Title: Landlord screwed up our deposit & now wants it back. [IL]

Question:
So like the title says, my landlord screwed up our security deposit. My roommate and I have leased our second apartment together in July. We ultimately stayed with the same company because we are familiar with how they work and couldn't really find a better deal on apartments with a good location than the one we chose. Our last apartment didn't have the amenities we needed and we chose to switch but stay in the same company nonetheless. We rent in a college town and we're college kids so I feel that the rental companies here aren't always as honest as they should be, but who knows.

So our first apartment together we rented with their special signing rate of 1 month free if we signed a 13 months lease with them within a certain time frame. Our rent was originaly $745 a month and that brought it down to around $688 a month and in the beginning they kept trying to charge us our original rent like the first three months. Our original deposit was also $1000 instead of the normal $500 because we didn't have any prior rental history or parents who could cosign for us. This was all for the first apartment.

For the second apartment we only had to do $300 since we had rented with them without issue. But the company decided last minute they wouldn't have the new apartment ready for us until a week after we were originally supposed to move in. So now we had to pay prorated rent on two different apartments. So when we got our deposit back we had two different checks back. One was for our deposit reading on their paper "Security Deposit Refunded: $855" and one was apparently for overpaying rent sometime while we were renting there which read "Overpayment Of Rent Refunded: $548." Well back around tax time I went and paid ahead our cable and power bills so I figured that might've been what happened and we went over our packet of papers that told us of all the payments we've made to the company. We did that math and it all worked out. So roommate and I split up our deposit between the two of us.

Well yesterday I got a call from the rental company telling me that their account/money people messed up and put our prorated rent onto our old apartment account instead of our current apartment. She phrased it as if they're being lenient with us by not sending us notices of late rent because it was their "miscommunication."

Well this is mildly inconvenient because tuition was due and quite frankly that extra money went into my text books, school fees, and school supplies while the rest went into savings. Their little itemized list says we had 7 business days to put into writing questions or concerns about our deposit. The envelope is post marked for 7/29/15 but I received a call about this yesterday. Are we obligated to repay the rent that they refunded back? Because quite frankly between new deposits for new utilities and school fees I don't have the extra $300 to *comfortably* swing on top of the rent. I could do it, I just won't be happy about it and we've had issues in the past so we're not huge fans of them but they're the lesser evil in this town. So roommie and I think we should ask for a letter explaining what happened and what they are requesting in writing just for our records since we've had issues with rent in the past with them.

Tl;dr my shitty rental company put my prorated rent on my new apartment with them on the account to the old apartment when we got our deposits back. My half I had to spend on tuition & fees, and roommie just told me that she wants a letter in writing first because she's on vacation.

Thank you in advance, guys. I tried to be detailed to help.

Answer:
 I work with property management companies, and this situation doesn't surprise me. I would ask for more information. I would specifically ask for the ledger for your old unit and the ledger for your new unit so you can see all the charges and payments on both units seperatley. They're going to look something like [this](http://www.integritysoftware.com/ministorage/reports/account-ledger.gif). The ledgers will show you your prorated last/first months rent and will make it clear what was charged and what was credited to your account(s).

It sounds like they didn't property take your deposit refund/prorated last months rent from your old unit and apply it towards your new unit (and over-refunded you). If this is true, you may actually have a balance due on your new unit and should pay it (but again, the ledgers should make this clear).


Title: (MI) Found what appears to be a tooth or bone in Lucky Charms this morning. Now what?

Question: New box was just opened this morning, grandson ate majority of the bowl, my husband went to finish it off and bit down on something hard, pulled it out of his mouth and it is clearly a tooth/bone fragment. Should I take my grandson to the ER? What sort of exposure issues could there be? Should I call the manufacturer? Not sure what steps to take.

Answer:
 Just fyi, gelatin, which is in the marshmallows, is commonly produced from animal bones in addition to other ingredients. Likely just a fragment made it through that process. Doubtful he'd be exposed to anything a typical hamburger wouldn't have in it.

You shouldn't worry too much.Answer #2: Hearts, stars, and horseshoes, teeth and chunks of bone...Answer #3: You should definitely contact the manufacturer so that they immediately stop whatever the hell it is theyre doing wrong.

They might ask for you to send the bone fragment to them for some reason. Do not do this, this is getting rid of the evidence.

Also, I read this while eating Lucky Charms and now Im about to puke. Thanks OP


Title: Coworker who was terminated based on depositions given by me and four other employees who witnessed him threatening another employee is threatening to sue three out of the five of us for "telling lies to HR". How concerned should I be?

Question:
I'll apologize for any formatting errors up front.

This took place in a Union shop and involved a Shop Steward, a Working Foreman and four Journeyman electrians.

The people involved are:

"A", the Shop Steward, who was terminated and subsequently rehired about six months ago after winning an appeal with the National Labor Relations Board.

"B", a Working Foreman in our shop.

"C", "D", "E" and "F". Journeyman in our shop.

"G" an ex coworker who left the company on his own.

So this started about five years ago. Employee "A" had been harassing employee "G". There was a particularly nasty incident which motivated "G" to involve Human Resources. Apparently, "B" had witnessed this exchange and was called by HR to share what he witnessed. Several other employees were also called in and asked if they had witnessed anything between "A" and "G".

About two weeks into this investigation, myself, "B" and three other Journeyman were at our desks in our shared work space when "A" came in, stood in front of "B" 's desk and started talking about the ongoing investigaton, which we were told not to do. At some point he tells us all that he would be filing a Union sanction, that could lead to termination, against anyone who gave testimony against him.

"B" took that as a threat and notified HR who then started ANOTHER investigation. Myself and the three others in the office were called in to HR and gave statements. Without going into specifics, HR said all of our statements about what we heard were consistent and in some cases verbatim. Based on that, "A" was terminated.

Fast forward to last year. While we are all still with the same company I transferred to another department three years ago. Last year I get a call from our legal department that "A", who had been appealing his termination, had won an appeal before the National Labor Relations Board. I was asked if I would give the same testimony in front of the NLRB as I did to HR four years previous. I agreed.

We get to the day of the hearing, and I'm the only one of the four witnesses who shows up to give testimony. Not even "B" who initiated this whole process showed up. They all refused to testify, claiming they wanted no further involvement. Needless to say, I was pissed, and our friendships have been forever altered due to this. I can just never respect any of those guys ever again. Anyway...

Employee "A" s position is that we colluded with one another and lied to have him terminated. As I was the only witness to show, it came down to my word against his, and in the end the NLRB found in his favor and he was rehired about six months ago.

About a month ago , in an attempt to repair a friendship, I reached out to one of the other people who had been a witness and did not
show up to the NLRB hearing. During our conversation he told me that "A" had been rehired. He also told me that in his time back, "A" has told him and another one of the original witnesses, in front of several other employees: " I don't know if you heard, but I'm gonna be suing three people who lied about me to HR and got me fired, but you don't have to worry, because you're not one of them".

Now, I realize that in America you can file suit against pretty much anybody for pretty much anything. But my question is: Is this something I really need to worry about? It seems to me that if five people gave the same testimony, and that is what got you terminated, you just couldn't pick out three of those people to sue. Wouldn't you be compelled to sue all five?

I hope I stated my case clearly, and in proof reading this, it feels like I gave you the Cliffs Notes version. If you need any clarification or more detail, pleas ask. Thank you for your time.

Answer:
 Did you tell any lies? If not, you are in a good position. He would presumably be suing you for slander and the truth is an absolute defense to slander.

Burden of proof is on him to prove you maliciously lied. Yeah he could sue you. Yeah he can sue JUST you or just you and a couple others. If all 5 of you colluded to lie and get him fired, he has legal recourse against all 5 of you but he can pursue each individually.

Good luck!Answer #2: >How concerned should I be?

Until you actually get court papers about a lawsuit; not very. It's pretty easy to make threats like that, especially when mad, or trying to save face.

If you do actually get sued, get a lawyer and talk to your employer/union. Your employers/union may be able to do something or would be obligated to assist since this is work related.

>It seems to me that if five people gave the same testimony, and that is what got you terminated, you just couldn't pick out three of those people to sue. Wouldn't you be compelled to sue all five?

The short answer is no. He could just sue you, he's not obligated to file suit against all five of you. Although why he's only suing some of you might be a question during the lawsuit. Answer #3: > Now, I realize that in America you can file suit against pretty much anybody for pretty much anything.

Yep.

> Is this something I really need to worry about?

Doubtful. It's always possible, like you said, but unlikely.

> Wouldn't you be compelled to sue all five?

Nope.


Title: Ex fiancé cheated on me and now wants the ring back. Is there any way I can keep it? (Minnesota)

Answer:
 MN considers an engagement ring a conditional gift (the condition is marriage).  If the marriage never takes place, the ring must be returned to the giver.  MN makes no provision for who ended the engagement.

If you really want the ring, offer to buy it.


Title: neighbor made a facebook post calling someone in my family a pedophile

Question:
what the title says (mid 40 m) neighbor made a post saying 'i feel uncomfortable that my pedophile neighboor has been spying on my family having a camera at my front door i have grandkids come over from time to time what should I do?' he put our address up too saying this is where the pedophile lives
he has no kids no grandkids it's just him his girlfriend (50 f) and a roommate (26 m) our houses aren't even facing each? is there anything my family can do?
my grandma is terrified that someone is going to show up to our house because of his actions

Answer:
 That sounds like a textbook example of defamation per se, which Texas recognizes.

First things first - thoroughly document the post and any replies by screenshotting - then fill out the form here to MAYBE get Facebook to take it down -  https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/732748663560891

Aftere that, call any lawyer who does general civil litigation to discuss suing them, or at least sending a strongly worded letter letting them know that you have grounds to sue them and expect them to knock it off, if FB didn't remove the content when you reported it.

You can send that letter yourself, or deliver the information via facebook...  but they're a lot more likely to take it seriously if it comes from your lawyer.


Title: [California, USA] I texted a girl who I went on a date few years ago and exchanged total of 10 text messages. She called police to file harassment report I think. The cops called me and left a voice message to discuss further.

Question:
So I went on a date with this girl few years ago and nothing happened to that. I had her contact saved in my phone.

Today I just said "Nice profile picture" as her text message and she was rude to me and asked me to "Lose her number" I was a little pissed off by that message and just called her fat. The total number of texts exchanged was less than 10. She said she will call the police and I thought nothing of that.

After like 6 hrs of that, I got a voice mail from the police asking to discuss more on this case. Can someone file a harassment report over something so small? What are my legal options? Is this a misdemeanor or something? I do not know how to respond to cop's phone call.

Answer: You don't respond to it, you don't answer questions or make statements. Same thing if you get arrested, which is almost certainly not going to happen here if everything you describe is accurate.


Title: [CA] Got a fix it ticket for "tail light" not working, when it is working fine.

Question:
I am a few blocks from home in East Los Angeles when I get pulled over. Went through usual steps license registration insurance. Ask if my headlights are on tell him yes, he tells me tailight isn't working when I have my lights on. He also tells me I was going pretty fast, I was probably like 40 in a 35 mph. Goes to his car to do his thing for like 5 or 6 minutes.

Get back to me tells I have fix it ticket. Accepted it, got home and decide to check it out. Have friend press on the brakes and all my lights work. Had him press brakes with lights on then off a few times to be sure.

After having lunch I go to local CHP let him know. He steps out building doesn't even come all the way to the car see's my lights work just fine and stamps it as checked and working. Its not much but still have to pay dismissal fee to the court. I can live with it but it feels unjust that I have to pay a fee for "fixing" something that was never broken in the first place.

Is there anything I can do or do I just suck the systems dick

Answer: Brake lights and tail lights are not the same thing in many vehicles.  You need to turn on your headlights (which turns on your tail lights) and check again.


Title: (California) Caused Vandalism - Won't get in trouble due to father's career.

Question:
Hey, so I work at a retail store and a group of ~24 year olds came in started acting destructive, knocked down a huge department sign (at least 100lbs), shattering it, then taking off. We have witness statements, gathered video surveillance via CCTV (the fall of the sign even caused a camera in our ceiling to shake and rattle). Anyway, we filed with our local police department. PD goes and follows up with the license plate acquired. They found one of the people regarding our incident, but came back saying that most likely nothing is going to happen, and that they probably wont do anything anyway because the 24 year old's father is an ex-fire chief. We originally just wanted to make sure we got the money to replace it (even though it can get replaced anyway) because we're tired of everyone treating the store like a playground, but now, this seems wrong?

Edit: Thank you to everyone who commented. I appreciate all the feedback. If anything further comes of this, I guess I'll make an update. Take care everyone :)

Answer: the cop is probably saying that will be no criminal charges.  but you can still sue them for civil damages.


Title: Exchange mistakenly sent me bitcoin, must I return it?

Question:
Simply put a user sent a few bitcoin to the wrong address and it went to my address instead of his.
We both were on the same exchange CAD/BTC exchange, so the exchange does have my name/address/number/etc.
The amount is substantial enough to pay off all my existing debts, so I really would rather take the moral low-road here.

I'm from Canada (BC), which doesn't recognize crypto as currency.
I have a meeting setup with a lawyer, but not until Monday.

Currently the BTC is in a personal wallet separate from any exchange.

I want to make sure I ask the right questions on Monday and weigh all options.

[edit].
I'm strongly considering sending it back as DOGECOIN because the fee is 1 doge and fuck him for putting his alleged life-savings into bitcoin.
Topic:
Canada

Answer: It's no different than if you received CAD in your bank account that wasn't intended for you. Legally, you need to return it. Whether or not anyone would pursue you if you don't is another question, and it could go either way.


Title: Brother and his girlfriend will not move out of our parents house

Question:
My brother had his girlfriend come over one day in September of 2017 and since that day she started living in our house out of the blue. Since then they have taken over the renovated basement area and made that into their “home”
My mother is tired of them because his girlfriend has no job and is a hoarder they bring in pets off the streets and let them piss and shit everywhere they never clean or do anything good towards the family or home. My mom was wondering where should she begin in properly trying to remove him from the house because every time she tries to talk to him he gets hostile and she doesn’t want me to accompany her because last time I did he was seconds away from assaulting me (I am his younger brother by 6 years). She is very upset because after a few months of her living with us she set some rules where she was a temp stay until she got a job and could move out but she was to only be able to live no pets or anything and as of now she has 1 dog 2 cats a bird and a lizard she purposely lost her job my mom had got her in her place of work by refusing to work holidays and since has just bummed around in the basement grabbing random objects from the streets as furniture for her and my brother. We are at a loss of what to do and any guidance in what to do would be super appreciated. We live in Chicago IL
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Is there a written lease in place? If no, your mother simply needs to give them a written 30 day notice to vacate. If they're not out at the end of that 30 days, your mom needs to begin the eviction process with the courts.


Title: [MI] Landlord refuses to return deposit

Question:
My landlord refuses to return my deposit for a couple reasons, and I don't think he's legally in the right here:

1.) He claims to have found a cigarette butt in the window. While I can see his concern, I do not smoke cigarettes. The previous tenant was evicted for smoking. He reduced my deposit by $200 for this.

2.) He also claims that the walls needed to be cleaned (yes) and that the carpet needed to be cleaned (also yes, but that was the whole house). Both of these things were true to only a slightly lesser extent when I moved in. The problem is that it doesn't cost $300 to wipe a spot off a wall or get a small carpet cleaned, even done professionally.

3.) In Michigan, you have 4 days after the lease ends in order to get your landlord a forwarding address. I gave my landlord a forwarding address a week prior that was my parents house (I did not at the time have another house) and then on moving day, I gave him the address to my newest house. But, in a rush, I mixed up the last two numbers, which resulted in my severely reduced deposit being returned to the sender. He says this invalid address means that he isn't obligated to return the money, even though he has another valid address.

Do I have any kind of standing here?

Answer: A typographical error when you submitted a forwarding address in good faith and within the specified time limits does not absolve him of responsibility to return your deposit. I would write him a certified letter describing your concerns about the deposit reductions and specifically demand a documented list of itemized expenses being deducted from your deposit or return of your deposit in full within 7 days, or else you will sue for the amount in small claims court. This may be enough to get your deposit back or it may not. In general he cannot issue you fines for things such as a cigarette butt found in the apartment unless you 1) agreed to it in writing or 2) he actually spent $200 to rehabilitate smoke damage to the apartment.


Title: [PA] Is this a HIPAA violation?

Question:
I was referred to a neurologist so I inquired with my insurance to who is in network. I was given two options. Option A is a group of neurologists. For the sake of clarity, let's call them "Neurologists of Hospital A". This group is located in their own practice, down the street from Hospital A. The second option is Dr. B. Dr. B is located within Hospital A, as her own practice. Not affiliated with the Neurologists of Hospital A.

On April 1, I call Neurologists of Hospital A and schedule an appointment. Their waiting list is 3 months long so my appointment is fairly far out but I schedule it. I receive a call on July 5 that my appointment needs to be canceled because their doctor left and they are finding a replacement ASAP. They will call me to reschedule with the new doctor.

So I immediately call Dr. B to see what her waiting list is like, to possibly set up an appointment. Dr. B's receptionist tells me that Dr. B will look into their system to see my symptoms, history, etc. to see if she can help me.

I get a call from Dr. B's receptionist a couple hours later. Dr. B doesn't want to schedule me because I am scheduled elsewhere. I tell her that this isn't the case, that doctor left. Explain what Neurologists of Hospital A told me. Receptionist will talk to the doctor and check.

The next day I get a call from Neurologists of Hospital A that they can reschedule me so I have them reschedule me for July 31. Great.

Dr. B's receptionist called me the next day after this but I missed it so I received a voicemail that Dr. B will schedule me. I forget to call back. I get another missed call from Dr. B a few days later. Same message. Call to schedule. A couple days later, I get a call again. This time I answer. Dr. B's receptionists asks to schedule. I tell her "No thank you, it's no longer needed". She said "Ok", hangs up.

Then yesterday, a week later at this point, I get a voicemail from Dr. B's receptionist stating "I see the reason you canceled was because you re-scheduled with Neurology of Hospital A, so we won't take you on as a patient now or in the future".

I don't understand why they keep going into my chart. I get checking the system because I requested to schedule an appointment, but that should've been it.

I'm just curious.

Answer:
  No, doctors within the same hospital system having access to the same information is not a HIPAA violation. Answer #2: >I don't understand why they keep going into my chart.

They almost certainly are not looking at your chart. The practices very likely share both an electronic health records and a practice management system. They are using the practice management system to schedule you, and it shows that you are already scheduled with the other practice.


Title: [Houston, TX] I'm a minor (15) currently attending virtual school, do all of the child labor laws apply to me?

Question:
I'm a student attending Connections Academy, a public school in HISD that I can do from home at any time I want; I can also take my vacation whenever I want, so long as it adds up to the same amount of days a "regular" high school in my area would end up having taken off total that year. I've been wanting to get a job and I have multiple companies wanting to hire me, but I'm not sure what to say about the laws; if I'm 100% certain they apply to me, I'll for sure tell them. However, I don't want to scare them about child labor laws for no reason if some of them don't end up applying to me, specifically the ones about the times of day and days of the week I can work.

On [The TWC website](http://www.twc.state.tx.us/jobseekers/texas-child-labor-law), you can find that it states that…

*State law states that 14 and 15 year olds:*

* Can work no more than 8 hours in one day.
* Can work no more than 48 hours in one week.
* Cannot go to work before 5 a.m.
* Cannot work after 10 p.m. on a day that is followed by a school day, including summer school sessions when applicable.
* Cannot work past midnight on a day that is not followed by a school day.

*FLSA states that 14 and 15 year olds:*

* May not work during school hours.
* Can work no more than 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week when school is not in session.
* Can work no more than 3 hours in a day or 18 hours in a week when school is in session.
* Can work only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the school year. However, between June 1 and Labor Day, they may work between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

My question is; **Do child labor laws in Texas concerning hours worked apply to a student attending virtual school?**

Thank you!

**EDIT: I had called the TWC and was told that in the state of Texas, I can work between the hours stated so long as I am not scheduled for school in that time, AND if the FLSA is not applicable to the company I am working for. (Which it is not.)**

Thank you all so much!

Answer:
 You would go by the law that's set for students/school hours, not working hours. You aren't an employee of the virtual school. You're a student.Answer #2: >Do child labor laws in Texas concerning hours worked apply to a student attending virtual school?

Yes, as there are no exceptions either in statute or in agency rule for students attending virtual schools.

Also, the FLSA only applies to certain businesses. I'd go through and answer this questionnaire as each of the businesses you're applying to.
http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/scope/screen24.asp


Title: Being threatened to be taken to court for $2500+. What to do?

Question:
This matter is in the state of Pennsylvania.

A few months back a friend loaned me his car to transport one of his friends home. On our way there I scraped the side of his car and the fender needed to be replaced. There where no other damages and nobody else was hurt. I received a ticket for reckless driving and there are witnesses that can attest to this matter. Needless to say my friend was pissed but was understanding as I told him I would pay his deductible to get it fixed. He was understanding about the situation and didn't want the money because I was moving into a new place. Fast forward a few months his car goes haywire and I get a call saying that he needs $2500+ for the repairs to the car. I don't have the money on hand so I told him I was unable to pay and he refused to report it to the insurance. A few days later I find out his mother paid for the repair and is expecting me to pay her back in full. And is now threatening to take me to court over the money I don't have. What do I do?

Answer: Call your auto insurance company and ask if your policy covers your liability for damaging a friend's car while you're driving it.


Title: My friend assisted in his wife's suicide (she had terminal cancer) if he talks to a Therapist about it will they be required to report it to the police?

Question:
My friends wife was dying from terminal cancer and her Doctor gave her some very very serious prescription medications for pain and also explained to them how much to take and carefully explained how much was too much to take. The Doctor told them that she would probably die from the cancer in 4 to 7 days. She was alert and aware and communicative at this time and all the way to the end.

Around day 4 she was in a lot of pain and was ready to go so she asked her husband to help her take a overdose of the pain pills which he did and she was gone in the morning. Her death certificate stated that she died from cancer.

My question is if he talks to a Therapist about this event and explains the specifics of it would the therapist be required to report it to the police? My friend believes that he has never dealt with her death psychologically and wants to get some help from a Therapist or Psychologist to deal with it. I think he may suffer from PTSD due to this traumatic event and that talking to a professional about it might really help him and he thought so too. This took place in North Carolina. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

Answer:
 My training, and I think the law in most states, is that a therapist can or must report only if there is an imminent threat. Oddly, a quick google search indicates that NC doesn't have laws requiring that a therapist report under ANY circumstances.

But the advice already given, talk with a lawyer first, seems wiseAnswer #2: I asked my husband, who is a therapist in IL, and his answer was that a therapist is not required to report events that have already occurred.  I'd take everyone's advice to consult an attorney to make sure this is also the case in NC (he was fairly certain but not 100% on that front).Answer #3: He should probably speak to an attorney first.
Answer #4: I second what's been said. But, my recollection is also that there is no Tarasoff duty here because the crime already occurred.


Title: Making employees sign contracts giving away their rights to statutory pay, and then charging customers an additional fee on statutory holidays (ONTARIO)

Question:
Is this legal? yes/no.

If someone who is outside of the company knows of this misconduct are they obligated to report it? Yes/no

If the second question is answered with a yes, what channels would a third-party go about reporting this? Canada Revenue Agency? Labour Board?

If you are wondering where the additional money goes to the owner takes it home. The owner used to be a personal support worker and then opened up their own agency. They are already in violation of the employment Standard Act, they fire anyone as soon as they take a single sick day even if they have been there longer than 3 months. And they give people a hard time when they book time off.

Answer:
 If you are an *employee*, as opposed to an independent contractor, your employment contract cannot contract you out of the minimum standards imposed by the ESA. See section 5, which says:

> **No contracting out**

> 5 (1) Subject to subsection (2), no employer or agent of an employer and no employee or agent of an employee shall contract out of or waive an employment standard and any such contracting out or waiver is void.

> **Greater contractual or statutory right**

> (2) If one or more provisions in an employment contract or in another Act that directly relate to the same subject matter as an employment standard provide a greater benefit to an employee than the employment standard, the provision or provisions in the contract or Act apply and the employment standard does not apply.

There is no obligation on 3rd parties to report violations. If you want to, report to the Ministry of Labour.

However, if by "statutory pay" you mean extra pay for working on a holiday, the ESA allows for other arrangements. For example, the employer and employee may agree that the employee will work on the statutory holiday at their normal rate, and then will get a different day off instead. See section 27


Title: Can you be told you will be fired before it happens?

Question:
Because my dad was told this on Friday, that he will be terminated on Monday. We live in the state of Georgia. Is this legal?

Edit:
Thanks for the information everyone. I had never heard of someone being specifically told they would be fired in advance, weirded me out. His place of work has violated a lot of labor and ADA laws trying to get rid of him, and he's speaking to lawyers this upcoming week. He is going to go through the meeting Monday and is immediately filling for unemployment, and he's trying to find his old resume so I can update it for him. Again, I really appreciate everyone's input. Thank you.

Answer: Of course it's legal. In fact, you're dad's lucky to have it happen this way. Now he gets the weekend to plan.Answer #2: Would he prefer the element of surprise? I'm confused.Answer #3: Hey, OP, just a thought. I know your dad is probably really upset about this, but tell him to make sure he actually goes in on Monday to be properly terminated. I'd hate for him to decide to avoid it and have the company try to say he just quit.


Title: I accidentally shoplifted some nail clippers. Should I go back and pay for them or forget about it?

Question:
I went into a local store, picked up some nail clippers, and then headed to the deli and purchased lunch. I sat down, ate my lunch, and forgot about the nail clippers in the process. When I arrived home, I only then realized I had the clippers in my pocket, unpaid.

I have absolutely zero problem with going back and purchasing them, but I have heard horror stories about people returning to pay for items and being charged with shoplifting. What is the right thing to do in this situation?

This happened in Washington state.

Answer:
 Go back to the store, walk in, stand in line at the checkout counter, present the nail clippers like you just picked them up, and pay for them.Answer #2: Do not admit having done anything wrong.

You could mail them a letter along the lines of "I believe that I was undercharged on a recent visit to your store.  Enclosed please find my check for $1.49 cents."

Keep a copy of the letter and the check as mailed and also keep the canceled check after it clears your bank.  It may turn out that they never present the check for payment, since they not know how to post it under these circumstances, but your conscience will be clear.

Answer #3: You could grab a pair, pay for it, and put them back on a shelf to be reshelved.Answer #4: Do nothing.Answer #5: If your local store was a mom & pop, it's probably fine to just return the nail clippers. It's only in the big national brand stores that things like this turn into a horror story.Answer #6: Forget about it, seriously.  There is no upside, and all sorts of downside to trying to "do the right thing" in this instance.  The object was of minimal value, and your guilty conscience indicates that you're not looking to make a long criminal career out of shoplifting low-value personal care items.  If you're looking to assuage your conscience, make a donation to a charity in the amount of whatever the nail clippers cost in store.  Or wait until Christmastime and they have the Salvation Army people ringing out front and put a couple bucks in the pot.


Title: If a felony is a federal crime, why do Yellowstone characters bother dumping their dead in Wyoming?

Question:
I don’t get it. In this show Yellowstone, set in rural Montana, they dump some people they kill in a county without inhabitants, nor a sheriff. Ostensibly, that’s giving them reprieve from law enforcement because nobody cares about dead people there.

Makes no sense to me. If they kill someone, it’s first degree murder, and unless the victim is an orphan, somebody will eventually report them missing, and a cursory, zero effort investigation would reveal that they last worked at this Montana farm, not to be seen since.

Am I supposed to believe that the FBI is gonna leave it at that?

Answer:
 Felony does not mean "a federal crime."

There are state crimes that are felonies, and state crimes that are misdemeanors.

There are federal crimes that are felonies, and federal crimes that are misdemeanors,

As a general rule, a felony is a crime punishable by more than a year in confinement.

I've not seen the show and can't offer any insight on what the characters are thinking.


Title: Apparently was going 87 mph in a 65, cop brought it down to 80 mph, but I still got a $200 ticket. Anything I can do about this?

Question: So I was in the passing lane when he got me and he was on the other side of the highway. I honestly don’t know how fast I was going, but he said it was 87 mph, which would’ve been a $450 ticket, so he brought it down to $186 by saying I went 80 mph. I was just surprised I got a ticket because I’ve never gotten a warning for speeding and for some reason I thought they accounted for if it was your first offense. I guess not though. Anyway, is there anything I can do about this? I mean him changing how fast I was going is sketchy, but it kinda worked in my favor. I’ll probably take it to court for a couple reasons, not to mention I’m 19 and don’t have $200 lying around. Also insurance reasons but anyway, let me know if there’s any tips people have.

Answer:
 If you go to court to fight it, the judge will put it back to 87.  You'll pay the higher fine and court costs.

The officer cut you a break.  He did it to be nice.  You should take it, consider it a lesson learned, and quit driving dangerously.Answer #2: Pay it. If you fight this you can expect to get a ticket for the original speed and the higher fine. You don't spit in a cop's face when they cut you a break.Answer #3: You can say "thanks for the break, officer".Answer #4: Your warning came with him dropping the speed. You were going 22 mph over the speed limit. Depending on the state, he potentially lowered the number of points on your license from 4 to 2. I'd be grateful for the reduction and take it.


Title: Employer promised job, made candidate to do job for several days, then backed off.

Question:
[LA] A public sector company interviewed a candidate, tentatively offered him the position, and he accepted it. An exempt position. He was told the official contract would take some time due to the bureaucracy. But from the very next day, his 'would be boss' and several others in the company began to give him work. It has been two weeks. Yesterday, he got a call from HR saying they could not give him the promised job because of budgetary issues. No formal contact was ever signed, although emails show work was assigned and completed.

What are the options for him?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Make sure he's paid for the time he worked and file for UI.


Title: Using medical cannabis at work..

Question:
I work at a grocery store changing prices on the computer/shelf. My manager asked me about a "weed" smell co-workers were smelling on me and I had told him it was medical. About a week later human resources came in to talk with me and wanted to know more about it, but it seems like they want to know to much information.

They want to know "nature of illness/injury that requires the medical marijuana, dosage, the effects under the influence, duration of usage" where the pain is specifically (if it is physical pain), if stress is a symptom of this illness/injury, is the stress related solely to the work environment?, dates you attended the employee, was the employee examined on the above date?, ect

They want this questioner filled out and signed by my doctor. Is this normal for a legally prescribed medication?

Answer:
 Your employer is entitled to information to determine if you are impaired or taking illegal substances while at work.

So, a medical certificate from your doctor is reasonable here if you want to avoid discipline. if this is not a valid prescription with the marijuana sourced through the legal channels (mail order from a Health Canada approved source, not your local pot shop) then you can be facing discipline / termination for using pot during work hours and/or being impaired.


Title: They towed my car for no reason. Proof: they brought it back!

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 I mean, the only thing I can see them remotely doing is refunding whatever you paid when your car was towed.  Otherwise nothing here is illegal.  And its not unreasonable for them to assume the car has been abandoned if 1. They had no idea on file that the car was yours and 2.  The car had not been moved for awhile.

there is nothing illegal about them converting a visitor spot into a private spot either.


Title: I cut lawns in high school. Do I need to pay taxes?

Question:
I don't work for a company. I am 17 years old. I probably make around 4500$ a year.  When do I have to start paying taxes? Thanks for the help. I live in Michigan.
Topic:
Tax Law

Answer:
 I think so.

If you're self employed, then you have to file taxes if you make more than $400.

But it's unlikely that you'll have to pay anything based on that amount.Answer #2: If you file a tax return, since you are a dependent (and assuming you're single) you can claim a standard deduction of your entire earned income, up to $6,300, so you wouldn't owe any taxes anyway on such a small salary.

You can file if you want, but most people in your situation wouldn't bother, and the IRS doesn't care because you wouldn't owe any taxes anyway.


Title: (TEXAS) I went from 0 to 18k in debt after receiving a letter from State Farm Auto Insurance after being wrongfully blamed for a car crash.

Question:
TLDR: A girl rear ended my car,  lied to the cops about my lights not working. Now i'm being charged for her car.

So about a 8 months ago i got rear ended by a girl that i believe was texting. After the police came to ask what happened, she told them that my rear lights weren't working. (My lights were working perfectly fine before i got in the car), I wasn't aware she told them this until months later after i received a police report. The police officer didn't ask me anything about my lights or even gave me a ticket for my lights not working. Yesterday i received a letter from State Farm, saying that i need to pay for her car since it was totaled. Now i am 18k in debt. Don't know what i should do. Help.

Answer:
 Just because state farm says you owe them money doesn't mean you owe them money. They would have to sue you and get a judgment. This is why you have insurance. Where is your insurance in all this? Answer #2: Is State Farm her insurance or yours? If it's hers, contact **yours** ASAP.Answer #3: Wait, so you got rear ended and were found at fault?!

What does *your* insurance company have to say about it? Answer #4: Did you call your insurance company?Answer #5: Contact your insurance company and let them handle it. Send the letter you got. Do not pay State Farm.Answer #6: Yeah, your insurance will step up and defend you against this nonsense. Give them a copy of the letter (they may have already received one). Most auto insurance companies belong to an agreement to first go through arbitration if they cannot agree to which company accepts liability. The State Farm rep would be laughed out of the room.

If, on some very long, very improbable odds, they win their claim that you are liable for the other driver's damages, then your insurance company will pay out. You would only be on the hook if the damages exceed your coverage (if you have only 10k property damage for example, you'd be on the hook for 8k difference). Answer #7: [What happened when you posted about this a month ago?](https://np.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/6h0cbf/so_i_went_from_being_0_in_debt_to_16993_in_debt/)


Title: [FL] Guardian of my father, what to do with his house?

Question:
Hello, I'm not going to go into great detail about how or why I'm Legal Guardian of my father, basically he has a form of Dementia and is in a Assisted Living Facility. I'm his only son, my mother passed away 3 years ago and I have no immediate family. I'm alone on this one. Potential key information:

1. He is on Social Security Disability
2. He recently got accepted into Medicaid

He has a house that is fully paid off; However, it is in rather poor shape and needs extensive (Probably somewhere in the $30,000 mark) fixes. The house is worth roughly $90,000 in poor condition because of the area. I suppose my questions are:

1. Is there a way to transfer the house over to myself. I'm almost certain I can't because of a Medicaid stipulation but i thought i would ask. It was always my fathers wish for me to have the house after he passed. He may have left it to me in a will which leads to my next question,

2. Is there a way to see if he has a will of any sort? In the condition he is in i can't get any information about important things such as this. Is there a I-have-a-will.com sort of thing?

3. What options do I have for fixing the house up while its under his name? Am I able to apply for any loans under my name for the house even if it's under his name?

4. Selling the house - I know most of the process will have to be approved by the court, and when selling the house I have to disclose that the sale is contingent on the courts approval to potential buyers.

If there is anything i potentially missed or you need additional information please just say so. Any help/opinions/suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you

Answer:
 We went through this with our mother. There is no simple answer. When she went into assisted living we sold her home but used that money to pay her rent/services for assisted living. I forget exactly what we did and, more importantly the law has changed since then, but we were able to keep the money until it ran out (there was nothing left to inherit by time she passed, which was fine -- it was her money and we were happy that she could live in a nicer facility than a nursing home for as long as her health allowed her).

Selling the house now would definitely fall into Medicaid's look back period. It is also possible that Medicaid would placed a lien against your father's estate to get their money back. Meanwhile, you still have the expense of maintaining his home -- keeping it habitable.

On the other side, how long do you think your father will live? If your father lives for a long time they Medicaid could take all the money that the house is worth. So then the question becomes do want to "give" them a $90k house or a $120k house?

If you want the house for yourself, it may make more sense for you to just do the basics (pay taxes, keep the house together etc) until you can sell the house to yourself (an estate lawyer can help with the timing) and then make the renovations.

If you are your father's only heir, the house will pass to you whether or not there is a will.

tl;tr -- speak to an elder law attorney in your area who can give you more precise advice


Title: My mother blackmails me and my brother with childhood videos

Question:
Throughout our lives, my mother has taken videos of when either me or my brother have had an emotional breakdown. Often when she takes these videos she acts calm and rational, and then threatens to post them online when we don’t do what she wants. She has done a similar thing to my father, where she has kept nudes of his new wife and plans to threaten to publish them if he doesn’t pay certain bills that she wants him to. I am terrified of her threatening me in my adult life as she obviously has done this constantly, so why should I expect her to stop?

Is there anything I can do legally/rationally to get her to delete these videos?

Also, if you must know the specific content: its either me or my brother screaming, crying, begging her to stop, or expressing anger. After all, most of these videos are from our childhood, and she has taken some from my high school years. I know you may be wondering why a high schooler has emotional breakdowns like a child but, considering the terrible way my parents raised me via emotional blackmail and constant physical abuse (pulling my hair up the stairs, hitting my face, throwing things at me, etc) as well as breaking our belongings (my dad has purposefully broken three of my computers, my mother has threatened to throw out my clothes, they have also punched walls to the point where there are holes in them), I never really emotionally matured, and now its something I’m working on in therapy.

Thank you so much for even having this thread available, just writing it out helps.

Answer:
 Legal issues aside, call her bluff.

&#x200B;

Let her post them.

&#x200B;

This will make her look like the complete screaming maniac that she is, and almost no one will think less of you for something you did when you were a child.

She'll try it once (maybe), lose a ton of face ...and then you will be completely free of this threat forever.


Title: Foolishly denied that I need a court appointed attorney at my first appearance.

Question:
Is there anything I can do to get one now? I though that I'd be making more money than I currently am. I'm charged with a couple misdemeanors. I'm in North Carolina if that helps.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Call the public defender's office serving your courthouse and tell them that you want to apply for a public defender.  Otherwise, make a motion for a public defender at your next scheduled court appearance.Answer #2: Stupid question, have you contacted your local public defender office?

Edit: I meant that my question is an obvious and probably stupidly so one, not the op. I have zero history here of acting in that way. Sorry if I offended you, op.


Title: Scum pretending to be vet, who do I tell?

Question:
I'm sorry that this a weird question, but I thought maybe someone in this sub would know. I can't go into many details of how I know, but here goes:
I know someone who may have used the SCRA Act to prevent a foreclosure. They are not active military or a veteran. I have reason to believe that they have already submitted falsified documentation to the court. I think this is gross. The only reason they are losing the place is because because they got caught not filing taxes, and lost their business license. They have a history of forclosures, tax liens, and ripping people off. Who do I tip off? They've gotten away with a lot of things, but they shouldn't get away with pretending to be a soldier.

Answer: I would say let the court sort it out. You are not involved with the litigation.


Title: Divorced, ordered to pay 1/2 med bills for daughter, ex isn't paying her 1/2

Question: What are my options? Can I take my name off the bills? Daughter is 19. I must pay until shes 21. I don't want ex's bad bill paying habits to affect my credit.

Answer:
 You can file a motion for order to show cause for violation of the court's order. Answer #2: You can pay the bills and sue your ex in small claims court, or regular court depending on the amount.

Answer #3: If in Texas you can file a motion in family court and prove she's not paying her half.

Judge can then setup a medical support order and include wage garnishment to cover the cost of the bills.  Been there, done that.


Title: URGENT: Sister Being Detained by UK Customs

Question:
I'm inquiring because my little sister (19) is currently being detained at the UK border, pending being sent back to the United States. She arrived in the UK via Seattle, with a layover in Iceland yesterday and was detained and questioned about her reasons for going to the UK. She was on her way to visit her boyfriend and his mom, and had only credit cards with her, no cash or debit card. They flagged this as suspicious and determined that her boyfriend could not support her financially during her stay, and that he was potentially recruiting her for sex trafficking (not true). We are US citizens, and she has a valid US passport. They took her phone away and have had her in detention since yesterday (around 12pm PST)

She is currently being held somewhere near London Heathrow, and her flight to Iceland (where she will connect back to Seattle) was cancelled due to a storm. As yet she does not know when her return flight will be. My question is, is there anything that can be done to prevent her from being sent back now, and, barring that, how soon could she go back through UK customs and will she need anything extra to do so? I'm hoping to get her a new flight and am planning on traveling with her to see her through customs and safely to Bristol, then stay a few days. Can anyone advise on this?

Answer:
 She's not going to be allowed to enter.  The real problem was more likely that she told them she was going to visit a boyfriend, which immediately raises red flags.  She probably had none of the documentation necessary to show ties to her life in the US, and they were worried she was going to overstay.

>My question is, is there anything that can be done to prevent her from being sent back now

Very unlikely.  The UK can decide who it lets into their country.

>how soon could she go back through UK customs and will she need anything extra to do so?

What do you mean?  She's not going to be allowed to enter the UK, period.

>I'm hoping to get her a new flight and am planning on traveling with her to see her through customs and safely to Bristol, then stay a few days.

Again, she isn't going to be allowed to enter the UK.  She's going to be put on a flight home.  And she will probably need to get a visa before visiting the UK again.Answer #2: She can ask to speak to a lawyer; several firms have representatives at or near the major airports. However, if the British authorities have made their final decision, it is unlikely that their minds will be changed before the next flight home is available.

The British authorities should tell her what her appeal rights may be and what she needs to do to be able to enter the UK in future. If she turns around at Seattle and immediately tries to re-enter, she is almost certainly going to be denied again. It is likely she is going to need a visa, obtained through the British embassy or consulate, and access to her own money.


Title: Doctor ordered tests even though I explained it was not an issue (VT)

Question:
I'm a 29 year old woman living in Vermont. I've struggled with UTI's since I hit puberty. I got the chronically as a child, had all the tests, and i'm just one of those "lucky ones" that has issues with it. Soaps, any, even it being an overly sweaty day (TMI, I know, but relevant) can trigger a UTI.

I went to express care here, as I had only moved up here and didn't have a primary care. I went in, explained everything I just did to you guys, to them. Peed in a cup, they tested it, got my antibiotics. On my merry way. Co-pay, no problem.

This happens again, like nearly a year later. No big deal. I've been doing really good in the whole UTI battle, but again, this has been my life. Sometimes I can get through them without antibiotics, but I was going on a trip and wanted to be done with it, so I went in.

Repeat the same scene as above. My visits don't last longer then 30 minutes. It's that quick. It's routine for me. I hit puberty in 4th grade. Truly, this has been my whole life.

Anyways, nothing out of the ordinary. Then a bill shows up for nearly $200. It doesn't even tell me what it's for. I have to call and inquire for them to explain to me the Doctor sent in my urine for further tests. I asked them why, especially since I told the Doctor to their face, this is nothing concerning, I have always been prone to them.

I called and disputed it earlier this year. I called my insurance to give them a heads up that I would be. They told me I needed to handle it with the medical facility and if that didn't work to reach out to them.

I was told by the billing department they would handle it. I told them everything I said above, and the woman seemed to understand and agree it was odd.

I never got another bill, or a call back.

Fast forward to today. I got a bill, from *collections* asking for this money. I was livid. I called the billing department asking them what is going on. They explained that the Doctor can order what ever tests they want to. That it went through "review".

My questions are, what are my options?

Also, can this be considered insurance fraud? Because it is not my primary care physician, and I openly stated this is not a concern of mine, is this enough to defend my stance on that this tests were frivolous?

All help is appreciated!

Answer:
 > I asked them why, especially since I told the Doctor to their face, this is nothing concerning, I have always been prone to them.

What *exactly* did you tell the doctor?  There is a huge difference between "this is nothing concerning" and "I do not consent to any lab tests".  Answer #2: I may have missed where you mentioned it, but I don’t see what kind of further testing your urine was sent for. In the setting of recurrent UTIs, further testing, such as a urine culture for confirmation and to determine appropriate antibiotics would be absolutely indicated.

If you were given inappropriate antibiotics and developed a kidney infection and sepsis, you’d be asking why the doctor didn’t send additional testing.

You can discuss with them, but unless it was a wildly inappropriate test, you probably owe for it.

Answer #3: I’m sorry if you don’t want to hear this. I had your same problem and went to a ton of doctors. One put me on a low dose of antibiotics for a year. I went five years without an infection after that and have probably had one more in the next seven years. A good specialist can really make your life easier.


Title: South Dakota DMV accidentally gave my veteran plates to my ex wife

Question:
Hi everyone, here is my situation. I was deployed couple years ago, came back from deployment, bought a car for my wife, few months later she wants a divorce (probably cheated on my with a dude she is dating now). Anyways, in the process she got the car, however that car had veteran plates.
Fast forward to few months after the divorce. I haven't talked to her or kept any contacts with her at all, blocked her on everywhere and moved on. Recently I got a new car, and I go to my DMV to get new veteran plates (because I figured my ex just registred our other car on her name and threw away my plates). But this lady is telling me that our old car is still registered on my name with my vet plates, so she driving with my vet plates for months (and its technically legal because the car is still in my name). At this point I could have simply switched over those plates from her car to my new car, came over to her work and took the plates, all legal, but, been a decent person, I text my ex, and tell her to go register the car in her name and return my plates. I mean she got pretty much everything in the divorce, because I didn't care about the stuff, she got the new car, she is dating whatever dude she thought is better, and some time has passed since the divorce, I figured she must be pretty happy. Nope, bitter and bitchy as ever. So in passive aggressive tone she tells me that I can't have her plates. I explain to her that those are my plates, because I registered them with my DD214 and you have to be a veteran or a family member to be able to drive with those plates on your vehicle, I tell her that this was just explained to me from the DMV themsevles. She like whatever.
So monday comes, she goes to DMV, and registers the car in her name, and gets the plates. Sends me the picture of the registreation, and telling me that she can drive with those plates till like December. I am all like wtf. I am going to DMV, tell them how come they just registered my veteran plates to a person with different last name who has no relationship to me and who is not a veteran? The guy is like, oh I am sorry, one of our new people who work here made a mistake, she didn't know she not suppose to release veteran plates to people who can't have them.
Oh wow, like my luck can't get any worse, but basically by registering those plates to her, they completely removed my name off the plates, so I no longer have no ties to those plates at all. The only thing that is wrong is that she is not a veteran, so technically she not suppose to have those, but if she gets pulled over the plates will come up with her name, and its not gonna tell cops that she doesn't have DD214 in her name, because that's DMV's job.
The DMV called her twice telling her that they made a mistake and she needs to come over to fix it. She ignores them, because why wouldn't she, they can't do anything at this point.
I called my towns police department, and the office has confirmed that I can't legally do anything, he said they might give her a ticket or fine for driving while not been a veteran but I don't think they would even see that in their system.

So I am basically screwed, but here are my questions: DMV messed up, they gave away MY plates, to technically a RANDOM person, who legally not suppose to have and drive with them. So that's like the offenses on their side, they screwed two people with one shot. But of course all they do is just say sorry, and nothing else.
I was wondering can they possibly suspend her driving linecen if she doesn't show up? AND if nothing else happens, is there a good place I can submit complaint that will seriously make them do something about this? Because they work for the state and they don't give two shits about working harder than they have to, which they don't (no offense to state workers out there, but these guys here really not trying to help me out after they screwed up).

Can I get DMV to get me new plates free of charge because they messed up?

Or what are my other options here?

Also as side note, getting new plates is really not that big of a deal for me, and a lot of this has to do with just a point of her driving around with her bf with my vet plates, when I had to sweat and risk my butt off in Afghanistan for a year. Just not right, and I can I would like to get those plates from her.

If this gets any attention, I appreciate any help and advise. Sorry for a long post.

Answer: They're not your plates.  They're the state's plates.  They should issue you new plates, since you paid for a set.  You have no standing to demand that they issue different plates to someone else.


Title: How long does it take for the police to get info from Snapchat? I reported a case to my local department after my son (minor) was catfished. Want to find out who the culprit is. CT

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If the police even choose to pursue the case, it could be months before they get the information from Snapchat. Even once they do, they don't have to disclose that information to you.


Title: Wife and i are separated and less than a month later she is in another relationship.

Question: The title is pretty self explanatory, im currently in VA and she left me to go home to NY. While there she started having sex with another man and is currently in a relationship with him. Could this be grounds for divorce due to adultery?  Would divorce laws from VA or NY apply? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Oh wow, Virginia has some old-school divorce laws.

Speak to an attorney. It may be beneficial for you to move quickly to secure jurisdiction in VA.Answer #2: VA law would apply.

[And yes adultery is grounds for divorce](https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+20-91) without having to wait a year.

Go file the paperwork. You'll need to have her served in NY.


Title: Did ex commit a crime by secertly taking pictures of me? (California)

Question: My ex and I have been married for almost 5 years and have a 5 month old little girl. Unfortunately, she has chosen to divorce me and try to get full legal and physical custody of our daughter. She really doesn't have much of a case, so she has tried fabricating evidence against me several times. Her most recent attempt was to use her cell phone and take covert pictures of me with my daughter during my parenting time in our former residence (I have moved out- long story but was done under legal advice). The pictures simply show me on my cell phone trying to pick nursery rhymes for our daughter, however, she is trying to say that I'm being negligent by being on my phone (her pictures don't show what is on my phone) rather than focusing on our daughter. Now I'm not worried about the pictures, but am wondering if she is committing a crime by pretending to just be on her phone but actually taking pictures. Don't I have some expectation of privacy here?

Answer:
 No crime committed, that I can see. The concept of a reasonable expectation of privacy is more about compromising or embarassing situations - states of undress, for example - than about casual photography of mundane activities.

You're also not negligent by being on your phone while around your daughter. Your ex is making a mountain out of literally nothing - not even a molehill.


Title: [TX] Lawyer in a personal injury case (car accident) has been non-responsive for nearly 18 months.

Question:
So I live in GA, but August of 2015 I was in Abilene, TX when a driver ran a red light and totaled my 4-runner and left me with a rather severe case of "clavicle-smoosh-itess". Driver was insured, I get an overpriced trip to the ER, followed by emergency surgery a few hours later and get discharged the next day to catch a flight home.
It takes about a month or two before i finally get a total on my medical bill which is roughly $60k!!! The fellow how hit me had insurance but it capped out at $30k. Additionally I had UIM coverage for another $60K. I also have my own private insurance from Kaiser (claims TX emergency surgery is out of network).
So, I got a sinking feeling that I was going to get screwed in the ordeal and found a lawyer who seemed on the up and up. Problem is after I signed his contract he's been nearly non-existent. Initially he had pushed my case over to another partner. that partner then quit and i was pushed on to (i believe) a paralegal...who has also since quite. The only info i can get out of his office is they're 'trying to get the hospital to lower the bill...'. That's been the official response since November of last year.
So at this point I'm really paranoid that there's a statute of limitations of some sort that might be coming up.
And now after writing all this I'm not even sure what my question is...I guess I just need some advice. Is this common? Should I try to find a new lawyer this far into it? Is there a statute of limitations and if it passes do i have any legal recourse against the lawyer? Or am i just stressing over nothing?

Answer:
 Listen- this is a big problem in the legal realm. I would immediately draft a letter stating the problem of no communications after numerous attempts.

Send it certified with return receipt or US Priority (someone will have to sign for this).

And, I would immediately start seeking new counsel. If there still time on the statutes you may be OK. If your matter has already been filed, which is unclear from your post, you may be okay but should still seek new counsel.  If it's your understanding that the matter has resolved and you've agreed to settlement amounts then they may, indeed, be trying to reduce your medical bills but you can immediately asked for some type of accounting.  Because there's no excuse for having to wait this long.

Just my humble opinion.

And of the responses and satisfactory you can always report to the disciplinary board


Title: My business partner has started a new business that directly competes with ours. Is this legal?

Question:
Sorry, bit of a long story. Three years ago, I started a business. It's in a field that's always been a bit of a hobby of mine, something I'm very passionate about. I honestly didn't ever think it would make any money. It was more of a passion project - it's sort of a "cause" of mine, something I really believe in.

A local businessman spotted it, and got very excited about the same cause. He'd owned similar businesses before, just aimed at a different market. He offered to buy it, I said no. He offered to buy 49% of it and help me develop it. I said yes. He paid me something like $20k for this. His help and experience were invaluable over the next year or so. The business quickly and unexpectedly started making large amounts of profit. I handled what we actually did, and he handled the business side of things.

I guess he got greedy, and started seeing $$$ signs. He wanted to sell. I had no interest. Made that very clear. He quietly started soliciting offers, got some very large ones. I guess he thought I'd change my mind when I saw the $$ involved. I didn't. He got annoyed. Stepped out of the business completely, left me floundering. I dealt with it and the business is now much stronger.

At first he was still interested in selling his shares for the huge amounts of money being discussed. It quickly became clear that everyone (rightly) considered me the "key" to the business, and no one was interested in buying his shares if I wasn't on board. He then demanded I buy him out, demanding an insane amount of money that I don't have. I said no, he went quiet. He hasn't really been in touch for 6 months or so. Still owns 49% of the business and is still a director.

A few weeks ago I was chatting to a friend of mine who works for him. She mentioned his obsession with some new venture. I googled it after she left, and it was essentially my business. Trying to replicate it in every way. Not doing very well, but trying nonetheless.

Can he do this? We don't currently have a shareholders agreement, but I'm getting one drawn up right now. Can I use this to my advantage at all, force him to resign as a director due to the confliction? I've resigned myself to the fact that i'll be paying him 50% of my profits forever, but if there's any way to reduce the ability he has to influence the business then I'd like to do it.

Location Ontario Canada

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, am in business. Why aren't you on board with another partner buying out his share? Sounds like any interested partner would be better and you still maintain majority control?Answer #2: I am only familiar with partnership law in the US, so take this with a grain of salt, but this sounds like a breach of a fiduciary duty. If he's still a partner, he's not allowed to profit by competing with you. In US law, the remedy for this is disgorgement of all his profits to your partnership.

If there's a person familiar with the Canadian version of this idea to clarify that would be more helpful, I'm afraid.Answer #3: You said you don't have a shareholder agreement...What about a non-compete agreement?  What has your attorney said about this?Answer #4: Why weren't you on board with him selling his stakes in the business? I don't get how you could possibly have a problem with that.Answer #5: Does no one here know the word ['punctilio'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meinhard_v._Salmon)?Answer #6: What is the legal entity of your business -- corporation or partnership.  You say he's a "director" but it also sounds like you have no corporate governance documentation... was there a formal appointment of a board?  Any agreement between the two of you?


Title: [New Jersey] 90 year old grandmother with Alzheimer's disease has a closed credit card account of $4,000 on her credit report. Does she have to pay it?

Question:
Hey r/legaladvice,

My 90 year old grandmother has Alzheimer's and in skimming through her finances to organize what will eventually become an estate, I have found that she has a $4,000 balance on a "closed account" in Experian which I presume means she defaulted on it at some point. My grandfather is still alive and they have been married for 60 years but for some reason this credit card is not on any of his credit reports. For whatever reason my grandpa kept paying the minimum monthly payment of $80 but I told him to stop last month.

Questions below:

1. Does she need to pay this? She has been disabled from Alzheimer's for just over 5 years.

2. What can I can to end this account if she doesn't need to pay it? She only gets social security which I believe is judgement proof.

3. The bank account in which the monthly payment was coming from now only has less than $50 in it and will be closed soon. Should we remove her name from any joint bank accounts? She doesn't need any in my opinion as she is disabled.

4. Can someone with Alzheimer's be sued in a civil lawsuit by a creditor?

5. Is there any more info I can give to help assess this situation?

Thanks again so much everyone!

Answer: yes, she has to pay it.  if she doesn't eventually they'll go after her or her estate.  i think your grandpa was paying it because the debt is owed and he should not stop.  getting alzheimers doesn't automatically wipe out debt.


Title: Kamikazi legal strategy?

Question:
I live in Washington State. I was sued for a debt on a retail sale installment contract by a company that was not the original creditor. I filed my answer, claiming the other party did not have a legal right to the claim for a host of reasons. We went to the hearing and the judge found in favor of the plaintiff and ordered the summary judgment. This was less than 30 days ago. I am representing myself pro se ("fool for a client", I know...)

I'm now considering legal strategies, and the following has been offered (by a nutjob, but a successful nutjob): The Kamikazi defense. Basically, the suggestion is that I mount a pro se legal campaign against the plaintiff that will result in mounting legal costs. File an appeal to the motion for summary judgment. File a countersuit as a separate claim under violations of USC 1692 (FDCPA) and RCW 19.16 (Collection Agencies). File suit against the plaintiff for violations alleged against the original creditor that they are now liable for, etc.  Give the plaintiff every reason to believe that I am willing to drag this out to the last possible moment, and then, if I lose it all, file bankruptcy (which I know is a rather harsh remedy, but I'm not averse).

What are the merits or downside risks to this strategy? And are there any other legal strategies that may be more effective toward reaching a more favorable negotiated settlement?

Answer: The biggest risk is if you do all of that, for which they get to bill their clients for, is at the end of all the litigation in which you will almost assuredly lose, they get a judgement against you for the outstanding debt plus all of their attorney's fees which could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Just pay them what you owe and be done with it.


Title: I was recently fired, and I am wondering how legal some of the things my boss did and said to me leading up to my termination were. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Is there anything I can do that will make it so these managers cannot continue to bully my friends who still work there?

No.


Title: LAWYER PLEASE: an absolutejy ridiculous provision in my wifes photography studio lease....

Question: My wife shares a studio with other photographers. She found a cheaper one close by and wants to go there when her lease is up in Nov. a provision in her lease states that she cannot start her own coop or join another one during or TWO YEARS after the lease is up........WHAT?! So basically she can never leave.it makes zer sense to me. Is this even legal?? She's basically being held hostage. Even though she has signed it, will this be enforced?

Answer:
 Lots of employment contracts have "non-compete" clauses.

Without actually reading the contract, no one here is likely to know how enforceable it is- find a lawyer and get a free consult to ask.


Title: Lyft and Drugs (San Diego, California)

Question:
So, I've been driving for Lyft as a way to get a car and some extra money when I don't have clients.

About a week ago, a situation came up that's been bothering me and I'm not sure what the law would be.

Four people were coming out of a wedding and get into my car, one of the guys has a backpack that he put into the trunk. I didn't think anything about it at the time. (It's fairly common, and there weren't any extra seats.)

However, as he's talking to his fellow passengers during the ride, it starts to come up that he's been handling large quantities of at least cocaine, if not other drugs as well. The discussions I overheard were reaching serious federal crimes for simply possessing the drugs, much less the fact that he's apparently selling them too. (Not as an actual dealer, more being the contact for five or six of his friends who pool their money for discounts, but I doubt the feds care about that.)

Only after I hit the button to pop my trunk as I drop them off does it occur to me that I have no idea what's in his bag. If he'd had a brick of cocaine, would I have been in danger? I could prove that I'd just picked these people up, and that I was driving for Lyft, but I was operating the vehicle and it would be fairly trivial for a passenger to claim that they didn't put the bag in my trunk.

Answer:
 OP, questions like that are really hard to answer because it depends heavily on the cop who pulls you over and that area's policies.

Will you get convicted because someone snuck cocaine into your Lyft? Probably not.

Can you get arrested and have to go through a legal process that might cost you money and time? Certainly. How likely that is depends on the individual cop.

If I were you and I was sure that a passenger had super illegal drugs in the car, I'd boot them and Lyft would orobably back you up. But this is your own personal risk/benefit calculation to make. Answer #2: Uber driver here, I've had a similar situation and given it a lot of thought.

If a passenger gets into your vehicle and you don't know they are in possession or on their way for distribution, you have no liability beyond any normal cab that picks up a passenger. If they start talking about sales and distribution you can plead concern for your safety so you didn't say anything. If you find out they are on their way to make a purchase, you can tell them they'll need to get another ride after dropoff.

Best bet is to make sure you have a dash cam visible, and if conversation turns that way just say "Dude, dashcam. Might want to watch the topic."Answer #3: No, it's been shown that the driver is usually never charged unless proven to be involved.Answer #4: Four people coming out of a wedding one throws a backpack in the back and then they start talking about drug deals?

These are the stupidest criminals I've come across in a while, or they were just trying to get a reaction out of you. Trolls will be trolls.


Title: (New England)I submitted my bill for being the administrator of an estate; lawyer for a beneficiary doesn't want to pay full amount.

Question:
I've asked multiple questions about this estate and I really appreciate all the help I've received.  I was the estate administrator for my father's estate, I was employed by the estate and my fees were set by the estate attorney(EA). My sister and I are the sole beneficiaries of the estate valued at over 3 million dollars. The estate attorney set my fees at $100/hr, and at his suggestion I  submitted a bill to my sister and her attorney(She is mentally ill and got an attorney to handle her inheritance in a trust) for half of my bill.  After giving me the run around for weeks, her attorney sent an email saying he only wanted to pay me $50/hr.

My sister has been verbally and emotionally abusive for the last six months and I have a lot of her harassment recorded on voice-mails and legally recorded phone calls. I also had agreement from her on multiple occasions to my fees.

Is this a common practice? Do people bargain after the fact?  Do I counter-offer or do I have a decent argument for keeping the appointed rate?

Answer:
 Unless you're trying to bill for some outlandish number of hours like 6000, or something that does not sound like an unreasonable number. What she or her attorney want don't matter because you pay yourself out of the estate, right? If she really objects she can sue, and will likely lose. Answer #2: > I also had agreement from her on multiple occasions to my fees.

This is not relevant since she is mentally ill,

>Is this a common practice?

I don't know but common sense tells me that the fees of the administrator should be split amongst the beneficiaries.
edit: or paid out of the inheritance directly.
Answer #3: Could be a misunderstanding. Perhaps her lawyer thinks you're submitting the entire bill, so wants to only pay for that number of hours at half your bill rate. Clarify that first.


Title: Emergency vehicle behind on two lane opposite travel bridges (NC)

Question:
Hello all, this is a theoretical situation for my actual commute.

My commute involves traveling over 2 rather large bridges that have 2 lanes of traffic, 1 each direction. Both of these bridges have no berm and take at least 1 minute to cross.

If let's say an ambulance with lights and sirens on starts to approach from behind what is the legal or safe action for me to do?

I feel like stopping and moving over as far as I can is a no go, there simply isn't enough room and depends on opposite traffic to due the same. Yet driving onwards with my hazards on until I can move over also feels wrong. Speeding up to the end of the bridge I'm sure would also be frowned upon.

From a first responders/legal perspective; what is the legal and a predictable action for me to take? I once got stuck in a situation where there was an ambulance behind me and I had nowhere to pull over and felt panicked.

I'm just wanting to learn how to not be an obstacle in a potential life or death situation for someone else.

Answer:
 In order of priority:

1) Get out of the way in any safe way.

2) Keep moving at a safe speed (below the speed limit) until you can do 1)

Do not run red lights, but crossing the white line a little is generally allowed if it does not pose a risk to other traffic and is your only way to get out of the way.

In your example on the bridge, keep going at the speed limit. If there is enough room to overtake you safely the ambulance/firetruck/etc. will do so, if not, they will follow you until you get to the other side of the bridge and can get out of the way.

If traffic is jammed, pull as far to the right of a single lane street as possible to create an opening in the middle for the emergency vehicle to pass through. Ideally you (and everyone around you) should be doing this all the time in traffic jams, because it's difficult to do once you're actually stuck in traffic.

If there are multiple lanes in the same direction, and no hard shoulder for emergency vehicles to use, the left most lane pulls as far left as possible, while every other lane goes as far right as possible.Answer #2: (Told to me by a cop in Indiana, may or may not apply in NC.)

Move as far to the right as you safely can.  In most cases, there's actually enough room for three cars across, so if both sides get as far to the right as they can, the emergency vehicle can probably get past in the middle.  If they can't, keep moving at a safe speed until they can.


Title: [Delaware] can I get in trouble for not identifying the man who sexually assaulted me?

Question:
I was sexually assaulted less than a week ago.  I want to go for STI testing because he didn't use a condom.  And I'm worried he damaged something so I want an exam too.

If I go to the doctor and admit to this, will they contact the police even though I don't want them to?  Can I be forced to identify him or face obstruction charges?

I don't want to persue this legally because I'm married.  My husband isn't the most emotionally mature guy and there's a very good possibility this would destroy our marriage.  We have kids so I'm not willing to take that chance.  I know not reporting this makes me a selfish person.

Answer:
 Listen to me.

**THIS.  IS. NORMAL.**

No one is going to make you prosecute.  No one is going to force you to cooperate or testify.  No one (who matters) will think any less of you or judge you for your decision to pursue this (or not).

Lots of victims decide both ways and the only person who can decide what the right decision for you is is YOU.

So don't let this get in the way of you getting yourself the medical attention and help that you need.

Take care of you. If you change your mind later you do.  But don't worry about it until then.Answer #2: If you are an adult no one can force you to do anything, and no doctor can divulge your personal information.

I suggest however that you speak with a trauma counselor. Your doctor can very likely recommend one for you.


Title: Made a good faith disclosure regarding ethics violations in animal research. What does retaliation look like for my position? (TX)

Question:
Hi y'all!

I'm a research technician at a respected institution in Texas.

Because my direct supervisor is currently on medical leave, I emailed her a description of extreme animal culling that made me uncomfortable. She forwarded this directly to our Principal Investigator, who was also out of town.

In their stead our lab manager sat down with me. She referred to me as a whistle blower and instructed me that, per our PI's instructions, I was to have no part in animal research research from that day forward. In addition to being told to enter the facility under no circumstances, I was told in writing to hand over all samples already collected from mice as I was not even permitted to perform bench work with those.

When my PI returned a few days ago he also sat down with me and did not address the ethical side of the issue at all. He told me I had been dismissed from animal research for having "an emotional reaction" and asked more than once whether animal work was in my job description. I told him that I didn't know, which is the truth.

Since my colony was so overgrown it took up ~50% of my time and energy in the lab. Because I have been given nothing in the way of an alternative assignment, I am now struggling to keep myself busy throughout the day and feel like I am under a microscope in terms of productivity.

For instance, even though I cannot see where packages are delivered from my bench/desk in the lab I am in the habit of checking a few times a day, yesterday the lab manager, who has her own office and does not work in the lab itself, reprimanded me for not having received some packages when they know how I usually handle deliveries and have never complained before.

I hope I'm being paranoid, but it feels like they've removed my duties and are getting ready to fire me under the guise of being unproductive. It probably bears mentioning that I am off to grad school in the fall and only have something like sixty working days left in this lab.

Were they in the right to remove me from animal work in the first place? Would this constitute retaliation if they do discipline me for an ostensibly "different" reason like lack of productivity?

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, but work in research admin. Your institution must have a protocol in place for reporting animal welfare concerns, as it's an OLAW requirement; did you report this way as well, or just go to your supervisor? Typically these also include whistleblower policies and ways to send concerns anonymously to avoid precisely this sort of issue, but if you haven't submitted your concerns via the "proper channels", it may be harder to get administration backing for whatever backlash occurs.
Answer #2: Can you describe what you mean by "extreme culling?" Are unapproved methods of euthanasia being used, because then IACUC will absolutely flip and in my experience, the PI can possibly lose all access to the animal facilities. But if you're talking about being uncomfortable with the amount of mice that are being euthanized, that's more of a personal complaint as opposed to an IRB violation. If you're at a public institution you should be able to find your institutions veterinary standard protocols, because I doubt at this point the lab manager will let you see the IRB approval for that particular grant. If for some reason there are restrictions on mouse euthanasia numbers, which is very unlikely, you don't really have a leg to stand on bureacratically.


Title: [Washington]. Need ex-girlfriend help. Restraining order/No contact order, etc.

Question:
The State placed a restraining order on her to me about a year ago. During this year we have decided to ignore the order and remain living with each other.

I found out that she was cheating last week and the police got called from a third party, basically trying to "help me" and get her out of my house. She was arrested and released the next day.

On Friday 8/11, she kept calling me while I was at work because I changed the locks to the front door and she wanted to get in and get clothes, etc. I told her I wouldn't leave work. She said if I didn't come back immediately, she would come down to my job and make a scene. She said she would tell my boss about me stealing random items (I work in a grocery store).

I ended up driving back and had the police informed that I wanted a civil standby for her to get her things. They didn't show up immediately and she was screaming on the street, so to help my neighbors not hear any more I opened the front door. The police showed up and arrested her for being within 500 feet. She was released Monday.

I just want to know what I can do about her personal belongings. Can I carefully put them in boxes, not breaking any of them? And put them in the corner of my house so I don't see her things everywhere I look?

She is pregnant too, about 7 weeks. She told me that she will terminate it, but then jokingly said she should keep it so she can get child support from me. I told her if she were to have my child that I would take her to court the minute it was born and prove how unfit of a mother she is and take the child.

I don't have money for a lawyer but realize this might be the only route. Does r/legaladvice have any advice for me prior to contacting a lawyer?

I really appreciate it.

Answer: Wasn't this posted last week and you were arrested for attempting to prevent the police from entering because she was in the shower? I can't imagine a judge is going to take your efforts to prove the other parent is unfit is going to work out the way you hope. You need to extract yourself from everything having to do with this woman up until there is actually a child then you need a paternity test. You should not speak or interact with her at all except though the lawyer you should get to help you untangle the mess.


Title: (OR) I used my inheritance for a down payment. Thinking about divorce

Question:
My wife and I have been married for about 1.5 years. About a year ago we bought a house together, however the entirety of the down payment was inheritance from when my dad died. I inherited the money before we were married. Looking into getting a divorce now and I’m planning to ask for the down payment back in full and 50% of equity. Curious if there is any entitlement there or am I going to be out half (or more) of the money.

Thanks for reading.

Answer:
 Inheritance is almost always considered to be separate property... Until that money is commingled with marital property. But using the inheritance on a down payment on a house you bought together, that's pretty clearly what you did.

You need more specific advice from your divorce attorney.Answer #2: Inheritance money is generally protected from divorce, but then you went and intermingled it with a marital asset.

Having said that, Oregon is an "equitable distribution" state so you should certainly be entitled to 50% of equity on the home.  The argument for the full return of the downpayment is going to be tough to make.  You'll want to review your mortgage paperwork; you may have signed away your ability to recoup the full downpayment as a condition of paying it.


Title: Girlfriend got into a car accident but the other person's insurance will not pay

Question: Last Wednesday my girlfriend got into a car accident which occurred because a guy merged into a lane that she was already in.  The police arrived and ruled it the other guy's fault and even cited him a ticket.  My title was a little inaccurate because his insurance has not yet denied the claim, however, when my gf spoke to her insurance (Allstate) they told her that the other guy's insurance (Maryland Auto Insurance Fund) might deny the claim because they are a notoriously bad insurance company.  Now I don't see how this is legal given a conclusive police report.  Is this legal? Also, how should we pursue this is his insurance does deny the claim.  Also, my gf's insurance is only liability so them covering her damage is out of the question.  thanks for any help

Answer:
 The insurance company does not owe your girlfriend anything.

The driver who hit her (if he is at fault for the accident) is the liable party here.

So if the insurance company does not pay the claim, her recourse is to sue the other driver in court.  If the policy says that his insurance company will pay, then they will pay if she wins the lawsuit.  If she wins and they don't pay, then the other driver will have to pay out of pocket.


Title: [CA] UPS charging me over double their initial quote in added customs/brokerage fees

Question:
TL;DR:  I agreed to a quote from UPS Supply Chain Solutions (UPS SCS) to ship some shoes from China to California for $941.96.  After paying $1,012.33 for the services and accepting the shoes on delivery, UPS SCS sent me another invoice for an additional $1,299.62, citing their original quote had fine print mentioning that it could be changed at any time, and a bunch of legal fine-print speak I don't really understand.  They are now threatening to send it to third party collections if I do not pay.

Longer story:
I own a small business selling shoes.  In April 2015, I contacted UPS SCS to get a quote for shipping shoes from China via Ocean Freight, via a Port-to-Door service (the manufacturer would take it to the port, and then UPS would take it from there to the door of the warehouse I was using).  The quote totaled $815.02, which I agreed to, and added another $126.94 for All Risk Insurance, totaling $941.96.  Looking at this now, there is a large fine print section that mentioned I'm responsible for any and all other fees associated with the shipment, among all kinds of other things.  I was naive, and didn't think much of this; my thinking went "I'm asking for a Port-to-Door service, and have supplied information on the goods I'm shipping and their worth; surely they've taken that into consideration and this is the amount I'll be expected to pay".

UPS SCS took over two months after my agreeing to the terms to finally get my account set up and get my goods on a boat.  I would go over a week with no communication, and would have to contact them for information.

Once the goods were on their way, I was told my balance due was $697.33.  I was happy with this, as it was less than my original quote.  I paid it quickly.  However, I was then told that the person had made a mistake, and I would have to give a check to the truck driver on delivery for $270.00, which I did.  At this point, I'd paid $967.33, which was slightly higher than me quote, but I was happy to finally have my goods.

Around 2 weeks later, I got an invoice for $315.00, but with a pen they'd written -270.00 on it to sum to $45.00.  I again paid this, just because I wanted to be done with them.  This was around early-mid August 2015.

In mid October 2015, I received a statement in the mail saying I had an open invoice for $1,299.62, and that it was late so I was being charged a late fee of $19.49.  I thought there was some mistake, so I contacted the person that had originally billed me and they didn't know what it was so they'd research it.  Meanwhile, I checked with my bank and confirmed all my previous checks had been cashed, thinking maybe the just misapplied my payments.  After 2-3 weeks, with my asking for updates, the person I contacted finally said that the $1,299.62 invoice was for brokerage charges, which were separate from the freight charges, and it was a valid invoice.

I collected all the information I had of my quote and the slow and inconsistent communication I'd received along with a summary of everything in a letter and mailed it to the remit address and to the LA UPS SCS office.  This was mailed out around mid-November 2015.

In late December 2015, I was contacted by someone in A/R, who I e-mailed the letter and supporting documents.  She said she would send it to their disputes department in January 2016.  I never heard anything back.

In August 2016 I was contacted by a different person in A/R, and when I mentioned the previous A/R contact I was told they no longer worked with the company.  This new person said she would send it to disputes after I send all my documentation again, which I did.  Then at the end of November 2016 she said it was off dispute and that rate quotes don't include brokerage charges.  I asked again in an e-mail when I would have agreed to them, and why my service was so poor, but she just replied that they needed payment by December 14, 2016 or my account would be closed.  After that date passed, I received another e-mail that if payment wasn't received by December 29th, 2016, it would be sent to a third party collections.

I feel like there should be Consumer Protection laws in place to avoid
1) me having to pay $2,311.95 for a service I was quoted as being $941.96, no matter what their fine print says, and
2) for being asked to pay 4 times for the same service.  If they couldn't get it right the first time (or second, or third), can they really keep sending invoice after invoice, when the goods have already been delivered?

Finally, I’ve since made the exact same sized shipment from and to the exact same places with another carrier using Air Freight, which is much faster and typically more expensive than Ocean Freight.  The total cost was $1,925.59, so I feel like $2,311.95 for Ocean Freight is a huge rip-off.

I'm not really sure how to handle this.  I’m hoping this can get settled without it going to a third party and affecting my credit.  I e-mailed a consumer lawyer on Sunday, but have yet to hear back.  Can anyone give my any advice on how I should handle this?  Is my outstanding balance of around $1,300 worth fighting for and possibly having it on my credit report and affect my credit score, or should I just pay it?

Answer: I am not a lawyer but I work in logistics for a Fortune 500 company and the fees you are reporting are not out of the ordinary, in my professional experience.