Title: 65 year old uncle is being evicted from his hud apt. Was hoping to get some insight on what his options are

Question:
For the past 10 or so years my uncle has been living in a low income hud housing  apt with his mother RIP! She died in April. It was pretty tough on him being that they lived together for the past 25+ years (the two of of them had some real issues) but he can still afford to pay rent.

However  about a week later The housing management told hm that hud housing apartments requires 2 ppl to be living in a 2 br apt not just 1 (and I think it has to be family too) so unfortunately he's gotta go.

Like I said he's got some issues to begin with, buts?between his mom dying and him now facing eviction he became a panicked, nervous wreck. Obviously should have just left like they asked him to a couple of months ago, but instead he didn't do anything . I think the stress got to him and a couple of weeks he had a heart attack. He was in the hospital about 3 days and when he got released he saw a letter saying he's gott be out by the 12th.

He thinks he's got a case and should be allowed to stay or to at least have an extension on his eviction due to his health.

What do you think

Answer:
 Does he live in a Public Housing property, or an affordable housing property with Project Based Section 8?  If it's a PH, he could ask for a transfer to a community with studios/one bedrooms. If it's a stand-alone property (or there are LIHTC's at their other properties that prohibit transfers) that doesn't have the appropriate bedroom size, he's out of luck. HUD won't subsidize a unit that could house more people who need it except for rare circumstances.

He can file a grievance to request more time, but that's not likely to work as the owner has very little ability to grant exceptions to HUD rules. However, if he has severe health issues and his care provider believes he has a need for a live-in care provider, he could submit a request for reasonable accommodation. If it's done correctly and he's approved, this could allow him to stay in the two bedroom as long as he moves someone in to assist him with his needs.


Title: Terminated after reporting harassment

Question:
After three months probation which I was harassed verbally, bullied,  & neglected of training. I feared termination and so i waited to report the  harassment after probation ended.  The day after probation ends,  I am suddenly asked a probation extension.  I argued the unfairness and report the harassments that has been goingon and we agree to adjourn.  Next day I after multiple meetings about the harassments He verbally agrees to write not to you extension as a reason to terminate but will transfer if I can not do the job which I thought great Ill just be perfect.   The following day my coworker gets called in to confirm some bullying statements which is confirmed and also through a text to me explaining what was discussed. I have the first copy of probation extension  still   Proving the intention to keep me and now With evidences more apparent I was fired and company neglecting i reported anything but I have text showing  that it did occur.

Some lawyers dont want my case I dont know why. I heard because of the short employment.  Iono.  Im really stressed but did file federal complaint.

I need damn good legal ammunition.

Answer:
 Lawyers are not interested because being mean to an employee is not legally actionable.

Were you harassed because of your membership of a protected class? Was the harassment sexual?Answer #2: Can you specify the harassment you endured?  Much perceived harassment and discrimination is not actionable.

I also suspect you weren't fired because of your reporting but rather because you were a probationary employee that complained about the extended probation in addition to other perceived injustices.  In 49 of 50 states you can be fired for any reason, including management not wanting to work with a temp that's already complaining.


Title: Wife's Employer who is also her cell phone provider is threatening to suspend cell service while they are at work. (NC)

Question: My wife works for a local cell phone company in Western North Carolina. Due to employees using personal phones too much while on the clock they are tossing around the idea of suspending their line of service while they are on the clock without their consent. I would understand writing them up or even confiscating their phones while they are on the clock but this seems illegal to me, especially since not all employees have their service through that company. How would they apply this idea to an employee who has service through Verizon etc.? I know that as a provider they can choose to suspend a customer at anytime but my wife has only ever seen this happen if an account was delinquent on their payments, or if they had a significant data overage. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on what she should do? Thanks.

Answer:
 Talk about making a simple problem complex. I suppose some techy thought "Oh I bet most of our employees use our service, how can we stop them using it during work hours?" (which may well be true with the sort of discounts they  are likely to have). But they've missed the whole **reason** why they would wish to stop people using theri cell phones during working hours. And the simplest answer to that is: tell them they can't. If they are found using them, issue a write up. Repeat.

I suspect that when someone logical looks at this they will go with the whole, you can't use your phone at work. And if they don't then your wife should probably be looking for another job because these are idiots.


Title: [Indiana] Company Wants To Install GPS On Personal Vehicles

Question:
I work for a company, and we are switching to a monthly allowance for vehicles. (This doesn't affect me-that I'm aware of.) They have decided that all rights to the vehicles are now going to be under the employee's names. (Insurance rates, costs, etc). So, they would give JOE $1200 a month for a vehicle payment, insurance, etc,. JOE would then pay everything under his name. (Or, JOE could pocket the money and just use his XXX brand car, as long as it's reliable and has insurance.)

However, they now want to install GPS monitors in those vehicles. (And, possibly, by extension anyone that is using their vehicle for work...which I do...so that's why I'm panicking a little.)

I've looked around, and haven't found anything that's close to this scenario.

Answer: You can say no. You can just write off travel expenses on your own taxes. They can fire you for saying no. You can apply for unemployment.


Title: (IN) Pending Divorce - Wife wants half my inheritance

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 She's full of it.  Her lawyer will disabuse her of the idea.Answer #2: It doesn't matter what state you are in because nowhere would she be entitled to your future inheritance.  Its hilarious she thinks she could be. Answer #3: Your children wouldn't have a claim to it until you (and your ex-wife, if it were marital property) died, unless they were specifically mentioned in a will changing intestacy succession. Your ex-wife sounds like a terrible person and is full of crap.

Even if she wasn't, she has zero claim over any funds while they belong to your parents/father. You have nothing to worry about here, she's just trying to make your life harder.


Title: Can an employer force employees to establish a LinkedIn account? (PA)

Question: The CEO of my company wants all of us to have LinkedIn accounts with a copy/pasted company description to gain more exposure on the site. Is this legal? I prefer to keep no social media accounts related to my real name.

Answer: They can fire you for refusing.


Title: I Suspect Somebody Has Been Coming Into My Apartment When I'm Not Home

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Get a camera and a carbon monoxide detectorAnswer #2: Set up a camera to record your living space. You will find out soon, if your assumptions/fears are legit or not. Answer #3: Of course you can contact police, I would try non-emergency number perhaps you can persuade an officer to do a safety check tomorrow when you are not there or now if you aren't there at time.

But without more evidence there isn't much they can do.


Title: US-Canada border

Question: Quick question, I was at the border yesterday and they asked me if I had been arrested before.  Now I have, but I was not convicted.  I answered truthfully, but am I required to disclose this?  If not convicted, can they see this information?  I am wondering because if I am with extended family in the future, they may ask in front of them, and it would be embarrassing and uncomfortable as they are not aware of this history.

Answer: Yes you are required to disclose this. Yes they can potentially see this issue. You have absolutely no right to be entitled to enter another country and they can pretty much check everything you tell them.


Title: Wife reported my credit card use as unauthorized.

Question:
Location Tennessee. My wife had a credit card account I was an authorized user on. An account I paid on. Recently she told me she cancelled the card so that recurring payments would stop. She then reordered a new card and upped the credit limit. All things I knew because i had access to her online account. I logged on an applied points the balance things like that.

Well I used the new card to pay our cell phone bill which was two months behind and about 150 dollars in other things. She reported the use as unauthorized. And told me about it. She had apparently removed me from the account a week or so prior. She never told me this. We are currently living apart and proceeding to divorce. But no paperwork has been done.

I've offered to reimburse her for the charges, but she insists the bank has already removed them. I offered the bank. They said that they wouldn't know how to accept payment.

What are my legal ramifications? She is of course attempting to hang this over my head during the divorce proceedings. Would I be charged with fraud for this?

Answer:
 >We are currently living apart and proceeding to divorce.

Okay, one major question to clarify:

>She then reordered a new card and upped the credit limit.

If you're living apart and moving towards a divorce, how did you get access to this new card?


Title: Ex-roommate/co-worker recorded me masturbating and spread it around my work. What are my choices?

Question:
CA

I would like to take legal action against a former roommate who I used to work with. Sorry for formatting, I'm on mobile. TL;DR at the bottom

Not sure if this is relevant, but I'm autistic and the roommate/coworker (i'll call her B23) definitely has mental health issues. In 2014 I moved in with B23 and her roommates because I needed a place to stay. B23 says I can crash on her couch for a couple weeks and move with her and her roommates as they were getting ready to move soon anyways. Turns out, they weren't ready to move at all, they had merely talked about moving. So things start off okay and then quickly realize that its not going to be a couple of weeks, and she's crazy. Like, r/raisedbynarcissts crazy + some more crazy. She became emotionally and psychologically abusive until 2016 when I moved out.

The Talking

This isn't (just) a rant, I'm going to detail *some* of the ways she was abusive. She would talk nonstop. I don't mean she would talk a lot. I mean she would talk *nonstop*. And her voice is naturally loud and nasally. She would ask us a question, answer it herself and then *argue* with herself *at* us, as if we were saying anything at all. If we did say anything, she would twist it around to some kind of personal fault that was wrong with us (even if it was unrelated to what we actually said). Anything and everything she said was negative. If we all enjoyed something, she would nitpick little things that didn't matter and then challenge us on them as if we cared about the nitpick or cared that she disliked whatever we were watching/playing/discussing (which was everything). And this isn't the kind of thing where you could just ignore her, she will keep challenging you even when you tell her you don't care or don't want to talk about it. I didn't have a room, so there was no escaping it. Even my roommates would go to their room and she would follow and yell through their doors. The bathroom is my only safe haven, and even then she would just talk through the door. She would talk until 1am. After I had told her I was going to bed. After I was in bed. After I had my fucking eyes closed, she would still be talking. If I said she was keeping me up, she would start to make dinner, stop to keep talking, and then finish up making dinner. So you're just living in this constant swirl of loud negativity that you can't get away from.

The Hygiene

She would occassionally shower. Only did her laundry once a month *if* her boyfriend was coming over. If he didn't, she didn't do laundry. We have a rule in the house that whoever makes dishes, does those dishes. If Person A fails to do their original dishes, then Person A does dishes for anything put in the sink by Person B, C, or C until the dishes are cleared. The only exception: if you share your food, whoever else ate the food does the dishes. 1 person pays and cooks and the others do the dishes. Seems fair, right? She would cook huge meals for everyone, that no one really wanted, but if you rejected it, you got an emotional earful about how your a monster. So we would be guilted into taking the food, thus having to do the dishes. Food wasn't that good, and she had horrible hygiene habits, so even if it was good we didn't want to eat it. Eventually we just said we weren't hungry and ordered our own food. She never cleaned her dishes. It became incredibly clear she was gonna cook food that she was already going to cook regardless if we were eating or not, and then stick us with the dishes. She seemed to intentionally make dishes worse than they needed to be. We would not clean her dishes (we didn't want to teach her we would do it if it got bad enough) and it built up for months. She would leave food out for days, then eat it. She would fill the fridge with her food, that she wouldn't eat, and it would rot. We couldn't even throw out leftovers to make space, she would rant. If we left the leftovers in, she would rant no one ate it (after we told her we didn't want leftovers). She would fill up the freezer with her food, and she never ate it, and we weren't allowed to throw it out. So we had no room in the fridge for our own food, we had no room in the freezer for our own food, and she would eat anything we put in the pantry. Meaning we basically had to eat out or not eat. Any food you did end up buying to cook with, she would use as if it were here, and claim it is okay to do so. She would leave her trash in everyone else's space. She would leave suitcases right in front of the front door, which was also the middle of the living room. We could not put anything by her door or she would freak out. Then she would say *everyone* was to blame for the mess.

The Manipulation

Shortly into my stay my car had broken down beyond repair. So I was taking the bus/Uber, but that was either time consuming or expensive, so she lent me her car. Nice gesture right?
Until I disagreed with her, said something in a particular way she didn't like, or sometimes she just felt like moody about whether or not I deserved the car. So I would be asking her if I could use the car and she would let me know at the last possible minute, usually 1am-2am before work the next day. So I'm constantly in a state of wondering if I need to get up early enough to take the bus, or if I need to spend a bunch of money on an Uber just to get to work, which if she's keeping me up until 2am to tell me, fucking sucks. She would do things like buy someone a meal now and then or just a nice small gesture. Then she would hold it over you like she saved your life. She would *take* stuff from us, the replace it with a shittier cheaper version, and then act as if she was god for replacing it.

The Emotion

Us as roommates were suffering for a while before we talked to each other about the issues going on. None of us wanted to say anything about it because she had mental issues, but it had gotten to a breaking point. So we started just venting to each other and it felt so amazing. It was like escaping from her for a few moments. It became such a nice release, that we started texting each other when she would get into one of her episodes. This went on for a while before she caught one of my roommates slip on something they said. Obviously, B23's feeling were hurt, but instead of fixing the issues we had with her, she decided to double down. Only this time it was much more difficult to have a release for it. We started talking when she wasn't home, but getting the 3 of our schedules to align never really happened. Then people at work started telling me she was crazy. (Quick flashback: she had gotten the 2 largest departments and all of the managers to *loathe* her to the point someone threw out her phone to make her miserable). So as they're venting about how she's horrible at work, I couldn't keep it bottled in anymore. With everyone talking about how awful she was, I started telling them things that were light (in comparison to the monster she is I guess). They two faced me, and told her stuff that I said and was nice to my face. In turn, she decided to record the living room (and me masturbating) and show it to my coworkers so they could all laugh at me behind my back. B23 and my coworkers kept gaslighting me for months.

TMI TIME:

For autistic people, when we get stressed, we often do repetitive movements as it releases a lot of stress (idk how it works, it just does). For a lot of autistic people, masturbation ends up being one of those stress relieving things because it's a repetitive motion that ends with a dopamine rush. So she basically stressed me the fuck out, recorded me dealing with that stress, then made my life more stressful behind my back. People would come up to me and make inside jokes to my face that I would have no clue about. They would laugh at me while walking away.

Now, I would like to take legal recourse. I'm an anxious, emotional wreck, and I feel she really needs to face justice. I don't have money for a lawyer, and she doesn't have enough money (her bf does) to really get anything from a settlement. I'm okay with jail time. Any help would be very much appreciated.

TL;DR Roommate/coworker made me live in her filth, she never let me get sleep, my day to day transportation was always up in the air due to her, would yell at me for things that didn't need anger at all, and showed videos of me masturbating to my coworkers after I vented about her being psycho. I would now like to take legal action.

Answer:
 80% of your post is irrelevant. Her bad roommate habits have nothing to do with anything.

Employment law/sexual harassment in the workplace can't help you deal with her, since she no longer works there.

In CA, revenge porn is a crime. Make a police report and bring all the evidence you have, or names of people who have information regarding this. She may have a defense that you weren't in private, but she still intended to harass you. Make a police report.

Civilly, you may be able to sue for intentional infliction of emotional distress. HOWEVER, you're likely only to win the court saying that you're right and maybe nominal damages (like $1). You have no actual damages, you still have a job, you haven't lost wages, so there's no money she made you lose, and therefore nothing you can recover. Also, it doesn't matter what her boyfriend has, he didn't do anything to you.Answer #2: Did she come in your room or were you masturbating in a common area?Answer #3: I didn't read all of this. Where did the recording take place? How do you know it occurred?

 Everybody masturbates. Get passed that part.


Title: [FL] I need help understanding the guidelines for public facilities charging a person whose vehicle displays a disabled parking permit to park?

Question:
So first of all, I do have a disabled parking permit due to my disability. Here is the text found in [this link](http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/faqdpp.html) about this matter:

> Free parking is granted to the driver of a vehicle transporting a disabled person who has the properly issued permit or special license plate, on public streets and highways in areas used for public parking. Where a parking meter is present, such a permit allows free parking for up to 4 hours, unless more time is permitted by local ordinance.

> Please note that the law allows certain public venues to charge parking fees to persons with disabilities as follows: Counties and municipalities may charge a fee for parking a vehicle with a special license plate available to persons with disabilities or transporting a person in possession of a disabled parking permit in the following settings: government lots that are used for entertainment, such as convention centers, cruise port terminals, sports stadiums, sports arenas, coliseums, auditoriums and at facilities or lots that provide timed parking spaces.

> An airport that owns, operates, or leases parking facilities, or any other parking facilities that are used for the purpose of air travel, may charge for parking vehicles that display a disabled parking permit or have a special license plate available to persons with disabilities. However, no county or municipality may charge fees for parking in its timed or metered parking spaces, and no publically owned or operated airport may charge parking fees, for a vehicle with specialized equipment used by a person with a disability, such as a ramp, lift, or foot or hand controls, or for utilization by a person who has a disability or whose vehicle displays the Florida Toll Exemption permit is also entitled to free parking in these locations.

After reading it, I still don't understand it. I am asking specifically because today I was forced to pay $6 to park in [Hollywood North Beach Park](http://www.broward.org/Parks/HollywoodNorthBeachPark/Pages/Default.aspx) which is owned by the county and consists simply of a parking lot that leads into the beach. It does not fall in the category in which they can charge me for parking. Could you guys please tell me if I was charged against the law those $6? Also, could you help me understand better where I can park for free and where I have to pay?

Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 Seems to me to be pretty clear that it falls under:

> government lots that are used for entertainment


Title: UPS screwed me and I want to take legal action, what do I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Wow, calm down and deal with your mundane customer service problems like a normal, rational person. If they don't refund you and don't deliver the item, look into a chargeback.Answer #2: I'm really confused as to what could possibly be in these packages that was so mission critical that it takes 18 packages to ship and requires 10+ calls to UPS when the two trucks don't arrive exactly simultaneously.

Like if you had left it well alone you would have gotten your stuff today.

If it was so important that you HAD to have it day-and-time guaranteed, you should probably have sent it First Overnight. If not...this is a lot of drama that doesn't make sense.Answer #3: You're on the internet, you can cuss hereAnswer #4: Um. All of this can be handled properly from here on as long as you don't talk to the customer service representatives like this... Shit happens. Some people make mistakes. If you're patient, you can just call the local center and have them refund all the funds for those specific packages for the trouble. But just for the record, if you can't control your bleeping mouth, the people you talk to will* make your life as hard as possible. And rightly so.


Title: Salaried employee docked pay for being with sick child. (Ohio)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Yes, it is legal if you missed the whole day.


Title: (NYC) Employer double paid me two pay periods in a row, I quit afterwards. Now they're asking for the wages back 2 months later.

Question:
The company I worked for was sold to another company. For whatever reasons, this was kept secret and was announced as a merger rather than an acquisition. There was a lot of confusion as to who was responsible for paying salaries among other things, and for two bi-weekly pay periods I ended up getting paid by both parties. I never acknowledged this payment, nor did anybody ever bring it up. I ended up quitting this job shortly after the first time this payment went through for unrelated reasons. I just recently received this letter in the mail:

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/n034nf6.jpg)

Like I said, I have never agreed to retain the payments and repay them (as they said I did in the letter). I've been doing some light googling and found this website:

http://sovalaw.com/blog/2014/10/21/how-to-recoup-overpaid-wages-from-employees/

A few things here stand out to me:

>Employers may only recover overpayments made in the 8 weeks prior to the issuance of a Notice of Intent, described below, but may make deductions to recover overpayments for a period of 6 years from the date of the original overpayment.

It appears this only covers the second payment (June 2 2016)

And some other things such as:

>Provide the employee written notice of the opportunity to meet with the employer within 1 week of receiving the employer’s response to discuss any disagreements that may remain regarding the anticipated deductions.

Which isn't mentioned at all in the letter sent to me.

My question is what money (if any at all) am I legally required to return? I don't care at all about the morality of this situation, or the opinions of anybody telling me "you didn't earn that, you should return it!". Please keep this objective, as all I'm concerned with is the actual answer to this legal question.

Thanks!

Answer:
 >My question is what money (if any at all) am I legally required to return?

All that you were overpaid.

>I don't care at all about the morality of this situation

Obviously.

>Please keep this objective, as all I'm concerned with is the actual answer to this legal question.

Then please stop exercising mental gymnastics to rationalize theft.

>Like I said, I have never agreed to retain the payments and repay them (as they said I did in the letter).

You most likely gave your implicit agreement when you signed your employment offer, and it's probably somewhere in the company policies as well.Answer #2: There is literally no way you are going to get away with keeping the money you aren't entitled to.  It will just get more expensive the more you resist.


Title: Friend arrested for making jokes in a group chat that were taken as threats.

Question:
So my and my friends have and run a small discord server for our friend group. Last night when I wasn’t online one of them was joking about school shootings. Yes, I know it’s nothing to joke about and they aren’t funny at all and that’s not what I’m trying to say, but my friends have dark humor. Now one of them who we will call friend “A” said “If I don’t show up to school tomorrow then you better start running at lunch”. That was a direct quote from what he said. He then left the discord chat. This is where it is partly friend A’s fault because if he apologized and said he was just joking none of this would have happened. The next day at school friend A isn’t there. Now one of my other friends kinds freaks out and tells a teacher and shows the messages to them. We then proceed to have a lockdown while the friend who runs the discord is called to a cop car outside of the school and questioned. We later learned that we were in a lockdown while the police department swatted friend A’s house. Now this is the part that really messed everything up. Friend A didn’t show up to school because he was sick, and we all thought he would come to school armed that day. He is in custody if the police now, and is facing the class-d felony charge terrorist threat or something along those lines. His court date is set to May 22nd. Now I was wondering if there is some way to prove that josh was sick and never intended to shoot up the school. The jury probably wouldn’t understand some of our twisted dark humors, but I want some way to prove him innocent because standing there and watching my 13 year old friend’s life fall apart that young makes me sick to my stomach.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 There's not a question in your post, but the only answer to anything you might ask is: He needs an attorney.Answer #2: > Now I was wondering if there is some way to prove that josh was sick and never intended to shoot up the school.

What does being sick have to do with anything? Everyone responded appropriately to the threat. Even if the threat said "If I'm not there, run, unless of course I have diarrhea." He threatened to *kill people*. What part of that doesn't make sense?

> The jury probably wouldn’t understand some of our twisted dark humors

Going to let you in on a secret. Many school shooters also had twisted, dark senses of humor, so that doesn't mean anything.

Your friend needs a criminal defense attorney.Answer #3: > Now I was wondering if there is some way to prove that josh was sick and never intended to shoot up the school.

That's why he has (or will have) a lawyer, that's his attorney's job. This isn't on you to fix and all you can do is be supportive and tell the truth about everything you know if someone important asks you.


Title: Can my kid's orthodontist unilaterally change the contract?

Question:
I have a 13 y/o finishing up having braces.  He was due to have them off early 2017, but he's ahead of schedule, and is able to get them off early by a few months.

The contract to which we agreed has a payment schedule through early 2017, with a specific dollar amount each month.

Last month the receptionist said that since my son was going to get his braces off early, the balance would be due in full before the braces would be removed.

I corrected her and told her that was not the case, we had a payment plan schedule.  The receptionist said that since the orthodontist had been getting ripped off by some people who just stop paying when the braces came off, he is now insisting all payments be in full before he remove the braces.

I told her I was very unhappy to hear this, and that it was unacceptable for us to have to come up with a huge lump sum unexpectedly when we'd agreed to a very specific plan.  Also, my daughter's orthodontist had no problem abiding by the same type of contract when she got her braces off early; we just continued to pay them until the balance was complete.

Today I came in and this same receptionist said that since my son would be getting the braces off soon, they were going to need to increase my monthly payment threefold to be sure the balance was paid by the time the braces came off.

I told her no.  I would pay my normal amount today.  I did not engage her further.

Now, it's not actually a hardship for us to pay it all off early.  It is the principle of the thing.

The contract does not state payment due in full upon completion of treatment.  It has an amortization schedule of around $115 a month, through next year.  Again, we used a different ortho for our other kid, and we had the exact same type of contract.  As I understand it, that's the standard of practice.

So... is there any reason this orthodontist can just up and demand payment, months before we'd agreed it would be due?  Again, the hardship isn't the issue for us, it's the principle.  We are not deadbeats and his issues with other patients are not my concern.

Thanks for any thoughts.  I also think it's sketchy that he's having this young receptionist communicate with me instead of respectfully asking if we'd mind amending the contract to reflect this new policy he has.  We would have agreed, we'd grumble about it to ourselves, but we'd have agreed.

Edit:  Oh crap, forgot to say, it's CALIFORNIA.  Sorry locationbot.

Edit #2:  Thank you all for the input.  Just to clarify, we have never missed a payment, nor do we ever intend to.  I'll actually pay him before treatment ends, as he's requesting, because it's all from a prepaid account and it doesn't matter to me one way or the other... I'm just insulted and offended that he thinks he can just disregard a very, very clearly written contract, and not even tell us himself he intends to do so... hiding behind his young receptionist.   As HiddenTurtles stated below, they need to amend their contracts with patients going forward, and it is not my problem that they didn't do so before ours was signed.  I would never dream of not paying, it's just the principle.

Answer: Agreed with others. I would also tell the receptionist that perhaps in their future contracts for treatment they should put that payment is due when services are complete, but since it doesn't say that it isn't your problem.


Title: (Iowa) Is there any path to getting my $195 stop sign violation reduced?

Question:
First off, I have absolute zero experience with courts.  I've interacted with the police just a handful of times in my life and have never seen the inside of a court room let alone spoken to a judge. I'm 22 years old.

Yesterday, a cop wrote me a ticket for failing to obey a stop sign.  The total fines come to $195.  That's a lot of money for me right now.  My mom just recently passed away from cancer.  Due to that, I lost my business and savings.  My dad is barely afloat, financially and emotionally.  On top of all that, we're both scraping by to put my brother through college.

The stop sign is in a VERY rural area, literally farmland.  It was 11:40PM.  We're in Iowa so it's all flat, visibility was perfect and it was beyond obvious that no cars were coming from either direction.  So I did what many of us do, a bit of a rolling stop.  I did not blow through the sign.  I was not on a joy ride or anything.  I just didn't come to a "full stop", which I know is illegal based on the letter of the law.

$200 plus the hike I'm going to see in my insurance seems incredibly unjust for this stop sign violation.

My real question isn't whether or not I can contest this.  I guess I am technically in violation because my vehicle did not come to a "complete" stop.  However, is the fine on the citation set in stone or is there anything I can do to reduce the fine in anyway?

Thanks.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > The stop sign is in a VERY rural area, literally farmland. It was 11:40PM. We're in Iowa so it's all flat, visibility was perfect and it was beyond obvious that no cars were coming from either direction.

None of this matters in any way.


Title: Boyfriend’s manager refuses to accommodate his arthritis. Can they terminate him because of it?

Question: My boyfriend works for a national windshield replacement company, and also has rheumatoid arthritis. This was known when he was hired and doesn’t impact his ability to do the same work as everyone else. As it’s now getting into the winter months, working outside all day in the cold is taking a toll on his body. He approached his manager about obtaining a doctors note saying he can’t work outside in temperatures below 30 degrees. He wants to work in their shop during the winter instead of traveling job to job outdoors and working with no shelter. His manager basically said they won’t accommodate him and if it’s a problem they’ll just not give him work, tell him to stay home, and can choose to not bring him back. We live in an at-will state but is this legal? I have already told him to contact his HR department directly about the doctors note accommodation but is there anything else to be done?

Answer:
 First: a doctor's note is not a binding order, at all.

Your boyfriend may have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Presuming he does, he can request an accommodation - in his case, not working outside.  The employer does not have to grant that request unless the accommodation is **reasonable** - and that differs from place to place and job to job.

If the accommodation is unreasonable, then he can be fired for not performing.Answer #2: If an essential job function is driving to the customer and performing the work there, and he is not able to do that, his employer can fire him for his inability to perform the job. I doubt it matters that there is other work that could be done in the shop if he wasn’t hired to do that work.


Title: MoviePass is uncanceling accounts. (UT & NY)

Question:
The common line in /r/MoviePass is "the TOS can change any time," but I also know the TOS isn't law so I thought I'd ask here.

I canceled last week (received confirmation e-mail of canceled account). Today I received an e-mail saying I had opted into their new 3-movie-per-month plan, and it explicitly says:

>Please note: if you had previously requested cancellation prior to opting-in, your opt-in to the new plan will take priority and your account will not be cancelled.

I did not opt-in. I haven't touched my account since I canceled and deleted the app. This seems to be happening to a lot of people, judging by the posts in /r/MoviePass, so it's not like it's a fluke.

I know the TOS says it can change at any time, but certainly they can't just continuously uncancel our accounts at any time for the rest of time, right? That seems like it would be outside the bounds of the law, otherwise literally every company would just uncancel all its canceled accounts.

I'll get a chargeback if they charge me, so I'm not exactly super upset. But I am curious about the legality. What do you think?

Answer:
 Sounds like Wells Fargo opening accounts for people.

Have you called them to verify that your account has been cancelled and ask them what the hell is wrong with their system?


Title: After my grandmother died we found the trust that she set up had all of the accounts emptied during a time that she had Alzheimer's.

Question: My question is this: what type of lawyer should we the beneficiaries of the trust be looking for to help us get the funds back from the trustee whom we believe looted the trust illegally?

Answer: A probate attorneyAnswer #2: I forgot to include the location - the trust was set up on ArizonaAnswer #3: We had to hire a probate litigation attorney when my mother in law passed away.  Sister in law was the trustee (long story about that twice convicted felon, liar and thief. She manipulated & coerced my mother in law at age 95 to put her as the trustee).  Anyway, our attorney said it was common that the trustee, who usually has power of attorney, empties accounts and sells property while the person is still alive. Since they have power of attorney this is legal, although not ethical. Hope this isn't your case, but just want to give you a heads up.  Sorry for the hassle you are going to go through.  Edit to say we are in Georgia.


Title: How to split custody of a Swedish-American child?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I'm going to go out on a limb and say that, unfortunately, I'd imagine international child custody is outside this sub's wheelhouse.


Title: Employer left me stranded

Question:
Hi all, I could use some advice. I was/am working out of town for a company, and walked off the job today for various reasons. After going back to the hotel to grab my bag, my former employer is now telling me that they will not provide transportation back to the office/city for me as they say that since I am no longer an employee, they are not required to.

&#x200B;

Are they legally obligated to provide me a way to get back home, as I drove a company truck out here?

&#x200B;

(I am in Alberta, Canada. Non-union and nothing in my employment agreement covers this type of thing aside from work starting/stopping from our base location)

&#x200B;

thanks,

Answer: No they aren't. You left yourself stranded. Answer #2: You should have waited to quit your job until you were in a convenient location to do so.


Title: (Florida) Question about being engaged to wait?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The Supreme Court heard a similar case from Amazon workers who were required to get security sweeps done after they clocked out to ensure they weren't stealing from the warehouse. The wait for checks could be up to 25-30 minutes after they clocked out. [The case didn't go well for them](https://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/business/supreme-court-rules-against-worker-pay-for-security-screenings.html).


Title: Friends mistake

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 A former gang member, drunk driving, hit and run and now committing insurance fraud?
If I were him and wanted to stay out of jail, I'd at least see a lawyer about this.

Edit: just to be clear, drunk hit and run and then lying about it to the insurance company isn't a "mistake", it's a serious felony and should be treated as such.


Title: Disclaimer: Not married. I've thought about it with my girlfriend and I realize many people here may be bias. But I'm looking to ask for advice at how to best protect my assets and savings, without a prenup for the future in case things go south.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If you want to protect your current assets, you get a prenup. If you cannot agree on whether or not you should get a prenup, you probably aren't ready for marriage.


Title: Is it illegal to care for this child?

Question:
Austin, Texas, United States

**Edit: The story has changed, so I have deleted the old post and put the updated story. Pseudonyms have been used to make this readable.**

My friend Jennifer is the adult daughter of Mary and John. Her half-brother, Jake, is the 9-year old son of of Mary and Eric.

Eric is a deadbeat and wants nothing to do with the child.

Mary is a less-than-stable mother that wants to raise the child, but is more interested in drifting around the United States pursuing her many boyfriends. As a result, Jake has not been enrolled in school for a long time. He cannot even read.

Jennifer has temporary permission to care for Jake, and has informed Mary that she has enrolled Jake in a special school in our area that can help him catch up.

Mary is sending some money to help care for the child. John is sending money to put Jennifer in school. They won't have a lot extra, but I can help them balance the checkbook.

Mary is *very* unstable and religion crazy. This has worked out well, as the religious exemptions permit Jennifer to enroll Jake without a lot of necessary paperwork (like vaccination records.) Unfortunately, Jennifer has to fluff up Mary's ego to make Mary alright with Jake staying. Jennifer *might* have threatened to get CPS involved.

Based on what ya'll are telling me, it is legal for now. Texas is a single-party consent state for recordings, so I am going to set up conversation recording on Jennifer's phone. Then she'll re-obtain consent.

Answer:
 First, she should check with the BB/BS program because there may be policies in place that forbid this sort of interference, so she may not be able to continue with the program if that's the case. There may not be, but you never know.

Typically, custody stuff only becomes an issue if the parent has a problem and reports it as a kidnapping, or if the parent disagrees with the guardian's decision and wants to get the kid back (which the parent can do if there is no court order in place giving custody to the guardian).

If the mom has given permission, its likely not an issue, however your friend may run into difficulties if she wants his medical records from the doctor (for example) because she is not the **legal** guardian and the doc wont give them. Enrolling/pickup from school may be another problem, unless the mother cooperates with the school to make those arrangements. The legal guardian is still his mother, absent any court paperwork that says otherwise.

Answer #2: 1) It is legal for the child to reside with her.

2) IANAL but I would guess anywhere from harboring a run away to kidnapping.

It is not legal for the child to not be in school. Also, I doubt your friend will be able to enroll the child in school without the mothers assistance.


Title: Neighbor above me is smoking in non-smoking building. Have let management know multiple times. Knocked on door once with no-answer. Options? (D.C.)

Question:
Edit: Location: Washington, DC. Silly bot can't read my title.

So I've lived in this building since last August, but my lease actually began at the beginning of July 2016. I had zero problems with anything until about a month and a half ago now. A new neighbor above me, or an old neighbor who suddenly picked up cigs and weed, began smoking/vaping/something else that leaks considerable odor into my apartment. It has been bad enough on several occasions to wake me up at 3am in the morning.

I contacted management for the first time probably about 3 - 4 weeks ago. Management took my complaint seriously and said they would send out emails to all neighbors around me giving notice to not smoke. I unfortunately don't know what the email said.

The problem persisted but with less frequency for a period of a week or two after that. I contacted management once again and they gave me a fairly vague response about working with maintenance people to determine where the odor could be coming from and to track which neighbor it was.

I have a strongly-backed suspicion that it is the neighbor above me. Without going into full details I have about 90% certainty. Given that all leases in the building note it is a smoke-free building, etc. what is my recourse here? I don't really want to leave the building early but management doesn't seem to be helping. I've knocked on the neighbor's door once to no answer and I'm planning on confronting soon hopefully.

Any advice on:
-How to confront neighbor in a way that has legal legitimacy to try and make them stop (a stretch, I know)
-How to push management so solve the problem

Note: I'm trying to be humorous with my name because the situation is draining me. Also I love the movie.

Answer: Your only option is to complain to managment, if the lease is written similar to any other non-smoking buildings I've lived in then the lease prohibits smoking but gives YOU no guarantee to live in a smoke free environment.


Title: What can I do about a Dr who will not give me my test results, but wants me to pay for the tests?

Question:
I live in Oklahoma, USA. My ex Dr wants me to pay him almost $700 for tests that he did not talk to me about, nor will he give me the results to read myself. We have been trying for over a month to get these results calling nearly every day. He barely speaks English, and basically pretends he doesn't know what we want. What can I do? I don't want to pay $700 for tests  I never saw results to, or even asked to have done.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: This doctor is scamming you. He charges you (or your insurance) for a bunch of tests that he doesn't actually run, and then pockets the money.


Title: Kickstarter failed to deliver disappeared with 177k. What legal avenues are available? How do I get them started?

Question:
I am one of the many backers of the [Goblin Alternate Reality Game](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/336486938/goblins-alternate-realities/posts/904884#comments) that was unfortunately scrapped it seems. [This link](http://www.goblinscomic.org/lowtide-the-undead-kickstarter-campaign-third-update/) is from the creator who partnered with Evertide games to produce it. So I understand the game failed but the fact that all the money has disappear makes me angry since the president seems to have made off with it. I would like to see what avenues there are to return what is left of the money, get the current game assets returned to the investors (those who back it on kickstarter could at least get the images so we could print up the version they showed at a convention) and see that he is punished for his crimes. I'm currently in Wisconsin if that matters.

I found this thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1in1cr/is_a_class_action_against_a_kickstarter_project/
The gist seemed to be sue him personally. I don't know if its different since this was done through a company? The other thing I would like is access to game assets that were created.

So my questions are: What legal recourse do I have? Do I have the right to pursue this through a lawyer? If so what type of lawyer should I talk to? What are reasonable expectations for getting money back, getting game assets released?

Thanks

Edit: I realize kickstarter is not responsible. So is there a way to get the work that's been done up till this point released to backers?

Edit 2: The consensus seems to be that money would be a waste of time, I can accept that but I would like to get at least the ability to print out what has been created up till now. This is from the ToU applicable to the time period that this was funded.
>Project Creator is not required to grant a Backer’s request for a refund unless the Project Creator is unable or unwilling to fulfill the reward. Project Creators are required to fulfill all rewards of their successful fundraising campaigns or refund any Backer whose reward they do not or cannot fulfill. Project Creators may cancel or refund a Backer’s pledge at any time and for any reason, and if they do so, are not required to fulfill the reward.

Would this be enough to legally have any claim to the files from the game?

Answer: There is a risk of a start up failing. It would be reasonable that the owner and employees should earn a wage. Your duty would be three fold 1 find him, 2 prove he never intended to deliver or negligent, and lastly 3 prove is salary was too high.


Title: [AR] Cant afford to pay $300 speeding ticket

Question:
I got pulled over by a cop and got a $300 ticket for speeding in my parents car.

The problem is i dont have a job or any money at all and my parents only have enough money for rent so they canr help without getting evicted. What should I do?

Answer:
 You can probably set up a payment plan with the court.

Serious question: If you know that you don't have the money to pay for a ticket, why are you speeding? Answer #2: Go to your court date, dressed professionally, and ask to speak with the prosecutor in your case. Politely explain your situation, and that if at all possible you'd like to work out an alternative way to pay your fine. A Payment plan, community service, whatever.

There's a decent chance that if you have an otherwise clean driving record they will be lenient with you. Answer #3: Try /r/personalfinance or /r/beermoney

There is no magic here. You made the choice to break the law. You got caught. Now you pay. It doesn't just go away because you say you cannot pay. Not paying doesn't make it go away. You can go to court and ask for more time Answer #4: Get a job and a bicycle.


Title: [WI] Managers did not allow employees to order pizza delivery during lunch break. Is this illegal?

Question:
Several weeks ago my job held community fairs on two consecutive Wednesdays. On these two days my job provided catered lunch that was distributed during designated lunch breaks.  On the first Wednesday an employee found a maggot in his food. Disgusted by this, several employees came together and planned to order pizza as an alternative to the catered food (same company) served on the second Wednesday.

People began collecting money. When management found out about this we were told that we could not order delivery pizza on our lunch break and distribute it. They cited concerns about "health code violations" and people leaving the premises although we were ordering delivery. We were told that we could only either eat the catered food or bring lunch from home.

Is this legal for an employer to do?

Answer:
 Your state does not have laws that require a meal or "lunch" break, so that is not an issue.

They provided food and let employees bring food from home. While I don't agree with your employer's decision, it is not illegal.


Title: My uncle who is an illegal immigrant with an American child got stiffed on his wages, does he have any legal recourse?

Question:
We live in NYC. He recently got a new job and worked for a butcher for about three months with the agreement that his wages would be cash, minimum wage, no overtime, and under the table. (I know, it's bad.) His boss then fired him after the last month was over with no pay.

There hasn't been taxes paid on the wages yet, the prior payment which was fulfilled every time at the end of the month are on an app so there are records of it. There are also some texts between them about coming in for work, telling the employer he needs a day off, and a little bit of discussion of duties and pay.

Should he try to take this to a small claims court? Will he get in trouble if he does? He doesn't have much money and being shorted a month is serious for his financial situation, but not so serious that he can not afford next months rent from his savings so far.

Answer:
 I am a New York lawyer but I am not your lawyer and this is not legal advice.

First, small claims actions usually settle before ever going to court. He can file or threaten to file an action to show he's serious, and hopefully he can get paid before appearing.

The employer would also theoretically get in trouble for hiring your dad, so perhaps that notion will encourage an early settlement.

Second, I highly doubt anyone from the INS is culling through small claims filings hunting for illegal immigrants.

Third, the highest court in New York has held that being an illegal immigrant does not prevent you from winning money in a lawsuit for lost wages.  See Balbuuena v. IDR Realty LLC, 6 N.Y.3d 338 (2006).

Finally, the other side in a lawsuit is not permitted to threaten criminal action in order to get you to drop or settle a lawsuit.  It's highly unethical.

Note that this is not legal advice and you should consult an attorney before making legal decisions.  There are probably clinics or other legal organizations that help undocumented immigrants for free, so try reaching out to them.


Title: [PA] Person I subletted from is refusing to let me get the rest of my stuff

Question:
I moved into an apartment to sublet for a girl who was studying abroad this semester on December 15th-ish. I had not filled out the rental application, because I wasn't told about it and the associated fee until AFTER I had moved in.
Shortly after, I was laid off from my seasonal employment and took another job. Because of the paycheck switch, i was going to be late on rent. I let the landlord and the two other roommates know, and we had it figured out. I was going to pay the $100 fee as soon as I was able, and all was merry and well.

The girl I was subletting from had been pretty desperate to find someone, so she had agreed to pay $100, and I'd pay $500 of the total $600 rent. With my job switch this was going to be a little steep for me, but then the girl found out that I was late on rent (my mistake for not telling her, it frankly slipped my mind because I had told the two other people staying there and the landlord already and we had it worked out). She freaked out and insisted I leave because she found someone who could pay the whole $600, so I found another apartment and moved in 48 hours. I moved on the day classes started, and I'm working a part time job and have two fellowships. I had spoken with the girls staying and they told me to just get my stuff whenever, as long as it was out before someone else moved in (the other person ended up never moving in.) I had been planning to get the rest of my stuff this week, and then my car was towed.

My parents bailed out my car and took it back to our hometown, since I obviously don't have reliable parking now. I had planned to have my mom help me move when she came to get my car, but between our work schedules, the only time she could come was while I was working, and she couldn't stay to move my stuff herself. I had communicated this all to the girls who were staying, and they were beyond understanding.

Today I got a text from the one girl still living in the apartment, and she said she'd be able to give me a ride with the rest of my stuff tomorrow, which would be great. shortly after that, she then said that the girl who moved out was looking for a tapestry and a TV that they couldn't find. I don't have either of these things, I literally just took what was mine.

So, it turns out the girls boyfriend had the TV, but the tapestry is still missing.

The girl who moved out is now refusing to let me get my stuff until I pay the $100 fee and she finds her tapestry. I don't get paid until next week, and I need to make sure I can pay my own rent for my new place before I promise anyone that I can pay anything else. I have been open and clear with her from the beginning about my financial situation, even offering to send her screenshots of my bank account to prove i'm not spending money on pointless stuff and that I'm literally just broke. I also CANT return the tapestry, because I don't have it.

I guess what I need to know is, am I within my legal rights to just show up and get my stuff? Can they hold it from me? The two girls staying aren't rude and I could probably go when they weren't home since i still have a key, but I don't want the cops to get called on me for taking my own stuff. I was also never on the lease so I'm not sure i can prove that it IS my stuff if the cops come. I have stuff like some shampoo and books, but most importantly some groceries that I'm in pretty desperate need of.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: go get your stuff. if she won't let you in, call the non emergency police line and ask for assistance. if she wants money from you she can take you to court. she can't just keep your stuff hostage.


Title: (Detroit, MI). My sister was pulled over for running a yellow light. She didn't have her liscense on her. The officer pulled her out of the car, handcuffed her and threaten to call cps. She was given 2 misdemeanors. Is there anything she can do?

Question:
She was driving her daughter (4yo) to school. She was obeying the speed limit and went through a green light. When the officer pulled her over shortly after she said that the light had been yellow. My sister said it was green when she went through but she didn't think it was illegal to run a yellow light. The officer asked for Id and insurance. My sister said she didn't have her liscense with her (but does have a liscense, she just lost it) and gave the officer school I'd. She tried to give her proof of insurance on her phone, because her insurance company has an app that shows your proof of insurance but the officer wouldn't take it. The officer went back to her squad car and my sister called our dad to see if he could help at all and she felt that there wasn't a reason to be pulled over. When the officer came back she was rude and my sister said she wanted to speak to a lawyer and that is when the officer pulled her out of the car and handcuffed her. My sister waited in the officers car for 45 minutes. They said they were going to call cps, even thoguh my sister repeatedly said a family member would be able to pick her daughter up. Her handcuffs were very tight and left marks, but the officers wouldn't listen them. Finally another officer pulledbup, un cuffed her and let her go. She was given a C/I for the Amber light and misdemeanor for no liscense no insurance. Can these charges be dropped if she goes to court to prove she has insurance and shows her liscense? Is there anything else she can or should do? She doesn't have alot of money and the lawyer she spoke to said they charged 1500 up front and all they would do is plead down to avoid jail time.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 She asked for a lawyer street side? Why? What would a lawyer have done?

I imagine unsafe operation, running an amber light is a misdemeanor, as is driving without proof of license. Your sister should get a new license issued ASAP, and should have after she noticed it was missing.

You can request the license/insurance be dismissed if you prove you have both to the court.


Title: Can a city use code enforcement, to say, fine a piece of property, $300 a day for violations with a means to their end being to own it once the property is worth less than the fines it has against it?

Question: **Location: Florida**

Answer: Can you be fined for violating Cody ordinance? Yes. Can you continue to be fined for not fixing the problem? Yes.


Title: Sold counterfeit Beats on Craigslist, what recourse do I have?

Question:
Illinois

I bought some Beats on craigslist for 125. Turns out they were fakes. I have the guys number and found his name and address through a reverse phone search. I also have texts discussing the sale. He has posted numerous times on craigslist with his phone number. Those other Beats, presumably, are fakes too. I've saved those webpages.

I know the cops will most likely not touch this but something has to be done right? This guy is openly selling counterfeit items. Is small claims worth it? Should I report him to the police?

If nothing else, 125 lesson learned I suppose.

Answer:
 You might want to alter the title of this because right now you look like the one selling bad stuff.

Answer #2: No legal help, but to avoid future poor choices; please reconsider purchasing beats headphones.  They are poor quality headphones.  By all accounts in the hi fi community they are completely and utterly overpriced shit.


Title: Person offering another person "for free" on Nextdoor app - do I get further involved or no?

Question:
I saw this request on Nextdoor this morning for someone asking to take their live-in person (they did not specify what they were) for free (see screenshot below) who is Romanian and 55. As per my conversation with them, I asked what they meant and came to find out that this live-in person is not being paid, but rather is paying the homeowner money (I called it rent) to live there.

&#x200B;

All of this sounds super fishy and illegal to me, but maybe I should mind my own business and go on my life with what doesn't concern me. I am just worried that there may be an adult who doesn't understand the laws fully and is being taken advantage of.

&#x200B;

Again, not sure what to do, but the /phoenix sub suggested I post here for further advice.

[https://i.imgur.com/bJtZSeC.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/bJtZSeC.jpg)

Answer:
 If you are worried about this (and it seems you are) you should reach out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline:

https://humantraffickinghotline.org/

They can provide guidance and advice on next steps.


Title: University charging me for lost key to my dorm. How much can they force me to pay if fee amount is not specified in contract?

Question:
In California. I was given two keys, and I lost one. For security purposes, they have to re-key my apartment, plus two interior bedroom doors. Understandable.

Every year I sign a 'Residence Agreement' to renew my housing lease. It outlines many details, including various fees for late move-outs, unlicensed occupants, etc. It mentions that they can charge a re-key fee, but does not specify the amount.

They are charging me ~$240 for the re-key. I know locksmithing is a skilled trade, but the technician accomplished the re-keying of 3 separate doors in about 15 minutes, literally. I am pretty sure that he just had to adjust the tumblers in a particular way, without replacing the entire lock/handle system. And then cut new keys, one for me, one for my roommate, and maybe spares (although they use a master key, so maybe no spares).

Since the contract doesn't precisely specify the fee, could I at least give them a headache by contesting it from a legal basis?

Thanks

Answer: $240 sounds reasonable for a house call from a locksmith in my opinion. Yes you could be annoying about it but why waste your time?


Title: Copyright Laws re. Cross Stitch Patterns (US)

Question:
In Short: If someone purchases a cross stitch pattern, stitches the pattern, and sells the finished product, are they violating copyright laws?

It is an obvious violation if someone purchased a pattern and copied it for / sold it to others; however, a finished product (whether modified or no) is not the same as a pattern. Are you legally obligated to ask the designer’s permission, if you want to sell the finished product? If the designer is not credited (on Google, Pinterest, etc.), how do you proceed? If a pattern is given away for free, is it public domain? If you purchase a physical pattern by a company such as “artiste” at a craft store, are the rules the same as if you purchased a digital pattern from an individual on Etsy?

FL, USA

Answer:
 I don’t have a general answer, but any pattern I have purchased includes a license that specifically outlines terms. Those terms almost always are that you can sell finished product or derivative finished product, but not the pattern.

Usually the specific verbiage and any photos/diagrams used to illustrate or describe the pattern are protected, but not the actual instructions. In a cross stitch pattern, the diagram itself would be protected.Answer #2: If you're in Florida, please speak to Florida Lawyers for the Arts: http://www.artslawfl.org/

These are complicated enough questions you're wanting more specific answers for than are appropriate online.


Title: NC Business took payment upfront. Five months later services haven't been rendered and I'm being told all sales are final.

Question: On December 18th 2015 I went into a store to have a phone screen repaired. The man took payment up front and ordered the part. I left that day with my phone until the part showed up. On January 18th I dropped the phone off with him for about an hour. I then got a call saying they sent him the wrong phone part. I went back and picked my phone up the same day, and ever since then there has been no change. Every time I call him he claims he's still waiting on his supplier to give him the correct part. Throughout this whole process he never contacts me first, I have to call him. Many times I get voicemail and he doesn't return my calls. During this whole debacle he has never once told me all sales are final and today (April 11th) I've told him I just want my refund. He is now saying all sales are final and that this is on his receipts and on his website. He gave me an electronic receipt and no where does it say all sales are final. I can't even check his website because it isn't up. Is there anything I can do here?

Answer:
 "All Sales are Final" means you can't ask for a refund because you're not happy with your product.  It doesn't mean he can take your money and not do the repair.  Write a demand letter and then take him to small claims.Answer #2: No sale occurred.  You paid for a service that was not rendered. See if you can get a charge back from your bank.  They might not want to do it due to the time elapsed, but press them and see if they offer any solutions.Answer #3: He can say all sales are final as much as he wants, but he hasn't even completed the sale.

You can take him to small claims court, and will almost definitely win.Answer #4: So, it's been 5 months now, and this guy still hasn't fixed the screen?  Does he have the phone?

Small Claims court is your friend here.  I'd send him a demand letter first:  "On 12/18/15, I came into your store to have my phone screen repaired and pre-paid for the service.  It is now 5 months later, and the service has not been performed.  Please refund the $____ to me within five days or I will be forced to litigate the matter."  Send via certified mail.


Title: Wedding Venue Headache!

Question:
My husband and I travelled to get married on Honeymoon Island in Dunedin, FL. We had a small ceremony with only 25-30 people and reception at the same venue. Things were great until we got to Florida.

The day before the wedding we went to the venue to drop off decorations and was suddenly told that we had to pay $100 for a security guard. In addition we were previously told that we had to be done by 9 pm and then it suddenly changed to 11 pm the day before the ceremony. This was never mentioned or brought up before hand but never less we just paid it to keep things smooth.

Then the day of the wedding I receive an EMAIL. Not a phone call. Not a text. A email 4 hours before I was suppose to be walking down the isle saying that the entry fee was never paid and that our guests were going to have to pay to get into the park. We were informed at the beginning of our planning process that this was an automatic fee that would be included in our contract so we didn’t understand how this could happen. So we had to pay $107 while I was getting fitted in my dress to avoid having to tell our guests they have to pay last minute.

Then comes the ceremony. We arrive and we have no music as I’m going down the isle. The decoration was all messed up and the ceremony was not near the water like we asked so we had a lot of people walking behind our ceremony. So the ceremony was not set up like we wanted. Whatever though right? We decided not to make a big deal out of it since at the end of the day it’s about us getting married.

Fast forward to the week after we get married. We get off the cruise from our honeymoon and we received an email from Honeymoon Island saying that a mistake was made and that the minimum was never met so we owe them $555 before the end of the month. Note this was July 21st so not a lot of time to pay. We paid them on time, paid them 2 weeks before the ceremony like the contract said and were told that we were good/paid up by our coordinator. Even received receipts saying the balance due was $0.00. Now all of a sudden they come at us when we can no longer use that money towards our reception. You’d think that would be the job of the coordinator to keep track of billing or at-least note in the last bill the difference to meet the minimum...but no. We looked at the contract but it’s very bare and until now all our bills and conversations through email say we are paid up in full.

We were optimistic going into this but by the end felt like we were getting taken advantage of. How should we handle this?

Answer:
 > In addition we were previously told that we had to be done by 9 pm and then it suddenly changed to 11 pm the day before the ceremony.

That's good, no?

> email 4 hours before I was suppose to be walking down the isle saying that the entry fee was never paid...We were informed at the beginning of our planning process that this was an automatic fee that would be included in our contract

What you were told isn't important--what was in the contract is what's important. Was this fee included in the contract? Was it paid or waived?

> We arrive and we have no music as I’m going down the isle.

Whose contractual responsibility was it to have music? The venue or a band you hired or...?

> a mistake was made and that the minimum was never met so we owe them $555 before the end of the month

Minimum of what? Is this in the contract?

> You’d think that would be the job of the coordinator

Did the coordinator work for you or the venue?

> We looked at the contract but it’s very bare and until now all our bills and conversations through email say we are paid up in full.

Then if they sue you, they'll have to prove this money is actually owed.


Title: What am I supposed to do when a vending machine accidentally gives me two sodas when I paid for just one? (Texas)

Question:
I assume that taking both would be stealing, but I can't exactly put the other drink back.  And letting it sit next to the machine would just encourage someone else to take something they didn't pay for; and that seems illegal in the same way that stealing food from a grocery store and dropping it outside the doors is illegal.  And throwing the stolen soda away might prevent anyone from illegally drinking it, but the people who own the machines are still out the price of one soda, and throwing it away probably constitutes stealing as well.  What should I do to avoid committing a crime?  There don't seem to be any good options.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 Every once in a while, a vending machine gives you an extra soda. Every once in a while, it refuses to give you a soda you paid for. There is balance in the universe.

Legally, the matter is *de minimis* or too small for the law to be concerned. Answer #2: Should have used a throwaway account... feds are about to bust your door down.Answer #3: Enjoy your second soda.Answer #4: This is not something you need to worry about.


Title: [CA] Landlord refused my rent payment three times, I'm now being evicted for nonpayment!

Question:
I signed a one-year lease on an apartment -- I've been there 8 months. I was a day late with my Sept rent and received a 3-day-notice. I paid the rent by personal check and put it into the box. I ran into the manager the next day, and she gave me back my check, along with a invoice for $700 for a bunch of other charges: building utilities and a late fee for them. She also tells me it needs to be a cashier's check because it's late. OK, fine. I get a cashier check for the $700 and include the original personal check for the rent (I always paid with personal checks).

Again, she returned my payments, saying she needed ONE check for the FULL amount, and it needed to be a cashier check. Well, I pleaded with her to please accept the payment, as I was going out of town to my grandfather's funeral. She said, OK... let me check with my boss. A week went by, no calls, no emails. All my attempts to contact her (every day I emailed her about the rent) were unanswered. I got back into town and went to her in person, she said her boss said no, and that she does need the ONE check. I got the check, brought it to her tomorrow, she said, "Sorry I can't accept that, we have started the process of evicting you for non-payment" I got the eviction notice last night. Is this legal!?

TL;DR I tried to pay my rent, they refused payment three times, now are serving me with eviction papers over non-payment.

Answer:
 GO TO COURT. DO NOT MISS THIS HEARING. Be prepared to pay the full amount owed while in court. If you show the judge that you attempted to pay in good faith, and that you have been reserving the money to do so, the judge may dismiss the case if you present payment right then and there.Answer #2: Go to the hearing with the money and the judge will probably stop the eviction, but your landlords are sort of assholes, it seems like way more trouble to evict you than to bend an inch on having one check versus two even if there is some specification about a cashier's check or money order being used to pay late rent.Answer #3: Not sure about your lease in specifics, but most of them have some provision that if you are late, all future payment has to be more liquid (cashiers check, money order, etc.). If it's specified in the lease and you didn't comply with it, then the landlord is within their rights to refuse payment. Answer #4: $700 for building utilities? That's insane!Answer #5: Does your lease say anything about payment methods?Answer #6: Why didn't you get a cashier's check for the $700 plus rent the first time? You would have saved yourself a lot of hassle complying with the terms of the lease had you done it correctly the first time. You were already at the bank getting a cashiers check after all. Answer #7: >along with a invoice for $700 for a bunch of other charges: building utilities and a late fee for them.

Were you behind on utilities too? Is this for one month? Or were you a couple months behind? If so, that might explain why they're working so hard to get you out.


Title: (California) Got two speeding tickets within a week of each other. Could lose new job over them. What are my options?

Question:
Hello guys,

I was a total idiot and got two speeding tickets within a week of each other, October 26th and November 4th. The october ticket was for doing 85 in a 55 on a deserted backroad stretch of the 15. I picked up speed to pass a car and that's when the cop clocked me. Violation was recorded as VC22349(B)- Exceed Speed 2 lane undivided highway.

The second ticket was 97 in a 70 on the freeway, I had distance between cars behind and ahead of me, in the fastest lane. Cop followed me for about 30 seconds, then hit the lights. Violation was VC22356(B)- Exceeding 70 mph maximum speed.

I'm obviously guilty, and being late for work wasn't a good excuse. I don't speed anymore. Unfortunately for me, I just started a new job a month ago (just passed the 30 day review), and I feel as if my career can go far here. However, their policy explicitly stated that if I get two points on my license, there is a strong possibility of me getting fired. I work mon-fri 8-5 in a city 40 miles away from home, and would not be able to make either court date, as they are on a thursday and monday respectively. What can I do? Can I explain my situation to the court? Should I get a lawyer? Each ticket is 500 dollars each. There's no way I can afford that. I already used up traffic school from my last ticket in July.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Drivers like you are the reason that traffic school limitations and license points exist;  the fines and leniency don't seem to change your behavior, so penalties increase until they are stiff enough to do so.

You need to hire a traffic attorney to try to mitigate the tickets using whatever techniques they can, like arguing the radar or pacing.

The cost of the attorney might be more than the cost of the tickets, but less than the cost of losing your job.

That's about it.


Title: Dude in Neighborhood Living in Car

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Just call the cops.


Title: Waitress g/f forced to pay half of a dine and dash with threat of being fired

Question:
Hi all! This happened just tonight, and I've seen mixed messages of whether or not this is legal for the restaurant to do.

My girlfriend works for a restaurant in Louisiana (won't name the place). One of her tables left without paying a $60 bill; She told a manager, and they said she had to pay for half of the bill or she'd be fired. Can they legally do this?

Answer: In Louisiana, they can't deduct it from her pay, but they can fire her. If they deduct, she can file an unpaid wage claim. She can also file for unemployment if they fire her.


Title: Discriminatory Practice?

Question:
Texas: Today I received a letter from my bank informing me that my account would be converted from their "Simply Free" account that is being "retired" to a "Total Access" account that has a $10.00 fee. They list 5 ways the $10 fee can be reduced ($2 per item). 1. eStatements, 2. Direct Deposit (of more than $500), 3. Maintain daily balance of $500, 4. 25 purchases using debit card, and 5. Being 62 or older and 22 or younger.

I will only be able to satisfy 4 of those requirements for a total of an $8 credit, the 5th is impossible as I'm 30. So, regardless, they'll be getting $2 out of me each month and probably 100,000 other people.

Is this age discrimination?

Answer:
 > Is this age discrimination?

Not the illegal kind.


Title: Wondering if I have a case. Public School's Attendence Policy is insane.

Question:
Deleted, seeing as how I got harassed with accusations of wanting to skip my classes... because I'm religious.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 If there's no University-Wide policy, then it's unlikely you would have a case.

The only thing that you might be able to do is reach out to each professor and ask them, or go the the board of regents (whoever runs public universities in Alabama), and see if they have any policies on attendance that your university has to follow.

Hindsight is 20-20, but you should have thought of this before taking other days off. (Unless the other 3 were more important)Answer #2: Not likely, as the policy is in place for missing school period.  Have you spoken to your teachers to see if they will excuse it?  Is the holiday a recognized holiday nationwide?


Title: My Friend Told Me His Parents are Illegals and Don't Pay Taxes..Am I Obligated to Report This?

Question: 2 years ago, and a few times since in casual conversation, my friend has told me and others that his parents are illegal immigrants and do not pay taxes. Apparently his dad is against taxes as well (wow, I wonder why!) This friend fucked me over and completely screwed with my life for over a year. I almost killed myself because I couldn't handle his gaslighting any longer. I almost want to report his parents, who apparently think I'm the Antichrist now. Am I legally obligated to report them anyway?

Answer:
 Obligated, no. Can you? Sure. I’m sure the CRA has an easily googleable link for reporting tax cheats. I’d imagine the CBSA would handle the whole illegal immigrant thing. I have no idea if they’d actually care, though. Answer #2: You better hope your friend isn't lying, because you're contemplating something you can't undo.

And no, you have no legal obligation to report anything. Not unless your job requirements state otherwise.


Title: Withholding Payments

Question: I live in an apartment in Los Angeles with 3 other roommates. Our landlord has an unwritten policy where they will not accept payments unless the full amount is paid (my roommates and I all pay in separate money orders). Whenever we cannot come up with the all of the money on time, they will reject any partial payments we send them as to "not get the payments mixed up" and later state that "we paid nothing for the previous month" even if we had over 3/4 of the money available to pay them at the time. This would obviously look bad in court and it would be difficult to prove that they are doing this. I'm not sure if this is legal for them to do, especially when its not anywhere on the lease. Is there anything I can do to fight against this?

Answer:
 You can pay your rent, or move to somewhere you can afford.

It is legal for your landlord to refuse partial payment in nearly every jurisdiction. You agreed to pay your rent _in full_ on a specific day; your landlord isn't required to accept partial performance on your part unless your lease says otherwise.


Title: Recordings during a counseling session - client side

Question:
Recently I've been going through somewhat of an unexpected turn within my(33M) family (father passed away questionably). Since that has happened, my step mother has demanded we only speak through a counselor. Up and to this point we've always had a solid line of communication. I live in a one sided state as per only one consenting party needs to be aware of recording a conversation (while present during the convo), however, I've been asked to attend a counselling session between my step mother and her counselor. The circumstances as they stand now since my fathers  passing is, she will not speak to me without a counselor present. She's already accused me of breaking into her residence and stealing information / flash drives(I've not set foot on their property since my dad's passing). My whole question ties back to the underlying need of wanting to cover myself and capture anything possible that could assist in this process. I've received mixed feedback and several people have brought up HIPPA, however since I am not a licensed / board controlled entity and live in a one sided state, is this illegal?

&#x200B;

TL;DR -  Is it illegal to record a conversation (as a participant, not therapist) during a counseling session in a one sided state?

&#x200B;

Thank you much for any info you're all willing to share!

Answer: HIPPA only applies to medical professionals/organizations, as a regular joe shmo you'll be fine as long as your in a one party consent state.


Title: When is it consider abandonment?

Question:
Currently working for an alteration store, clothes from 2012 are still on the racks waiting to be picked up. 99% of the phone numbers on the tickets are disconnected. The 'owners' have a copy of the ticket.

My question is, when is it legal to consider the items abanded? The alterations aren't paid either. The owner of the alternation store wants to either donate them to goodwill or Plato's closet to help off set the cost.

Answer:
 1. I don't think anyone here can help you unless you give your location. I doubt there is federal law pertaining to abandoned dry cleaning, so your city and state laws will be what's relevant.

2.  I am not a lawyer, but I just read about the famous [Pants Lawsuit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson_v._Chung). Holy shit be careful!


Title: Prison Cell Phone

Question:
Throwaway account, I am in California

A person I know is in prison, and began messaging me via whatsapp. If I know that the person is incarcerated, am I at risk of anything?

Answer: Yes.  Unauthorized communication with prisoners is a crime.  Penal Code 4570.


Title: Can my landlord legally make me take down my window ac unit?

Question:
I'm in Texas. I'm at a brand new apartment complex, and I have a window ac unit facing the parking lot. My landlord says "it looks like hell" and that "it has to go." Can he legally make me take it down?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 In most states, landlords are not obligated to provide you with air conditioning, so you are not necessarily entitled to have an A/C unit unless such an amenity is defined within your lease.

That being said, unless your lease also explicitly prohibits you from maintaining an A/C unit in your window, your landlord cannot suddenly prohibit them. Does your lease say anything about whether you may have appliances installed in your window?Answer #2: The landlord supplies air conditioning, I just like my room pretty cold so I have the window ac unit to cool only my room instead of the whole apartment. The lease does not say anything about AC units, window use, or exterior appearance - other than having to keep up with yard maintenance.


Title: Signatures on legal documents

Question: In the USA could someone sign their name in Russian on a legal document or must they sign it in the English transliteration? What about Arabic or Chinese?

Answer: You can sign it by stamping with your turd if the other party will accept it.


Title: I found an abandoned car and I would like to claim it. What do I do?

Question: Back story: I found a car on base here in Hawaii that has been abandoned for about 2 years. The car has just been sitting there for two years and the registration has the owners name on it so I looked up the owner on Facebook and found out that he is stationed in Japan now. There is no title or keys in the car and I want to know what the legal process is in Hawaii for claiming an abandoned vehicle.

Answer: Ask the guy if you can buy it?


Title: Am I entitled to a full plane ticket refund if I went to the airport at the wrong time because I never got my confirmation email?

Question:
On 8/20 I booked an international flight with Air China for 1:40 today for my mother. Weird thing is that I never got a conformation email from them when I booked from their site. All I had to go off of was a screenshot I took of the checkout page with the flight times.

After I noticed this a few days after, I was worried they just charged the credit card and I didn't secure a spot on the plane so I called them on August 30th asking them to send me a conformation email. I never got it, but I felt secured that I was in their system and that was all I needed to hear (I didn't question the flight time). I live in Los Angeles, CA by the way.
So today I drive her to LAX and get there at 12:40 pm and when she got to the counter, the lady told her she missed her flight last night because the flight was actually at 1:40 am not pm like I thought. I would have known better if only they had sent me a conformation email but I never got one. Since military time is not commonly used here and I don't fly enough to immediately realize it.

I called them and they insist they did send the email when I first bought the ticket and when I called on August 30th. But I SWEAR ON MY LIFE that I did not receive such an email nor was it in my spam. I did however get an ad on Sept 7th from them about if I wanted to upgrade my flight (with no mention of time of my flight, just the date). Honestly, I get that I was careless, but I find it ridiculous they never gave me something concrete when at this day and age, you get a conformation email for every little thing online. When I booked from priceline.com for another airline, Asiana few months ago I got so many emails confirming my flight + 48 hour prior flight reminder. I guess I was spoiled by the good service. I just went to look the conformation emails I got from priceline that time and they used the 12 hr system NOT military time.

I called their customer service and they won't levy any incurring fees ($200) if I decide to get a refund or book a later flight, despite how I believe their (lack of) service has influenced me to miscalculate the flight time and therefore miss it.
I really don't want to just give away $$$ I don't have. So my question is: can I pursue this in small claims court (do I have a good case) or should I consider this lesson learned?

Please any input would be good. Thank you!

Answer:
 You are not legally entitled to a confirmation e-mail, and you could have confirmed the time of the flight by looking up the schedule online. What would you have done if the flight were canceled?

Your best bet is probably to leave the airline a negative review on a website. Sending an e-mail is good business practice, certainly after they said they would, but you don't have any legal standing.Answer #2: First, they don't have to send you a confirmation email. It's good practice, but by no means required. Flight schedules are publicly available, it's your responsibility to check.

Second, if you got to TBIT at 12:40 for a 1:40 flight, you've already missed the flight. You're not going to check your bag and/or clear security before boarding closes.


Title: I got into an accident and fled the scene while in Minneapolis last night. No drugs. No alcohol. What can happen.

Question:
I was driving last night and rear ended someone going around 20 and breaking, so it may have been a slower collision. The car I hit was pushed forward and hit another car. I fled because I am extremely afraid of cops and it was a heat of the moment reaction which I heavily regret.  I am turning myself in but is there any advice on how I should handle this. I have no criminal record keep in mind and I don't think anyone was hurt but I don't know for certain.
Please help me

Answer: Get a lawyer immediately. You do not need to be talking to anyone, especially the cops, without a lawyer


Title: Roommates forged my signature on eviction notice [OH]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >My roommates have since gotten another co-signer, but are not cooperating in signing the final lease when I asked about it.

What? Final lease?

You had a valid lease that you signed for a period of time, correct? That period is over, correct? You moved out, correct?


Title: Was recently documented for vaping in my dorm, was wondering if it was worth appealing?

Question:
Hi,

I live in Wisconsin and from what I have read, Milwaukee county has not banned vaping besides in state fair park and by the main stage. However, I was told that Wisconsin as a whole has banned vaping indoors because it is considered smoking. Was just wondering if this is true and if it is worth appealing?

Also, looking through the university's handbook for housing, there is no mention of vaping.

Yes I know I am an idiot but I think I could appeal this. Unless I just didn't read correctly.

Thank you

Answer:
 Even if it isn't banned by the state or county, or in your RLO agreement, they can just cite it as banned in your specific building, or under the same rules as candles and incense. Either way, unless you plan to remain a prick, a single documentation is absolutely meaningless. You probably have to have a meeting with the RD and write an apology to the floor. Seriously, you shouldn't be doing anything that creates a strong, easily distributed odor in a place where a lot of people live in close proximity (and yes, that means you shouldn't layer on the AXE spray)

(Former RLO employee, current member of a campus judicial panel that reviews these things.)


Title: Can you really get out of speeding tickets like this?

Question:
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but someone claims to have a way to get out of speeding tickets.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/3oqzvr/what_is_that_one_trick_that_they_really_dont_want/cvzs9k9

My immediate thought is that this is like complaining about the fringe on a flag or minor errors on a ticket, but I'm not sure. Would this really work? If not, why?

Answer:
 There are hundreds of lawyers in my metro area who specialize in traffic tickets.

If this worked, every one of them would use it on every case, all those tickets would get dismissed, and everyone would know about it.

Since that has not happened, I can only assume it's not true.


Title: (WA) I was a victim of an armed robbery, one of the guys involved works at my local grocery store

Question:
I was working as a delivery driver at the time, and all I had was $20.

They all got caught because one of the guys shot themselves in the leg as they ran away with their pizza and $20, proceeded to go to the hospital and they all got arrested.

There were 4 involved, tried, and plead guilty on 5/11. 3 of them wound up being charged with Robbery 2 and the one who works at my grocery store was found guilty of rendering criminal assistance in the first degree.

How he wound up being charged with less than the other three is beyond me, I still do not even feel safe going to the store. I bank there, my pharmacy is there, and it has been for most of my life. I do not want him to do something to me out of revenge since they got caught. They could of at least had the gun on safe and their finger off the trigger.

To be honest, this was the scariest moment of my life, I have never had a gun pulled on me, and to see this guy with a job, a decent one at that, angers me. I want to speak to the store manager but I am not sure what to say without sounding like I am being vengeful. If he would rob me for a pizza and $20, I could definitely see him doing something out of revenge.  Any suggestions?

Answer:
 You can bring this incident to the store manager's attention and let them know that you are a long-time customer who will be taking your business elsewhere if this individual is not fired.

But that's your recourse: to take your business elsewhere if this individual continues to work there.Answer #2: This is tough because you don't want to be around someone like that, but at the same time, consider that without any job, he'll be much more likely to resort to crime to make money and get food. If he's going to turn his life around he needs to be allowed to have a job.

In addition, you should consider that if you're afraid of this person trying to get revenge against you, getting him fired could increase the chance of that happening.

That said, it may be that the store is unaware he has a criminal record, and you could let them know, but it's likely they know. or as mentioned, You can shop elsewhere or ask them to fire him. It's possible you could ask the store to transfer him, but that could just result in him getting fired as well.


Title: Philadelphia, PA - Child Support modification skyrocketed (willful impoverishment?)

Question:
I apologize in advance if this type of post is not allowed, or in the wrong subreddit.

I recently had my support order drastically increased. I make more than in the previous order (imputed PA full time minimum wage income, to now just under $15 per hour full time) but my order after my last conference is now almost 7 times higher (about $110 to now just under $700).

I feel this is due to my poor decision to bring in a then most current pay stub during the holidays where I worked overtime, along with the mother willingly impoverishing herself by quitting her main job just a short time before the hearing, now only working about 16 hours a week as a home health aid making only about $11 an hour.

This new order now doesn’t even leave me with enough after automatic garnishments to cover my basic bills (rent, utilities, cell phone, gas, food). Luckily I have my girlfriend who is helping make ends meet in the meantime while we hope for understanding from the judge.

Additionally, she recently had another child with another man who she recently just got a house with as well. Her claim for why she isn’t working nearly as much now when asked is that she is taking some classes now so she can’t work full time. I don’t know what to do for my hearing before a judge 2/19/2019. I am 24 years old and haven’t had to consider getting legal help in my life until now.

I don’t know what I need to do. Do I need a lawyer? I have severely limited funding to pay for one, but if it is necessary I will find a way. I feel hopeless, wondering if the judge will believe anything I have to say without some kind of formal documentation I fear I am unable to acquire proving various aspects of this story.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, thank you.

Answer:
 Well, you didn't have a lawyer the first time and look how it worked out.

So, yeah, get a lawyer.


Title: Charged With DUII & Hit And Run

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If you don't even know what you hit, you were impaired. Each of those meds can impair your judgment and ability to drive. You can still be charged, and convicted of DUI with Rx meds. You need atty ASAP