active duty member. My spouse's base and squadron is being investigated for drugs. The investigation began about 6 months ago I want to say.
However, everyone is being questioned and I was dragged into the mess. According to CID, I am being accused of using a controlled substance because I was named in a written statement. However, I didn't know anything about this situation up until my spouse told me they heard someone they work with was under investigation. We have since heard from someone (person A) that wrote a statement (without getting a lawyer) that I was present while they were under the influence of drugs but he said he did not see me take any drugs with them. However, I was very drunk when this all occurred so I had no idea what they were doing.
Another person (person B) we use to hang out with, likely also wrote a statement and possibly said I was doing drugs with them while I was drunk. Because we don't talk to this person for various reasons (possible mental illness, lying, involved with adultery), I'm actually not sure what they wrote in their written statement.

Now the question:
I swear up and down I did not know they did drugs. I do not recall ever taking any illicit drugs while I was drunk or sober. I have a lawyer assigned to me but I have yet to talk to them.
Can their statements be used against me? How does this whole "he said, she said" play out?

Answer: It's the military. They don't need to meet the same standards as civilian society to punish or discipline you. Meaning they could, in the least, give you paperwork if they conclude you were involved...or perhaps garnish your wages or give you extra duty (I got an article once and those were my options). If they give you paperwork, rebut it. You should consider cross posting this to a military centric sub. Consult your lawyer. Yes, their statements can be used against you. Were you ever drug tested?


Title: Hit by a run away driver after I passed a crosswalk. Need some advice.

Question:
This happened in Arizona, Tucson to be specific. I was crossing a crosswalk and a guy started honking at me. I put my hands up and shrugged and pointed to the "stop for pedestrians" sign and screamed that its a crosswalk. I kept walking and was going towards a church parking lot because I was going to a place behind the church. He pulled into the parking lot and I pulled out my phone to record but unfortunately only snapped a pic. He sped at me and slammed on the brakes just in front of me bumping into me slightly. Once I realized this guy was crazy and going through a serious case of road rage with his wife and kids in the car I moved to the side and he sped off, turning into me and slamming into me with his passenger side of the car.

I called the police and gave them the plate I remembered. They asked if I needed an ambulance and I said no because it was just a bruise, he didnt run me over and he didnt break skin. I waited an hour before calling the non emergency line and asking for an update on if someone was coming. The lady told me that 30 calls were in queue and it could be hours before they got out so I told her to just have a cop call me later which she said could take a few days.

I continued off where I was going and I find this guy at a restaurant next to where I was going behind the church. I just saw the car, he must have been inside. I took a picture of his plate, vin, and a cross decoration he had that was visible in another picture from earlier that I took while he sped towards me. I also took a picture of the passenger side mirror that was still folded from where he hit me. I left because I was not going to confront him. I also then called the non emergency line again because the license plate I initially gave was off by one letter.

Sure, I instigated by pointing to the crosswalk sign, but that is no reason to assault someone with a car.

What are my options, what should I do? Did I mess up not asking for an ambulance? My arm is now very sore where his mirror hit me and now I am feeling soreness in my thigh where apparantly his car also hit me but I didnt feel it because of the adrenaline. I dont know how much it will cost and if he doesnt have insurance or whatever to pay it or if the cops dont do anything then it might be too big of an expense for now.

Should I go to a doctor and get it checked out/ have some official report from them? I was planning on going to a general doctor on Monday.  Should I wait for a police officer to call me or should I just go file a report tomorrow morning? Is there anything else I need to do?

This case is going to be a he said she said and a psychopath that is willing to attack someone with a car while his family watches is probably going to get them to lie about it, so is this even worth going to a lawyer/court/police over?

Answer:
 Go to the police station and find out if they have a desk officer who can take your report. It sounds like your jurisdiction is a busy one.

A vehicle can be a deadly weapon. If he deliberately turned into the parking lot and drove toward you, then he committed aggravated assault (depending on AZ laws). I would also go to the doctor, if for no other reason than to document your injuries.Answer #2: If you have auto insurance, check to see if you or someone you live with have auto insurance with PIP (or medical payments) coverage. That will cover your medical bills for now.

You can pursue the driver's insurance for a bodily injury settlement. If he doesn't have insurance and you have uninsured motorist coverage on an auto policy (or someone you live with does), then you can file to have your insurance company pay for the bodily injury claim.Answer #3: So sorry to hear that. I would say, do get a police report. The fact that you have evidence(pictures, vin, plate) and a police report will play in your advantage when you fight case with insurance folks.


Title: I told a discord bot to google "child porn" as a (failed) edgy joke, possible repercussions?

Question:
Location for bot is Maryland.
The title sums it up pretty well, I was in a discord server that is home to alot of edgy content and jokes in general, and on a whim I decided to tell the bot to search "child porn". The bot returned an image of what I'm pretty sure was a mugshot of some really ugly guy, but that's irrelevant. I knew in my head that because the bot just trawls google images, that there was no way that it would ever conceivably post child porn.

I am now being told by multiple people that:

1. I am in immediate legal trouble
2. I should wipe my computer (this seems like a bad idea, as it makes u look like you're trying to hide something, right?)
3. That I am now on some sort of FBI list
4. and that my local police station has been notified.

I don't recall googling "child porn" ever being illegal, and in reality I never actually physically googled it.

I totally understand what I did was dumb, I get that, but I just wanted to make sure that I am not "gigafucked" as someone put it. The way I see it, if the police do show up and want to look thru my PC, they can have at it because I don't have anything illegal on it.

Am I in trouble?

Answer:
 No. Turn off your computer and go to sleep.

Do NOT make a habit of googling illegal stuff either.


Title: Employee believed to have lied about a positive COVID-19 test.

Question: I own a small business, +/- 60 employees.  An employee notified HR one evening that after returning home from work he spiked a fever and a cough (he was fine at the office that day) and was going to get a COVID-19 test.  This was our very first brush with the COVID virus.  He was told to stay at home until he had his results.  Two days later he called HR again and said that he had tested positive.  I, as the owner, called him to check in and wish him well.  His only real question to me was "I get two weeks off, right?" which kind of threw up the first flag for me.  We periodically checked in on him over the next two weeks.  He never really claimed to have any symptoms other than saying he was tired and had lost his sense of taste, OK, both legitimate symptoms.  Two weeks later he provided a note from a Dr. saying he was negative for COVID-19 and cleared to return to work.  Once he returned, his story started falling apart.  He told another employee that he had "self tested" for COVID.  And after having a second employee test positive (in another office but the same state), we realized that the paperwork we received for the second employee from the health department was very different than what the first guy provided.  At this point, I think it's highly likely that the first employee lied to get two weeks off paid.  But from what we understand, we cannot require proof of his positive diagnosis.  Is that correct and is there any way to determine if he lied about the positive diagnosis or not?

Answer: Why not just let him go and be done with it?  Seems cheaper and quicker than dealing with legal.  Are you in an at-will state?


Title: Need advice about documents found in the garbage that was on the curb at my job

Question: I work in a group home in New Jersey as a residential aide. I went outside to take out the recycling and saw that there were 4 boxes filled with documents that the associate director and residential coordinator put out there.  Some of the documents included medication administration records, old staffs application with their social security numbers, licenses, and fingerprints and other documents. They were all pretty old, late 90s-early 2000s. Is this illegal? Should the records be shredded? Who should I contact? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 IANAL but I can tell you from my HIPAA training that what you described is illegal.  You should definately report what you saw to your management as every unauthorized HIPAA disclosure has a maximum penalty of (i believe) $25,000.  And I'm not talking, "this incident where stuff was on the curb" I'm talking "per record mis-handled".

The records should be shredded.  Many companies who deal with this kind of information have contracts with shredding companies who come and clean out your companies sensitive data disposal boxes on a regular basis.  That way the data is safely purged and your company shifts liability to a third party (what can I say? it's pragmatic).

It's hard for me to say what specifically you should do because while you probably have authorization to access those records, I suspect loading them into your car and driving them home to safely dispose of them would open you up to liability in the event they were then lost or stolen.

Do you have access to a secure area in the group home that you can put the records in?  Do you have the cell phone numbers of the director and/or coordinator to call them and convince them to do something about it?


Title: Didn't know my mom (my payee) was receiving my SSI while I was working. Now I owe $18,000...

Question:
I live in a separate state from my mom (I'm in Washington State, and she's in Arizona), and she has been receiving SSI on my behalf for I don't know how long. I have been paying for my rent, food, and living essentials from the money I made at work myself. Occasionally I would ask for some money to help, and she would transfer $100-$200 me... but that was very seldom.

After filing my taxes, I received a letter stating that my entire refund was going to social security. Perplexed, I called social security to question the situation.

They told me that I have been overpaid $18,000. The only way I can fathom that happening is that my mom must have been collecting while I was unaware.

So what should I do? I'm scared of filing fraud. My mother would go to jail and my entire family would blame me for it. On the other hand, I cannot pay back such a debt that I did not myself accrue. Do I have any other options?

Answer: Is your mother completely unwilling to assist in paying back the money she stole from the government in you name?  Sorry if that sounds inflammatory, but as you stated, she would go to jail for this.