Title: [MN] Bought house as part of estate; miffed grandson feels it should have gone to him and is apparently unstable.

Question:
So, that's the TL;DR of the situation.  The full information, as I have it, is below:

I closed on my house on Wednesday.  It was part of an estate, and it took a little longer than expected to close.  After I moved in, I met my neighbors on either side of the house.  Both separately asked me if I was aware of the grandson.  I was not.

Apparently, he felt the house should have just gone to him, and was somewhat upset by the sale.  He had apparently, on several occasions, removed the for sale sign from the yard.  He's also allegedly on drugs.  He's been seen in the neighborhood acting strangely several times over the last few weeks, and the police had been called.  I do not know specifically what he was doing, other than a generic statement of "acting strangely".  I've been told that, currently, he's in jail.

What I want to know is how I can and should be proactive about this.  While I don't expect drastic action on his part, I want to be prepared and already have a solid plan of action in the event that his stay in the pokey and the finality of the sale closing do not dissuade further actions on his part.  I think that being proactive here will make my life a lot easier, so I would like some advice on what I can and should do right now.

Answer:
 Make sure that you've re-keyed the house. I would also consider getting security cameras and a system in place, just in case. Personally, I'd also do a bit of online stalking and see if you can find his photo so you can be visually familiar with him.Answer #2: Re-keying the house is a solid first step and is something that you should be doing irrespective of this situation.  Installing a security system with a camera would also be a good proactive step.

Depending on what your neighbors told you, it might be advisable to meet with someone at your local police department.  If you are aware of a mentally unstable drug user who is probably going to damage your house or hurt you, then it definitely warrants a discussion with an officer.  It would make things easier down the road if/when he actually does something.

For example if you come back from work and your house has been broken into, things will be smoother/easier because the cops already have a good idea who did it.


Title: Question about carpet in apartments

Question:
We’ve been living in this apartment complex since 2009. From what I’ve heard, it is the landlord responsibility to change the carpet after 5 years. Thought I would go on here and ask if this is true? I’ve talked to the landlord but it says that it’s not their duty to change but that they can look the other way and we find outlet own person to change the carpet.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: What state are you in and where are you getting your information that they are obligated to change the carpet every 5 years even if you don't move out?


Title: Need to sell the house, but the title is in dead grandmother's name.

Question:
I posted a different, but related, question in r/personalfinance, but in short, my father just passed away the other day leaving me and my disabled mother with almost no money. The house we live in is a large home in Frisco, Tx and we need to sell it ASAP, as we cannot afford the property taxes.

My family moved here 13 years ago with my grandparents - who purchased the home - but after their death, the lawyer we hired to deal with some of my GM unpaid taxes, neglected to get the title of the home switched to my mother's name.

We can't sell this house until we get the name switch, so how, if any, would be the best and fastest way of doing that?

Some other info: No mortgage, we own the home. DFW area. Denton county.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: On a practical level, are you sure you're going to be able to find a cheaper living situation? How much can the property taxes be? Can you rent a room out to help cover expenses? Did you father leave any life insurance?


Title: Can I sue my university for not giving me proper accomodation?

Question: I have a learning disability and I approached my school's student disability center. The lady was basically rude and told me lies and conditions I had to do in order to get accomodation. I came from a communitt college and went through accomodation for my learning disability and the process was smooth, no problems. I told the lady about my experience in my old school and the accomodations I needed. She basically told me they dont do that and went on a rant on how community colleges dont do it right and that she is an expert, bla, blah, blah. She talked to me as if I was lying about my disability, which I was not. I told her to give me the forms to fax to my doctor, she said I had to use my own fax machine, and if I were to use their office fax machine, I basically had to wait until the doctor faxed it back, and that they wouldnt do anything if the doctor faxed them anyhing because its not their job. First off, wtf, in my old school, it was simple. I gave them the doctors office fax, and was told to have a great day and all was smooth sailing after. Anywho, I was discouraged from that meeting with the counselor. I asked students who had learning disabilities and told them I was bummed that I dont get double time or to do the exam in a seprate place from the class and to choose when to take the exams at my time. They told me that they do get those types of services. I was shocked, all quarter I have been trying to make another apointment and every time it gets cancelled. I needed those accomodations and without them, it honestly destroyed my grades. I want to know if I can sue. I have rights dont I? I was lied to and they are treating me very unfairly and my grades suffered. I tried so many times to make another appointment or to see a different counselor to talk to. But they always get cancelled or I wait for hours after arriving on time. Its unprofessional. Finals are coming. The quarter is ending, but I have been giving this some thought and would appreciate what I should do, suing a university isn't something one can do out of the blue. I am going to visit them again after winter break a week before the new quarter starts. How do I go about this with a lawyer/ professional?

Answer: So did you get them the paperwork filled out by your doctor?Answer #2: Yes, you have rights to do what is asked of you. Your new school doesn't have to bend over backwards for you just because your last one did.


Title: PA Beer Distributor Problems

Question: I'm 20 years old and live in PA. A local beer distributor started carrying tobacco products. They have always had cigs but now they have expanded to pipes, bongs ,grinders and other "Tobacco" related things. Now because the age limit on theses items is 18 I have went in to buy pipes and bongs on multiple occasions with no problems.  Today I was told when I entered that I had to be 21 or accompanied by a person over 21 to be in the beer distributor. Can they deny me access if I want to buy tobacco products? They offer products I can legally buy such as cigs, pipes, lighters, screens etc. but deny me sale. Can I fight this?

Answer:
 You can be legally denied a sale for any non-protected reason. Age is not a protected class in this case. You can be legally denied any and all sales until you hit 21.Answer #2: >Can they deny me access if I want to buy tobacco products?

Yes.

>Can I fight this?

No.


Title: High School Student Rights? [US-Iowa]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I suspect it's the confederate flag and considering that's one massive distraction and fight fodder, he can ban it. In general schools are allowed to limit students freedom of speech within certain parameters. Answer #2: > Is there anything we can do to make sure we can continue to do what we do without the intrusion from school administrators.

No.  School administrators have wide latitude to restrict activity disruptive to the educational environment.  If you want to have some kind of group or ceremony, have it off campus and outside of school hours


Title: My fucking landlord

Question:
Hey guys, question for you. So. My fucking landlord pulled some pretty cuntly shit this weekend. I'm a first-time renter, and I wasn't aware of the guest rules in the contract. The rule is that after 7 consecutive days of a guest staying in the home, there's a $50 charge for each following day. My boyfriend has been living with me for three fucking months. AND NOW, MY LANDLORD IS TRYING TO CHARGE ME FOR ALL OF THAT AT ONCE. I WAS NOTIFIED THAT I WAS BREAKING THE RULES ONE DAY BEFORE I RECEIVED HER BILL FOR $4,500. I'm a 19 year old working a part-time job, and this is ridiculous. I'm paying a minimum fee for $975 now, but I wasn't given any kind of 30 day notice, or anything like that. She tried to have the fines due 9 days after I was given the violation notice. DID I MENTION THAT SHE'S MOVING OUT THIS WEEK. FOR CHRISSAKE, I HAVE A NEW LANDLORD COMING.

If anyone has any advice for me, please help.

Answer:
 What's ridiculous is that you just assumed you can have another tenant move into the premises without letting the landlord know.  The charge is in your lease...it's your responsibility to read and know the terms of your agreement.

You should see if you can negotiate a smaller settlement with your landlord to get rid of this violation.  I would suggest speaking/writing to her with a less profanity laced presentation, as you are the one in the wrong here.

Also, maybe you can look to your boyfriend to kick in some money since he was the one living with you.

This is not something you want to get evicted over.  An eviction will severely hamper your ability to rent in the future.


Title: Backed into a corner trying not to lose my son.

Question:
Living in mi Kinda Long, on mobile, and throwaway. Please I seek advice and I just don't dont know what to do. Where to all begin, well let's start with a background. Me and my wife are married with our son who is from a previous relationship. The son's father has never been in the picture I've always been his dad. Me and my wife have been together since I was 15 and I'm 26. we've been off and on but 6 years ago she got pregnant and abandoned. We were always very close friends and when she got pregnant we fell back in love and got together. Everything for the most part was great. She had our son and moved in together eventually got engaged and married. All as a family just the three of us. Now let's start with a recent turn of events. As of January 10th me and my wife got into a big fight. She explained to me that she just wasn't in love with me anymore and that she's has been trying to love me for months. We've always had really good communication in our relationship. We talked whenever we had problems we discussed when things were wrong all the things you do in a marriage. My wife is from a broken home she was abused when she was younger and she's always had anxiety and problems but they've never been a big issue. So we decided to take a month to situate our emotions and get some time apart. I agreed and we started on the 10th of Jan and since then things have gotten so out of hand I don't know what move to make.

Since we've taken a break I found out so many things about my wife that I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams she would ever done. Like I said we always had a really strong relationship and talked about things openly she had her friends I had my friends and that was okay no matter what gender they were. She had a friend for quite some time that she went to school with who had kids that were my son's age. I never thought anything of it because every once in awhile she would babysit his kids for some money and that would give my son an opportunity to play with a friend. Come to find out she's been having an affair with him for about 6 months every now and again they would see each other and do whatever they wanted to do. I ended up confronting my wife about it because I found pictures on her phone and she finally confessed what she was doing. She explained that she made peace with what she did and she knew she was a horrible person not once did she say she was sorry but just that what she did was messed up and that's just how it happened. The only problem is that I want her to move out but if she moves out she takes my son with her. We are married she had an affair and everything we own is in my name. The only thing that I want is my son. I don't want the house, I don't want the car I don't want anything inside of the house. I just want to make sure that she doesn't take my son and move out with the man she had an affair with. As far as everything goes between my son he just thinks that this man is a friend of my wifes and that his kids are his friends. I'm still in love with my wife and she's completely moved on but I have to live with her in my house or she moves out with him. I'm backed into a corner letting her do whatever she wants because she thinks she knows what's best for everybody. All I want is for her to leave and need to have some ties to my son besides a promise. I don't know what to do because as far as everything my wife is capable of I know that if I struggle she'll take the only thing that really matters from me.

Tl;dr. my wife had an affair stopped loving me and I don't want to lose my non biological son because my wife is controlling and manipulative.

Answer: Not to be mean but he is not your son in the eyes of the law. She can choose to cut you our and you have no recourse.


Title: Using force to prevent me from leaving a property

Question:
I am in my early 30s male residing in California. Recently, I had a disagreement with my uncle over the phone. He started yelling and ordered me and my wife to come over to his place where my cousins live together with him. At first, I refused but one of my cousins called my wife to bring me there and promised that everyone has cooled down.

When I was at their place, there was heated exchange between my aunt plus one of my cousins and me about how I had my left hand behind my head while having a discussion with my uncle. I got annoyed and frustrated; at that point and told everyone that I would be leaving.

On my way to front door (the only exit), I was first blocked by 1st cousin (female) at the kitchen exit (one person width so I cannot go around her). She then pushed me back into the kitchen. 2nd cousin (female) pulled me from the back. I cannot turn left or right because one side has oven range and the other side has cabinets. I warned them about letting me go and it might be considered assault or criminal offense for them but they were all pushing me with their elbows (looks very premeditated).

I got worried and tried to get to the door. As I was pushed to a corner near the door, 3rd cousin (male and bulky) came over and grabbed me. He dragged me over to the living room and put me in a chokehold position with my head twisted in his legs. After my uncle and aunt came to break up the chaos, I was harassed by all the cousins and my uncle.

I got bruises, joint, neck and back pain. Both me and my wife did not physically harm anyone. Is there anything I can pursue legally?

TL;DR: Tried to leave the property peacefully from an argument but I was forcefully detained against my will. Seeking legal advice.

Answer: Well, IANAL, but I do highly disagree with the other commenter. Imo, what happened was that you were in fact assaulted. Take note of your injuries and pains. Go see a doctor and maybe have them give a statement too. Got any bruises? Take pictures. Write down a summary (like your post) so you do not get events mixed up. The problem would be sueing. You have incurred no damages so far,other than the maybe broken glasses, so there is not much to do. Regardless, you should absolutely call the police and make a report. This was pretty abusive behaviour and having a paper trail, even if it leads to nothing for now, can and will help in the future.


Title: If, For Whatever Reason, I Was to Suddenly Wake Up As a Nonhuman, Would I Still Be a US Citizen?

Question:
(I asked this question two weeks ago on r/NoStupidQuestions, but I didn't get much response there, so I thought I'd ask here)

------

Basically, I read Kafka's Metamorphosis a while back, and I started to wonder what the legal ramifications of such a transformation would be. US law states "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

The thing is, "person" only seems to apply to humans- so if i were to wake up as a giant bug tomorrow morning, would I suddenly have my citizenship revoked?

As a side question, what do you think would happen if I was still able to communicate and prove my identity? Nothing good, I'm presuming.

Answer:
 Short answer: We don't know.

Much like how we would deal with superheroes legally, or what would happen if you were an immortal sentenced to death, or how the law would treat alien life that visited this planet... we just don't know.

The system isn't set up to deal with those things, and no one anticipated them as real possibilities when the law or any of the prior court decisions were made.

So the chain of events would be something like: a decision gets made by the executive branch on a temporary basis, then legislation gets passed regarding the issue, and then some time later the courts weigh in, and then after a few years we have the basic outline of how the system will handle it- until something changes.


Title: (Ohio) Friend is a woman going through divorce, can't afford lawyer nor the child support other party is fighting to get.

Question: I'm really trying to help a friend here who is struggling to not be homeless. Her split from her husband was an amicable one at first until she randomly got divorce papers and he started to just fight for everything. He cheated on her at one point, so he was basically at fault for divorce. He's fighting for $375 a month in child support (possibly more) and she lives paycheck to paycheck, can't afford a lawyer to fight him. The children are no older than preschool kids and the husband already makes around 30k a year which supported the whole family before the split. Was wondering what her options were, thanks.

Answer:
 Because children are involved, there's a better-than-usual chance she can get legal aid. She should contact local legal aid societies and womens' shelters and see if she can get a referral to an attorney she _can_ afford.

However, $375/mo for child support is on the low end if her ex-husband has primary custody. Getting her in touch with a financial advisor might be wise: she's going to have to budget for either child care expenses (if she splits custody) or child support, or both, pretty much no matter what happens.


Title: [Texas] How does my family contest an unfairly written will?

Question:
[Texas]

Intro: I seek advice on where to even begin to contest a will that was unfairly written. My grandmother passed awhile recently and my mom and her siblings (my uncles) are now at the point where a lawyer has read them the contents of the will. Because I am seeking advice in this forum, you can probably guess they didn’t like what was in it. I am asking this for my mom (who is the executor of the will), and who is emotionally drained from losing her mom. I don’t have full details yet, so please understand if some key information is left out or if something seems hazy, it’s probably because I am unsure myself and because it's coming second hand. My role in this is that I want to help my mom. I'm unemotional about what has transpired and instead want to assist my mom and her siblings in a practical way , since they are still full of emotions.

Body: My grandmother and my step-grandfather, Billy, had a will written up when Billy was still alive. Billy got my grandmother to put in the will that if he passes first (he did, about 10 years ago) and then she passes, all her property (house, car, some land in Texas and another state and everything inside the house from tools to furniture to mementos) is to be sold off for cash, then the money is supposed to be given to Billy’s children. The house, land, car, and everything else is in my grandmother's name alone, not Billy's. From talking with my mom, it sounds like the will has cut out my grandmothers side of the family (my mom and her 4 siblings). I’m not dead sure about this but from talking to my mom, it seems to be the case. Billy’s kids have never been a part in the family, not for holidays, not to call, not anything. Therefore, my mom and her siblings are quite upset that Billy’s kids are getting almost everything even though they haven’t been my grandmother’s life nor ours, and my mom and her siblings won’t receive much (if anything).

My grandmother lived simple and not a lot of money is wrapped up in the house or anything else. My mom wasn’t ever expecting money to come her way. She is more concerned about what will happen to all the mementos and also the fact she doesn’t think Billy’s kids should get anything. The lawyer himself was flabbergasted when he read the will and my mom said the lawyer was deeply disappointed to deliver the news. The lawyer did not offer any advice on next steps.

Maybe an important detail: The will was never updated after my grandfather Billy passed (update your wills people!). But my mom did say my grandmother left documentation of what she wanted done after she died. My mom explained it was written like a will, but not “an official will”. My mom is dismissive and thinks that key detail is unimportant.

As previously mentioned, my mom is the executor of the will. She is emotionally drained and is also a very passive no-drama person. She wants everything to be fair, but I’ve stressed to her in the past that things will probably get ugly, therefore she needs to take action sooner than later. She will need to fight for what she thinks is fair, or she’ll get steamrolled. She feels powerless. I’ve stressed to her that there has to be options out there.

Hence me asking you guys: How can we contest this will? Where can I start to better help my mom and her siblings? What options are out there? Should we hire a lawyer? I’ve googled around looking for a starting point, but haven’t found anything. I think mainly because I don’t know where to begin looking.

Thank you in advance for reading this.

edit: Thanks for the advice everyone! I urged her to "lawyer up!" so mom said she'll meet a probate attorney and get an opinion on the situation. If nothing can be done, that is fine, but I urged her to make an effort into looking into the situation at the very least.

Answer: You could hire a probate attorney to look it over and give an opinion, but generally speaking the will has to be followed as written. The probate attorney could also assist with your mom's duties as executor.Answer #2: Wills aren't about fairness. It's about what the deceased wanted when they passed. If my parents don't split 50/50 between me and my brother, it's not fair but they probably liked him more.


Title: City is making me move (Coweta, OK)

Question:
I am a contractor who just moved to Coweta OK for work. By moved, I mean I went in with some other people and leased a lot where we could set up our RVs for the duration of the contract (about 6 months).

After the first couple of days someone complained to the city and they sent a unbelievably rude son of a bitch to our makeshift rv park who told us that mobile homes were not allowed in the city and that we had to move our campers that same day. They eventually agreed to give us a week.

Now I know that you can't set something up like this in a nice place, but Coweta is a far cry from Mister Rogers' neighborhood! There are some nice homes, but there are also campers all over the place and every other house is a single wide; many of which appear to be 50+ years old and are rotting in place. In comparison our lot is very clean and nice looking, although I'm sure this doesn't matter.

Do we just have to pack up and move? Grin and bear it? Why can they make us move but allow all of these other people to own mobile homes? Is it legal for a city to only enforce its codes when it wants to?

If you took the time to read this, thank you. If you can offer any advice I would appreciate it.

Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: If you are in violation of the law then yeah, you have to move. It doesn't matter what other people do, it matters whether or not you are in violation of the law (or ordinance). Answer #2: All that matters is what the cities laws and regulations say about mobile homes or campers being set up not that Coweta, OK is a dust bowl.


Title: (Arizona) Can the holder of a POA for health, finance and legal over a dementia patient be held liable if the patient burns down the house due to microwave and stove not being removed?

Question:
Hi all, we have a little situation with an elderly family member, who is suffering from dementia.  We are a couple weeks away from the court date to gain guardianship so we can have her moved to a memory care home.

In the meantime, she is burning food in the microwave by putting it on for 10 minutes and not knowing how to stop it when it starts burning.  This has happened twice.  We will take the microwave, but are concerned she will use the stove again.

Not everyone wants to disable the stove and have to provide cold meals.  If the house were to burn down due to stove use, would the holders of the POA be liable to the insurance company or others?  I am looking for support in trying to get that stove disabled.

Any help would be greatly appreciated; this has been a very emotional and hard situation as this elderly family member is quite viciously abusive and so the POA holders try to keep her as calm as possible to not receive this abuse.  Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Generally speaking, no. A POA gives you the ability to act but you are not legally required to do so.

Once your elderly family member is under guardianship, however, the guardian is required to act and a failure to do so could result in repercussions.

What kind of stove is it?  You could just pull the breaker in the fuse box for the stove to disable it.


Title: [Georgia,USA] Parents bought trailer never got title, previous owner kicking them out

Question: My parents bought a trailer in 2015 from a lady. They paid her in cash and they got a bill of sale which she signed and was notorized. She promtly moved away to Texas, we have no information on where she is, her address or anything really. I believe my mom had her phone number or Facebook account in which she asked her to send then the title so they can transfer it to their name. They have asked her since 2015 and she refuses saying that they never paid her and that they owe her money even though she signed the bill of sale. Now my parents got a letter from this lady (conveniently her address is no where on it, it just has her name & city, state) saying they have 60 days to move because she sold the trailer to someone else. We're not really sure what to do here. I think the lady is scamming people but what steps would we need to take to get this lady to give them the title since they are the rightful owners?

Answer:
 Your parents can wait until the lady tries to evict them, then your parents can present the judge with the bill of sale.

The judge can then do one of several things:

1. Order the lady to sign over the title to the trailer (if that court can order specific performance).

2. Order the lady to reimburse your parents for the money they paid her.

3. Evict your parents if they cannot sufficiently prove they purchased the trailer.

Depending on how much the trailer cost, your parents may want to engage the help of an attorney.

An important lesson here is to never pay someone for something requiring registration until the registration paperwork is complete and ready to be filed.


Title: (MI) Are meter readers legally allowed to jump my fence?

Question:
We live in Michigan and recently installed a new fence in our backyard. I let the energy company know that if our gates were locked when they came to check the meter, that the meter reader should come to the front door and I'd let him through. (I'm home 99% of the time so this shouldn't be an issue.)

Today a meter reader came and the gates happened to be locked. Instead of coming around to the front door (our car was in the driveway--should be obvious we're home), he jumped the fence in order to get to the meter.

So my question is, is he legally allowed to do that? I understand that the energy company owns the meter, but it seems ridiculous that he'd be allowed to just jump the fence instead of coming to the door first, considering he could damage the fence, or even be hurt by our dogs if they happened to be outside at the time.

Answer:
 He probably isn't supposed to according to their policy, but it isn't illegal. Answer #2: most likely part of your agreement with the power company to receive power is an easement to read the meter on your home (note I didnt say your meter because it's actually owned by the power company)

it's not illegal but the reader is probably breaking policy.

Source: worked for a major power company in the SW for several years.Answer #3: The meter reader isn't interested in your preference. Likely they are a monopoly so if you want electricity it's not like you can dump them. They want to read the meter then go to the next house.


Title: Lawyers, what are the obligations of a US citizen when a law enforcement officer asks them to leave their house or apartment?

Question:
I was under the impression that the castle doctrine prevented citizens from being forcibly removed from their houses or apartments if there was no direct threat to officer safety and no warrants. Is this correct?

I was also under the impression that a citizen should not voluntarily exit their home, even to stand on the porch or the landing outside their home because if they voluntarily leave their home, they are actually giving up some of their protections under the law. Is that correct?

But then I see the video from Alabama where an officer is asking a young man to step outside and he's refusing. The officer does say the young man is under arrest which is why he's not allowing them to close the door - but assuming he wasn't under arrest, would it be easier for an officer to arrest someone after they voluntarily leave their home?

Answer:
 > I was under the impression that the castle doctrine prevented citizens from being forcibly removed from their houses or apartments if there was no direct threat to officer safety and no warrants. Is this correct?

No, there are exceptions.

Simple answer to this question and any other - if an officer *asks* you to do something, you can say no.  If he *tells* you to do something, comply and fight the matter later.


Title: [California] Don't know where else to ask this.

Question:
This morning as I was about to leave for work a technician came into our home from alliance security. My dad told him to come over not too long ago in hopes to negotiate a security system deal in our home. Since then some unforseen events happened and we couldn't afford the system yet, my dad told him our situaton that we would be renovating our home first then looking for security and the guy left. A couple minutes later his manager called and was unprofessionally disappointed as in he was angry that we made his technician drive so far out and didn't purchase. He kept asking my mom what it was we were renovating to see why we wouldn't buy the system and we told him to ask my dad who was busy, so we told him to call back later. We hung up and another couple minutes go by and he calls again. I picked up this time but it was a little late and he hung up as I picked up and I heard him let out a sigh which also sounded angry.
This guy was pretty aggressive towards us and I don't really know what else to do I was hoping you guys could help me out with some advice as to what I should do in the case this guy starts harassing us or anything.
Topic:
Douche

Answer: He's mad from his perspective you wasted his time. There is no legal issue here.


Title: I found a mispelled price on an item in an online store. Made a purchase for it. I have some questions concerning mispelled price tags (Hayward, CA, USA)

Question:
I found this  super cheap item online 90% cheaper than the cost of the actual item. After further digging, it was a typo made by the online store. Based on its serial number, this typo was made on 28th July 2015. Should the seller honor the price advertised or can the seller change the price while processing my order?

Additional information :
the site's terms and conditions :
>All credit and debit card transactions are securely handled by PayPal and WorldPay.

>Payments via bank transfer and cash/cheque deposit to our UK bank account are also accepted. If you choose to pay via bank transfer or cash/cheque deposit,you can enjoy a 2% discount. Simply make your payment less the discount shown.

>Please note that if you do not deduct the discount from your payment, we will consider that you have declined this 2% discount offer, therefore we will not issue a refund afterward.

>Please note that bank transfer and cheque need to be cleared by the bank. Clearing process might take 3-5 working days, and we cannot despatch your order until your payment is cleared.

>We always make sure our prices are among the cheapest on the internet. Please let us know if you can find same products cheaper elsewhere, and we will try our best to match or make our prices even cheaper whenever possible.

>If you pay by credit/debit card, we will NOT accept PO Boxes or any other mailbox services as your delivery address.

>Our prices are "VAT/GST Free" guaranteed for certain countries*, meaning we will reimburse all import charges if any. In other words, the prices you see on our website are all you need to pay. DUTY FREE. No hidden charges. More details for this VAT Free Guarantee can be found below.

>In the unlikely event that we run out of stock prior to your order being despatched, we will email you informing you when we would expect to have new stock to come in.

>Please choose the correct currency for your country when placing your order. In the case of a refund, we are not responsible for any money loss caused by currency exchange if incorrect currency is used.

>For orders sent to the United Kingdom, please choose to pay in GBP only, otherwise orders will be cancelled and refunded, in which case we cannot be held responsible for money loss due to currency exchange.

>Australian Dollar (AUD) and New Zealand Dollars (NZD) can only be used for orders sent to Australia and New Zealand respectively. If AUD and NZD are wrongly selected, we will cancel the orders and issue full refunds, in which case we cannot be held responsible for money loss due to currency exchange.

>For orders sent to Euro zone (namely Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Greece, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia and Estonia), please choose to pay in Euro only, otherwise orders will be cancelled and refunded. In any case, we cannot be held responsible for money loss due to currency exchange.

>For new customers who have chosen to pay by Paypal or credit/debit cards and wish to have their orders shipped to an unconfirmed address, we might require to ask for proof of address and identity before we can process their orders.

>For new customers who have chosen to pay by Bank Transfer, proof of address and identity (eg. driving licence, passport, utility bills or bank statements) would have to be emailed or faxed to us before we can process their orders.

>* VAT/GST Free Guarantee only applies to orders shipped to Australia, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom. For these countries, we will reimburse all import charges in full if incurred, namely VAT, GST, import duty and courier handling charge.

Answer: They have no obligation to honor a mistake in price.


Title: Roommate wants to move out a full week before our lease and cable contracts are up and take the cable equipment with her, leaving remaining tenants without cable and internet for a week

Question:
Currently, myself, my girlfriend (Jane), and our roommate (Marsha), share a 2 bedroom apartment. Marsha is the primary account holder for our internet and cable services (XFINITY). Our lease is up in mid June, and Marsha is moving out about a week before that. Jane and I will be there until the day before the lease expires.

Marsha wants to take the internet and cable box with her, to drop the cable box off at the store, and she is keeping the internet equipment for her next apartment (which she won't even be able to use until the end of the month anyway). This will leave Jane and myself at the apartment with no internet or cable for over a week, and we are both secondary account holders and we all split the cost of the service 3 ways evenly.

We have tried to talk to her about it, but, to spare the details, she is not a selfless person. I know everyone says that about their roommates, but she would rather make us go without these basic amenities for a week than trust that we will return the cable and bring her the internet equipment. We are going to try again tomorrow to figure the issue out, but it is more than likely that she is not going to budge without some kind of legal or contractual precedent to do so.

Does she have the ability to just take the equipment since she is the primary account holder? Is the equipment possibly tied to the address we are at, obligating her to leave it there for the duration of the pay period? We tried to reach out to Comcast, but their lines appear to be closed on Sunday, and this issue only came up late last night.

Any advice on the matter would be immensely appreciated!

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to include the location. We are located in Western Massachusetts, USA.

Edit: We are going to approach her with the suggestion of adjusting our payment agreement for the last week of the month. Our loose plan is to work out a pay amount for the remainder of that time, since she wouldn't have access to it, and get some kind of written agreement stating that we will be paying that portion so long as she agrees to leave the equipment at the apartment until the end of the lease. We will also get a written statement saying that we assume responsibility for the equipment for that period and will follow through with the drop-off and bring her the internet equipment that day. We will also be contacting Comcast to see if they have any kind of first-party subleasing arrangement so we are considered the primary account holders for that period of time?

Thank you for all of the advice so far.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: She can and should take the equipment with her. Unless you had a contract that for some reason states otherwise.


Title: Valet Parking at hotel in Montreal crashed my park and they don't seem to be eager to pay!

Question: Anybody has an idea of what should be my next steps.  I have a accident report done by both parties involve and internal report from the hotel.  The front desk manager was driving my car then.

Answer: File a claim with your insurance company. This is why you have insurance.


Title: Neighbor is lying and said I harassed and violated my order or protection. Being charged with misdemeanors and don't know what to do.

Question:
Hi everyone,

Thanks for reading first of all. So the backstory is I was outside yesterday and saw my neighbor who has a order of protection against me. I waved to him and he yelled at me "thank your wife for giving me a blow job after her run". I yelled back at him "What?" And then he called the police.

The police said there is a video of me talking to him, which I can say for sure there is not, and took me in for misdemeanor harassment and violating my order of protection. In his police statement he said I was screaming "Fuck you" and "I'll fight you" which I did not say.

Is there any recourse for me in getting these misdemeanors dismissed? How can he lie and say I violated my order when I didn't?

I really appreciate any feedback on this. Thank you.

Edit:I'm located in New Yorl state.

Answer:
 >I was outside yesterday and saw my neighbor who has a order of protection against me. I waved to him

Are you a moron?


Title: Ticketed on my bike for an Idaho stop - gave false name and address (MN)

Question: I primarily cycle into work. This morning on my commute in I rolled through a 4 way stop sign when there was no other traffic at the stop. This is  technically illegal, but it is objectively more safe for cyclists to be able to do this. An officer must have been behind me because I got pulled over and ticketed for not coming to a complete stop. At the time I didn't have any ID on me and I gave a fake name and address to the officer who wrote the ticket. Is there any way the ticket can be linked to me? Do I need to be worried about anything?

Answer:
 > This is technically illegal, but it is objectively more safe for cyclists to be able to do this.

You are the reason people hate cyclists.

Yes, you need to be worried.  You committed a crime to get out of a ticket.  The officer may have had a dash cam or body cam which has you on video.  At the very least, he certainly knows what you and your bike look like.Answer #2: > I primarily cycle into work.

When that ticket bounces back as fake, guess who you're going to see on your commute? The cop! Waiting to give you a much more serious crime.Answer #3: I'd be more worried about the false information charges that you'll be facing when they figure it out.

And if it was a real person's name you gave, it's identity theft as well.

What a series of terrible decisions...


Title: [US]][NC]

Question:
Is it illegal to leave the country for the purpose of doing something that is illegal in the US?  What about with the intent of?

Is there a blanket prohibition or are there only laws against specific laws (eg. sex tourism)?

Answer:
 In most circumstances (going to the Netherlands for a pot bender, heading to Thailand for fun times with a lady-boy) it's not illegal to leave the US with the intent to enjoy the leniencies of another country.

But in rare cases (like leaving the US with the intent to join a terrorist group and plot against the US or something) leaving the US with the intent to commit a crime would be illegal. The act of leaving itself could be considered an act in furtherance of your plot against the country.


Title: The police released my phone, I'm a minor, can I get it by myself?

Question: I am a minor in Texas. The police took my phone some months ago. The phone is my property, and the warrant had my name on it for my phone. The police release my phone, because all charges against me were dropped. I want to get my phone, but my mother is busy taking care of my grandmother. Do I need my parent to be with me, or can I get it myself since it is MY PROPERTY. If I can get it myself, do I need like my birth certificate or something as ID? Thanks in advance.

Answer: Why not call the local police station and ask them what their policy is?


Title: Built a new house and the water heater shuts off every time it rains. The builders refuse to fix it even though it is under warranty. What kind of lawyer do we need?

Question:
Hello,
My husband and I closed on a newly built house on August 24. Since we've moved in, every time we get a heavy rain, the tankless water heater shuts off. The building company has sent plumbers and the HVAC company out multiple times with still no solution.  Our tankless water heater is vented through the roof and the vent allows water to come in, it trickles down the water heater pipe and it sets off a "leak detection" error code on the water heater. The builders have claimed that the vent is a manufacturer approved vent. After having no hot water and calling about 10 times since we've moved in, they finally put a different vent on but that didn't fix the issue. What steps do we need to take from here? What kind of lawyer handles this?

Answer:
 If you want a lawyer to handle this, you want a construction litigation attorney.

Before you do that, tell the builder that you want them to contact the manufacturer of the water heater and ask for a factory rep to inspect the installation.


Title: Think my university may be discriminating against me for a disability (Illinois)

Question:
I qualify for several accommodations for my disability (ADHD-PI) according to ADA: note taking, extra time on tests, tests in a distraction free environment.

The process of acquiring these accommodations for each class is very tricky and time sensitive so I'm worried they'll say it's my fault for not having filled out the forms early enough or not following up.

What's happened to me so far is

* The "distraction free environment" is the student disability office, which is in the same building as a bowling alley. They administer different tests in the same room so there are always students coming in and leaving. It's worse than taking the tests in the classroom.

* I've had a professor not give me note taking accommodations and instead tell me to meet with him in office hours. He said all the notes I need are in the textbook.

* The same professor not give me extra time or distraction free environment on tests because his tests required showing powerpoint slides (he cleared this with the office who were fine with it).

* I've had them not confirm where my exam was going to be administered until 9pm the night before the test.

* I missed am exam because the expected confirmation email didn't come (I thought it was going to come the night before like last time).

* The amount of meetings, emails, and phone calls with professors and the disability office to acquire these accommodations sometimes exceeds the amount of time I study for the tests. It is a huge inconvenience and takes away from my school work.

Is this illegal or just incredibly annoying? What should my plan be? Write letters? Get a lawyer? How would I know how to find a good one?

Answer:
 > The process of acquiring these accommodations for each class is very tricky

Tell us a little more about the process at your institution? Answer #2: Others have given more specific advice but I don't think anyone's spelled out the crux of the issue: the key word is "reasonable" which depends on the size of the institution and it's logistical capabilities. Answer #3: >The "distraction free environment" is the student disability office, which is in the same building as a bowling alley. They administer different tests in the same room so there are always students coming in and leaving. It's worse than taking the tests in the classroom.

In regards to noise during testing, I recommend soft foam ear plugs like "[Hearos](http://www.hearos.com/ear-plug-hearos)". I used them in several classes when I was having problems with anxiety-driven noise sensitivity, and they were life savers. Also try to position yourself in the back and/or corner of the room so students aren't brushing by you.


Title: So I asked this subreddit for advice...

Question:
I'm fairly new to the reddit community. I had some questions a few months ago about a college charging me $1200 for three weeks of classes that I didn't want to pay. My teachers didn't always make it to class and the school (like many) had a racketeering scheme of fees.

I'd always heard how wonderful and supportive the reddit community is. How it has trolls but also people that are helpful and insightful. This was not my experience.

I wanted to know of ways I could get out of this debt because I don't want to pay for a service or good I did not receive.

I encountered the biggest group of anonymous asshats that told me to pay my fucking bill, and that I deserved to be sued and have the debt go to collections. No one explained to me why the schools do this, no one showed an ounce of support tempered with the reason I should pay. Just full on douchosity.

A few Google searches later I realized that there is AN EXTREMELY HIGH likelihood that I can settle this for a lot less. Where was this sound advice?

Time passes and I have to pay it all for reasons that had nothing to do with keeping myself from being sued or sparring my credit. I then amended my tax return.

I'd like all those people to go eat a bag of dicks because I got MORE than what I owed back in taxes. So THANK YOU for your shitty legal advice. Your tax dollars just paid for the racketeering that is a college education. I'm going to do something stupid and frivolous with this money. Because money wasn't (nor ever has been) the big issue. The big issue was to find an alternate or more desirable solution, which this subreddit failed at miserably.

Please troll me all you want. I know the worth of this subreddit.

Answer: I'm pleased to hear that you eventually had a positive outcome,.  Though, in the future, you should probably have lower expectations about the quality of free, anonymous, internet advice from people who may not even be attorneys.Answer #2: You're welcome. I'm glad we could help.


Title: Doing untipped work on tipped wage

Question:
I’m putting this in off topic because I don’t have this job anymore and am not gonna do anything but I’m wondering if a practice at my last job was legal.

I worked as a delivery driver in VA.  We got paid $5/hr plus tips and delivery fees.  Our manager would always ask the delivery drivers to come in and help unload the truck, but we would only get paid $5/hr.  We weren’t required to do it, and i never did because i wasn’t going to wake up at 7:30 am on a Monday to unload t a truck for not even minimum wage.  I guess the argument the manager would make is that we aren’t being forced to do it so they don’t have to pay us more than our normal rate of pay.

The other issue with the truck was that if it was late but you were on time, you weren’t allowed to clock in.  So for example a co-worker showed up at 8 to unload the truck (when it’s supposed to arrive) but it didn’t get there til after 9 and she wasn’t allowed to clock in until it got there.  This is another reason I never helped with the truck but I’m curious about the legality of it because it doesn’t seem legal.

A similar issue I had was that i showed up on time for a meeting but no one else was there so she didn’t let me clock in until the meeting started, but no one else showed up so the meeting got cancelled and I didn’t get paid for my time.

All of these felt illegal or at least wrong, but I wasn’t ever sure so I figured I’d see if anyone here knew anything.

Answer: I feel like restaurant managers are trying this as much as possible now. My restaurant is trying to get tipped employees to unload, sort, and put away truck deliveries now.


Title: My case was dimissed. Am I in the clear yet?

Question:
In Florida, I recently went to court for a case management hearing over a defaulted student loan. When my case was called there was nobody there for the Plaintiff, and the judge dismissed the case. I found afterward that the attorney for the plaintiff was there, but was not in the court room at the time the case was called and dismissed.

Anyway, the disposition sheet was released today and instead of being the basic "Plaintiff not present case dismissed without prejudice", the judge marked it as "other", and it reads, "Planitiff present. No objection to case being dismissed. Case dismissed, the clerk is directed to close the file."

So, my question is, knowing that my loan would now be past the statute of limitations if they decided to refile, am I officially out of the woods or there anything that I should continue to be on the lookout for from the plaintiff's side? Thanks.

Answer: Odds are they will file a motion to have the case reinstated and its likely that it would be granted. This was a procedural issue, not a legitimate failure to prosecute, I would be shocked if the case was not reinstated.


Title: The cashier at my local Dollar General just told me that somebody shoplifted tonight and that is going to count against her with management. That can't happen, can it?

Answer: In addition to what others have said, I'd advise you NOT to say anything to management about this since you could make things worse for her.  Management wouldn't look kindly on her complaining to her customers about management policy.Answer #2: Yes. She can be reprimanded or even fired. But, her employer can't dock her pay because of the customer theft.


Title: [TX] can i call cps because of this?

Question:
Typing on mobile etc etc.

Title. My brother has been diagnosed as depressed (partially if not wholly caused by our moms derogatory and aggressive treatment) and used to go to therapy for it but was pulled out by our mom for some reason. He has acted on his life and actively cuts himself. Despite this our mom makes fun of him for his depression and even says things like ‘you arent really depressed, you just use it for attention from the ladies’ and ‘what the f— is wrong with you?!’ Over every small thing.

Im really scared for his health and am wondering if i can call cos over this? Our mom drinks a LOT if that matters.

Also it feels like she never acts this way to me. Its targeted at my brother. Our mom is really kind to me. If i call and she loses custody of him will i have to leave? I have moved before and lost all my friends and i wouldnt lose my friends for the world.

Tldr: mom purposely causing my brother depression and i am scared for his health

1) can i call cps

2) if my brother is taken away will i need to leave as well?

Answer:
 > If i call and she loses custody of him will i have to leave?

A mere call will not result in lost of custody.

If you fell your brother is being abused and/or neglect it is absolutely your right to call CPS. They will investigate, but the action they take can be varied. They may remove the child or children (you) from the home, they may just order her to do parenting classes or counseling. The actions they take are not up to us to dictate.

So yes, you may call, they may take you but theres no way for us to know that.


Title: I was abused and severely injured in a psych ward

Question:
I spent 2 weeks in a psych ward where I witnessed many awful things. The staff were extremely negligent and would allow the patients to antagonize and sexually harass eachother, the staff would verbally abuse us, take our belongings without our consent and distribute them among the patients causing needless fights, allowed patients experiencing severe psychosis to room with PTSD anxiety patients, refused me medication for my physical medical condition, and allowed me to suffer a life threatening injury. I have a tendency to lose consciousness and should have been on fall precaution, I told them this during my intake. A patient experiencing psychosis of some form was allowed to antagonize me until I lost consciousness. The staff would not remove the antagonistic patient nor did they try to stop me from falling. I fell head first on laminated hardwood floor. My roommate saw me and she said I turned blue and started to seizure afterwards. The EMTs told me I had a concussion and the baseball sized lump on my head was a hematoma. I was supposed to go back to the doctor in 3-5 days but the hospital refused to take me and instead loaded me on benzos so I would stop complaining. When I was discharged the staff stole all of my valuables, I am homeless and they knew it, and offered me only $50 in compensation. I don't feel right 3 weeks since the fall and still have a lump on my head. I want to take the hospital to court for compensation for my injury. Has anyone experienced something like this? Do I have a chance or would pursuing this be pointless?

I originally posted in mental health and was told I should post here instead

Answer:
 You can talk to a personal injury lawyer or malpractice attorney but I don't think you'll have much legal recourse. There are a lot of places you can file complaints about the hospital though:

http://hfcis.cdph.ca.gov/longtermcare/consumercomplaint.aspx

https://www.cmanet.org/about/patient-resources/making-a-complaint/complaints-about-hospitals

http://www.dsh.ca.gov/About_Us/Patients_Rights.aspx


Title: [MI] Landlord threatening to evict me for violating the lease based on behavior not referenced in the lease that he discovered by going through my stuff when I wasn't there.

Question:
Just moved into a new place and apparently my landlord is a little crazy.

Long story short, the AC that the lease states the landlord is responsible for providing and maintaining doesn't work in my apartment. I had to buy a portable AC because it's been 80+ degrees here and it's totally unlivable without working AC. The portable AC cost $400 something.

When I discovered the AC didn't work, I went to open the window and discovered that my window was busted too. It's not aligned in the frame properly, so the window comes right out if you pull on it with even the slightest force. Emailed the LL 3-4 times over it, he says saying the AC units are backordered and that the he and the maintenance guy will be in on Monday (yesterday) to fix the window.

The go in to fix the place while I'm at work. I use a nicotine vape. Landlord apparently found the vape juice in a drawer in my dresser (where he had no reason to be) and sent me an email saying he is looking into terminating my lease because I am violating the tobacco clause.

My lease expressly states:

"The tenant shall not smoke or ingest tobacco or tobacco based-products, including cigarettes, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, or other, on property grounds. A violation of this clause is grounds for termination of agreement between landlord and tenant."

My vape doesn't have tobacco in it. It has nicotine in it. And I haven't even used it in the new apartment, because the actual vape is packed away and I don't even know what box it's in. I just unpacked the juice in my dresser. I emailed him and told him as much, and told him that it's not a tobacco product, sent him a photo of the ingredients, and told him I won't ever use it in the unit or on the property, if it bothers him.

He emailed me back and said he is moving forward with looking into terminating my lease on those grounds.

Does he have a leg to stand on? I think he's doing this because I asked for a reduction in next month's rent in the amount of half the cost of the portable AC I had to buy because the AC doesn't work.

Answer:
 Did you ask him why he was in your dresser? You have a right to privacy and he violated that. He cannot search through your personal property. That alone makes his case even weaker.

Answer #2: Yeah this dude has a weak case. Honestly I would use this to attempt to allow him to break the lease. Crazy landlords are the worst. Say something like this:

"Dear Landlord, You cannot terminate the lease because that is not a tobacco product and I did not smoke or ingest it within the property. If you would like to try and legally evict me you are free to do so. If you decide to I will see you in court.

If not I will willingly allow the lease to be broken if you refund my [INSERT ALL COSTS YOU HAD HERE]. ~~If you decide not to take me up on my offer I will be reporting your illegal search of my property to the authorities.~~

Have a nice day!"

Edit: Im being told that part is extortion. Probably shouldn't do that. You can still report the illegal search (and even tell him you are reporting it) but don't tell him you will report it unless he pays.Answer #3: The terms "smoke or ingest" should pretty much kill his case. Simply having the items, even if they were tobacco, isn't enough to violate the lease.Answer #4: If he wants to evict less than 90 days after you've made a legitimate complaint, he better have ALL those ducks in a perfect row.

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(f5exqagcygvbptfggeoolkgc))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-600-5720&queryid=15532865&highlight=tenant

Of course, you may not want to live in a place where the management tosses the place whenever they need to change a furnace filter or something, either.


Title: [IL] My cousin's tax refund was sent to his tax agent, who might not send it to him anytime soon if ever.

Question: My cousin recently found out from the IRS that his tax refund was sent to his tax agent. But the agent has closed shop and apparently has left the state. He was able to track her down on Facebook and she confirmed that the refund check was sent to her but she had no immediate intention to send it to him. Is there anything he can do to get his refund sooner rather later or maybe never.

Answer: Call the IRS. They can cancel the check and send another one to the taxpayer, unless it was cashed.


Title: [TX] Friend let in Sheriff's department to look at his brother's room. They separated and went into his room and found marijuana.

Question:
So his brother has a warrant for felony assault. The sheriff's department surrounded his house and asked if he was home. They had a warrant for his arrest but not to search the property. If there is a difference. They asked for permission to go inside. He said he would show them his brother's room and only that. His brother hadn't lived there in weeks. When he was done and walking them out a deputy separated and went into his room and then his closet. After he opened the closet he smelled marijuana and they found it. They arrested him for possession.

Was the deputy legally allowed to separate like that? Is my friend boned? He's going to contact a lawyer. I'm going to delete this post. His family is in law enforcement so he's a bit worried of repercussions.

Someone mentioned that after he showed them the room he was revoking their access to the house and they should've left immediately. Was their access revoked? And could they still have searched after if it was?

Answer:
 > Was the deputy legally allowed to separate like that?

Likely, yes.  But maybe not.

In general, when in possession of an arrest warrant, the police have the authority to search the arrestee's home for the arrestee.  That means they can look anywhere a person may be.  A closet would count; a drawer probably wouldn't.

So yeah, it's likely that a limited search of the home for the brother would be fine.  If, in that search, the deputy finds other evidence of criminality, he can act on that.


Title: Wife stole inheritance, what are my options.

Question:
My wife and came back into my life about the same time as my mother's house was sold, we cashed the checks. As the money was in the car, I asked for it before she left to run an errand. She never came back and instead had police escort me from the property. She is keeping the kid from me, as well as 9 thousand dollars. She signed a marital waiver on the house. (Which the money came from)

What can I do to get that money back

Answer:
 File for divorce and include that money in the settlement. An attorney is your best option here. Answer #2: "She's keeping the kid from me."

And you're worried about a measly $9K that she can keep half of, anyway? Priorities, sir, priorities.


Title: Home we are looking to buy has new roof & siding through Sears. Warranty if Sears finally croaks?

Question: Sellers had Sears install new roof and siding. Roof has 40yr warranty (not certain about siding - on my list of questions). If/when Sears finally goes under, what happens to that warranty?

Answer:
 Depends on who is providing the warranty. Some are provides by the shingles/siding companies themselves. As long as those are still around, the warranty is good.

If it is provided by Sears, it will depend on what happens in bankruptcy, but you may be SoL.


Title: [California] I just received a note from management that says we have to clock out for our paid 10 minute breaks. What gives?

Question:
I just got a message from our managers that says that we will be expected to clock out for our paid 10 minute breaks. Now, normally this would be an open-and-shut case, but in our break-clock-out menu, it provides the option to clock out on a paid break.

This seems shady to me, even if it's a paid break, clocking out seems like they're trying to pull the wool over someone's eyes. Am I just overthinking things, or does this skirt some law? Trying to search on Google turned up inconclusive. Thanks!

Answer: If you are getting paid for those breaks, it's entirely possible it's for record-keeping purposes on their part. Just be sure that you are in fact getting paid though.


Title: Age of consent is 16 in my state. I got a message from a young gay man claiming to be this age . If I want to meet him and engage in sexual contact, what are the precautions that must be taken for everything to be legal?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Throw that one back, brah. He might be under the legal limit, and there's no room for error in your measuring tape.


Title: Employer announces fees after 401k sign up and no option to avoid (bait and switch)

Question:
I recently took a work @ home (FL) seasonal job (2nd time for same national company). At hiring, received a "you can join 401K" email with all the usual paperwork. I signed up, put 100% toward 401K. 2 weeks later, I get an email from Fidelity saying as of Jan 1 2019 there will be a $25 fee if you withdrawal or move 100% of your balance. I'm annoyed for several reasons:

1. the fee applies regardless of when you joined 401k. not grandfathered (feels like bait and switch).
2. there is no way to avoid this fee (except separating before Jan 1 or being 59 1/2) because I'm still employed and can't access the money without potential early withdraw penalty.
3. when my season is up, I will have less than the $5K min and the plan is REQUIRED to disburse total amount and thus I'm forced to pay the fee.
This feels at minimum quite unfair and at maximum illegal. I realize it's not a lot of money. It's really the principle that me, and others like me, will have to work 1.67 hours just to afford to remove OUR money from the 401K. I read through all the paperwork and of course there is one line "fees may be subject to change". Though this fee is not outlined in the paperwork.

I called Fidelity and they've confirmed the fee goes to them and that they won't waive it despite being after my sign up. I've typed an email to HR but haven't sent it yet. Oh, and I set my future contribution to 0 when I got the email (but of course it takes 1-2 pay periods to take effect). I have about $150 already in the acct and it just burns me that I'll spend 15% of my money to get my money.

Is this legal? Can you think of any recourse?

I guess I could rollover 99% after separation and then let Fidelity deal with the 1% that is left. I'll have to call about that. Can't charge me $25 if it's not in the account.

PS: screw you HR for 'taking care of us'

Posting here at /r/personalfinance suggestion

Answer:
 The plan document probably says the plan is allowed to charge fees.  And you don't have to take a disbursement when you leave you can roll it over.

> PS: screw you HR for 'taking care of us'

That's not HR's job.


Title: Utah petition of parentage

Question:
My husband has an almost four year old daughter with his ex girlfriend (they were never married). One year after his daughter was born, the mother signed her rights away to her mother (maternal grandmother) so she could have guardianship of their daughter. Because of this, the grandmother has used that power for parental alienation against my husband, forbidding him from seeing his daughter on a regular basis. She refuses any attempts he has made at contacting her (either by blocking his phone number, or calling police if/when he has visited her house). The only time he is able to see his daughter is when his mother (paternal grandmother) is able to pick her up/keep her over night. Surprisingly, [paternal] grandmother is almost in full support of [maternal] grandmother’s parental alienation of her son, and hardly ever tries to help the situation by explaining that her son is in a great position to take care of and be fully present in daughter’s life. Because of this, she (paternal grandmother) doesn’t allow father/daughter time unsupervised by her, and he has never been able to have her overnight unless he stays at (paternal) grandmother’s house.
We have met with a lawyer as a consultation, but are currently unable to pay lawyer’s upfront retainer fee. However, he recommended we start a petition of parentage to establish custody (as custody trumps guardianship) but was unclear whether the respondent would be birth mother, or caregiver (maternal grandmother). Is there anyone that could give clarification on that? Also, any further advice on how to best handle situation would be greatly appreciated.
To add: right now he’s looking to just enforce his rights to visitation, before trying to open a custody battle. That way he can have a solid record of his consistency in her life, due to the fact that some many others (his family included) are working against him for no better reason than they simply don’t like him. He has never brought harm to his daughter, or put her in harms way. He has never been under the influence of any alcohol or illegal substances around her. He has no violent history. He hasn’t even drank alcohol/smoked a cigarette in her presence, yet his own mother doesn’t trust him alone with her.

Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 The court often believes that where there is smoke, there is fire. When literally everyone in his life, including his own mother, are against giving him unsupervised visits, the court is going to want to know why. And unless it’s for a cultural reason (like he’s being shunned for leaving the family religion), it will likely factor into the courts decision. You say he’s never been violent, and doesn’t get drunk/high around the child. That leaves a lot left unsaid about his his criminal and substance abuse history when he isn’t around her.

Does the ex ever see her child, or is she totally gone from her life? I’d say it makes the most sense to have the guardian as the respondent; but if the mother lives there too, at least some of the time, then the usual answer is “sue them all, and let ~~god~~ the judge sort them out”.


Title: Got fired and company forced me to sign a non-compete, is this legal?

Question:
Hey guys, I am actually posting this for a friend.  A friend of mine was working for a company for the last 2 years in New Jersey and he decided he wanted to start his own company on the side.  He was working for a small business and figured on the weekends or his free time he would do sales in an area where his employer didn't do business in.  His mom ended up opening the business for him and helping him with the startup costs, so everything was in her name.  His company ended up finding out.  How they found it was a really shady, my friend had to work with a supplier in order to get materials.  This supplier called his employer and said, "hey X company and this person put in an application with us, do you know them?"

His company called him in for an "emergency meeting."  They sat him down and put a 3 year non-compete clause in front of him.  They go if you sign this, we won't fire you.  He didn't want to sign it,  but finally caved and did.  A minute later they said, we lied, you are fired, good luck with your business.  He tried to deny it and said he was only doing it on the side and was working for his mother, but they didn't care.

I was wondering, is it legal for that supplier to give my friends name / business out?  Also, is it legal for my friends ex-employer to make him sign this 3 year non-compete under duress?  He is now afraid to move forward with his own business as they threatened to sue him and keep him locked up in court so he won't have any money.  I feel bad as his intentions were good and he only wanted to make more money to support his family, he was not stealing their business, just find his own on the side.  Now he is unemployed and being threatened by these bullies.  I was hoping to give him good advice and steer him in the right direction, should he sue, should he give up on his business or should he stay the course and grow his company?

Answer:
 The agreement was sign this and we won't fire you.  That's not duress, ~~that's perfectly valid contract.~~

But the fact that they tricked him shows bad faith, possibly breach of the overall agreement, maybe a bunch of other nullifying/invalidating reasons that I can't pull up from my memory of 1L contracts.

The non-compete is unenforceable.

And totally legit for the supplier to narc on your friend.  And nothing sketchy about the former employer finding out and then firing him.Answer #2: As to your second question, your friend could potentially argue that it was "fraud in the inducement." He should talk to a local business/corporate attorney. Best of luck.


Title: Bought a house in Minnesota. Dealing with water in the basement, seller put "no history of water in basement." Is there anything we can do?

Question: My fiance and I bought a house in rural Minnesota. We are dealing with small amounts of water leaking into the basement after heavy rains. On the disclosures the seller said that there was no history of water leaking into the basement. We are looking at several thousand dollars to install drain tile around the house/seal the foundation. Is there a possibility of legal recourse against the seller?

Answer: Can you prove the seller knew about it?Answer #2: Did you have an inspection done before you bought?Answer #3: Not really legal advice but there may be much cheaper options than digging up all around the house.  I've addressed water in basement problems with gutters, landscaping, and in one case a DIY drain outside.  Answer #4: How do you know that they knew anything about it? It could be that they rarely went down there, or noticed it. How old is the house? When you walked the house during initial showings and inspections were there signs of water? It's going to be tough to prove they knew anything about it.Answer #5: How heavy were the rains? I know parts of southwest MN have been hammered by storms dropping up to 10" in some areas. Those are far from normal. Others have given advice about sloping the ground away from the house and installing gutters, etc. Those are potentially cheaper, less invasive options to address the issue. Sorry you're having to deal with this. Is the basement finished? Is there a sump pump?


Title: I was sent on break even though I been at work for less than and hour!

Question:
I have been working at my job in California  for about 5 years and I’ve always been told that employees need to work a minimum of 1 hour Before taking a break. So today my manger told me to go on break and I responded with “I haven’t even been here for and hour” he said that’s a myth. So then I asked two employees and they’ve been working for this restaurant for at least 10 years and told me that it’s always been 1 hour minimum before being sent in break.

Is this legal?

Answer:
 That's like an NFL team taking a Bye week after week 1...  Just makes for a long ass rest of the season...

Don't think this is illegal however.


Title: Getting separate paychecks for working at different stores owned by the same person?

Question: So my boss owns 3 subway restaurants. Some people float through the three, others work strictly at one. A lot of the time if people are getting close to 40 hours at once store, they will be asked to work at a different store instead to avoid overtime pay. Once paytime comes you receive two separate paychecks. Just wondering if this was illegal, and if so how he was able to find a loop hole to do it! Thanks! Also, I live in VA if that helps!

Answer:
 >A lot of the time if people are getting close to 40 hours at once store, they will be asked to work at a different store instead to avoid overtime pay.

Illegal. You can file a wage claim for lost wages with your local department of labor.


Title: [SC] Cops called me to question me about something I am suspect of. I am over 18, should I talk to my parents about it?

Question: A cop called to talk to me about something, said someone was considering pressing charges against me. I hung up after I gave him my name and clarified that he was an officer. I'm over 18 but still live with my parents, can I talk to them about what's going on? Or can they be forced to testify against me? Should I just wait and see if anything actually comes out of this?

Answer:
 If you're under suspicion of a crime, NEVER talk to an law enforcement official without your lawyer present, no matter if it's over the phone or in person. They will probably call you back and pressure into trying to speak-up. DON'T.

As for your parents, don't tell them anything. Answer #2: Nope. They could be forced to testify against you. If anything comes of it, demand an attorney.Answer #3: Didn't you just post about this same thing yesterday?

The answer is get a lawyer. Don't talk to anyone but your lawyer about anything.


Title: TX - How can I get my ex-wife to take possession of IRAs awarded to her in the divorce?

Question:
My ex-wife and I divorced almost 7 years ago. In the divorce she was given 2 of my IRA accounts and part of a third. She has never taken possession of these accounts. They are still in my name.

I have asked her many times via e-mail and in person to please take possession of the accounts. She always says she has been too busy. I have called the companies holding the IRAs to see if I can transfer them without her cooperation. They say no.

Up until now this has just been an annoyance for me, but I would like to do some Roth IRA conversions and can't really while the IRAs are in my name.

Do I have any legal options here? Can the court give her a deadline for doing this? Can I transfer them into some sort of trust? Can I petition to have the divorce modified to give the IRAs to me since she has shown no interest in them? Any ideas would be appreciated. I don't really want the money, I just want her to put the accounts in her name.

Answer:
 I would send her a letter, certified, return receipt requested, advising her of your situation: That you'd like to convert some Roths but cannot, until she complies with the divorce agreement.  Tell her if she does not convert them to her name within 30 days you will be filing for a modification of divorce to take possession of them yourself.

Then follow through.


Title: I got a false ambulance bill in the mail under my name and address for almost $1000. Identity theft? [Arizona]

Question:
Hi, I'm an 18 year old living in Arizona who has only ridden in an ambulance once, 4 years ago. I received a letter in the mail today for nearly $1000 from an ambulance service called Rural Metro, who had transferred the funds to a collection agency called "Credence" to be collected. I'm semi-careful who I give out my full name and address to online, most places are corporations or businesses with privacy policies that state that they do not sell information to a 3rd party. However, I am active on /r/penpals, and have sent 2 letters and received 1 (to a PO BOX, not my address). I gave out my home address to 3 people through Reddit PM's. Only one of those PM's contained my full name and address. I have given my PO BOX address (which is secret, I live with my parents and they do not know I own a PO BOX) to at least 5 people, but none of those people have my full name.

My suspicion is with a particular user of /r/penpals, and, upon some brief investigation, another subreddit called /r/randomactsofcards. I gave this user my full name and address upon the belief that we would be pen pals (I have 2 pen pals already) and we would exchange letters and postcards between where I live (Arizona) and Ireland, apparently. I looked at all of this users posts and it seems that he/she makes different threads on /r/penpals and /r/randomactsofcards, and says that they live in Ireland and would like to exchange postcards and asks for people's addresses frequently. After giving this user my full name and address, they never responded. I assumed we would communicate via snail mail from that point on (pen pals purposely like to use snail mail because it's fun).

Is there a chance that this user could be in the US, used an ambulance, had my information on them, and sent the bill to my name? Can my identity be stolen with just my name and address? Could this entire thing be a scam for money? They enclosed an envelope to send the money back in.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks! Also, please don't roast me. I have been on this subreddit before and people treat each other like complete shit. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but please don't bully or degrade me.

Again, thanks!

Answer:
 It's very unlikely your penpals have anything to do with this.

Before you do anything, check your credit report.  Creditkarma is free and easy, and the CEO is a Redditor.  They're legit.   AnnualCreditReport.com is the "official" site to get your credit report.  Whatever you do, don't pay any money to get your report.  It should be free.

Give the letter to your parents.  It's much more likely the bill is for your ambulance ride 4-years ago.  Your parents either didn't pay the bill, or there was a billing/insurance screw up.  Metro/Rural is a legitimate ambulance company.


Title: I wrecked my car due lose gravel on a road, can I sue?

Question:
So I was driving on this road near my house, but the road is in the process of being repaved so what they did last week was they tore up the pavement and put down lose gravel. This is on the majority of the road for probably 2 miles. My County regularly does this to back roads and it always takes them months to actually pave the road. I was going 40mph in what is supposed to be a 55mph road, yet I still lost traction in the gravel, fishtailed, and overcorrected, flipping my vehicle. Luckily, I walked away without any serious injuries but I cant get over how close I was to dying when I was driving cautiously. If driving cautiously got me that close to death, I can only imagine how likely it is for someone else to die.
On this road, they had one road sign that said "caution lose gravel" and that was it. I feel as though there should have been more signs that say to decrease speed to 35mph or something along those lines.

Do I have any legal standing to sue my county for either having unsafe roadways or for not putting up enough signage to warn drivers?

Answer: No. Despite what the posted speed limit is, you were traveling too fast for conditions. The accident is your fault. There is no one to sue. File a claim with your insurance provider (assuming you have collision) and drive more carefully in the future.


Title: No front plate on my car which I've had for 14 years. Got my first ticket for it. NE Ohio

Question:
Ohio has tried (and may still be trying) to ditch the two-plate law as unnecessary. It's one of those things that cops don't bother with unless they want to use it as pretext for pulling you over due to being suspicious about something else.  Cop made it clear it was the only reason I was pulled over and said most times the charge is dropped if you show you have fixed it. I don't want to (af)fix it.

With the understanding this is a stupidly low-on-the-totem-pole legal issue, any ideas or experience with handling this without giving in? Thanks very much.

Answer: You're going to have to pay the fine or put on the plate. There's no other possible solution.Answer #2: What makes you think you don't have to follow the law? Why should you be exempt from it? Because you "don't want to"? Seriously?


Title: My pregnant coworker hid in my office in the dark to scare me. I pushed her away from me out of reflex and she fell and lost her baby two weeks later. Now she is harassing me and threatening to sue me.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Assuming this is legit and not a troll-

You can't stop her from suing.  You likely have a reasonable defense.  Stop talking to her about this and consult with a lawyer.Answer #2: Can't speak to the legalities but IMO this person (and spouse) are angry and simply lashing out at anyone standing too close.
What alternative do they have but to blame someone else? Otherwise she has to accept 100% responsibility herself and it is still much too painful for that.
They will move past the blame game in time.
I don't think this will amount to anything but don't discuss it just in case.
If they do ever show up on your property again or make any sort of threat call the police. A restraining order may be in your future.
I am full of sympathy for their loss but you need to protect yourself. I'd do a free consult with a lawyer just in case you need one.


Title: [MO] Car towed, notification received after car has already been sold by towing company

Question:
Two months ago, I had my parents' car (from California) parked in an apartment lot in Missouri before I left for vacation. About a month later, I returned for a week and noticed that the car was towed due to an invalid parking permit. I called the towing company to try and retrieve my car back, but because I was not the vehicle-owner, I was unable to get it. My parents were out of the country and were not able to get back. I asked the towing company what the consequence of leaving the car longer, and they said $30/day storage fee.

About 1-2 weeks later, I called again and they said the car has been sold to a new owner, and that I could not make an appointment anymore. I looked up how that could have happened and realized that if the car is not retrieved within 30 days, they can sell the car.

Just today, my parents received the notification that the car was towed in the mail. It was signed from over two months ago, but just arrived. The envelope is postmarked 10 days ago, sent from the towing company.

I have no grounds to challenge the towing, and I understand that they have the right to sell the car to recoup storage fees.

My question is: can I contest anything based on the fact that the notification was not received until now? The car was also out-of-state, so when I asked the towing company about not being notified, they said it was the DMV's responsibility to notify the owner (my parents) and they assumed they were notified because I inquired about the car. However, I am not the vehicle owner, so the vehicle owner was never notified until today.

Answer:
 IANAL.

You received a letter I believe you said, signed for two months ago. The first major question is when was the notice postmarked to you; it doesn't matter when the notice is dated if they mailed it out months later. You would likely have legal recourse for it if they illegally notified you before selling it, but again I am not a lawyer.


Title: CANADA - Child support with two different mothers - Question/RANT

Question:
Hello everyone!
WARNING LONG POST!!

First off, I understand that this may be an issue for a child support thread or Canada legal advice BUT both places seem to be pretty dead, so I was hoping maybe someone can help me understand.

So my brother has 2 children, we will call them child A and child B. They are both with DIFFERENT women. Child A was born when he was very young and lives an hour away with his mother. His mother refuses to let child A go to school in the same town as my brother even though she drives there every day for work. This is important as my brother is not only forced to pay the child support (see explanation below) BUT 66% of daycare as well, which they must pay for a full day even though he is in school, because that small town an hour away does not offer just after school care (basically, Child A could come to school in the larger city and stay with my brother after school, but Child A's mother is being difficult and making him pay 66% of a full day slot). Anyways, child B was with a woman he was married to and now divorced. Eventually he will have half custody but for now the child is just a baby and requires more time with the mother (breastfeeding) so he is paying the required child support amount.

More info: As far as he has been told by his lawyer, child support goes in Canada (or Saskatchewan at least) there is a table amount based on the father’s income, owed to each mother. My brother makes around $100,000 per year so that amount is $898 per month per child.  So that totals $1796 per month so far. ALSO, because Child A’s mom refuses to let her son go to school in the city the 66% of the full day of daycare is an additional $600 per month.  This totals $2396 per month he is giving away.

PROBLEM: He is giving away $2396 per month to his two kids moms, leaving him with only $1604 PER MONTH for himself. Renting a 2 bedroom apartment here is almost $1300 a month… how do the courts expect him to live?? What if he has more kids? (he is not planning on it, but then what?) His lawyer basically told him only 1% of people win hardship cases… but really???? He is making $100,000 a year to live on $800 bi-weekly???? That’s less than what minimum wage people make. Also note: he is fighting for half custody of the children each but B is too young and A lives out of town and his mom is making it VERY difficult since she has moved (they used to share 50/50 until she moved).

Is he just pulling my leg completely or is this really how it works??? Does his lawyer just suck??? Anyone else have a similar situation?

Answer:
 > What if he has more kids?

Hasn't he figured out what caused this issue?  Tell him to stop fucking people if he doesn't want consequences.

$1200/month/child is a steal.  It's a tiny, tiny amount of money compared to raising a child.  Your brother can certainly look at trying for more custody or paying less in child support, but his chances are somewhat slim given his already low support.Answer #2: He can move for increased custody of his children. It's unlikely that that will save him any money - raising kids is expensive - but it will turn some of his child support payments into direct childcare expenses.

If he has another kid, which he also doesn't provide direct care for, his child support will increase.


Title: [US MD] grad school cut tuition by 25% for all students starting 6 weeks after me

Question:
I started a part-time graduate program in mid November, 2015. It's not cheap, but I'm taking out loans and am able to make the payments. Total cost of the program is ~$80,000 USD. However, I just found out that all (regardless of financial need or merit) part-time students starting Jan 2016 and later are automatically given a $20,000 scholarship towards tuition, disbursed per credit, basically reducing tuition by 25%.

I've spoken with the program office and they informed that the scholarship will not be offered to me because I started in mid-November. The scholarship was not announced until after I started the program. Had the school announced that it would be available I would have gladly deferred my start date by 6 weeks. I only took 7 credits that term out of a required 80 for the program, so it's not like it makes a huge difference.

I'm guessing that because it's a scholarship and not a straight forward tuition reduction, I'm out of luck, but I'm really pissed about this! Does anyone see any possibilities or have any suggestions?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: This is not a legal issue. The school is free to offer scholarships to those starting in January 2016 and not those who started in Nov 2015.


Title: [MN] So... I struggle with mental health challenges and am considering residential treatment. I'm a bit scared and want to ensure I have as much autonomy as possible.

Question:
I've looked into advance health care directives. My understanding is that all I can do is ensure that I have an agent and paperwork filled out. But it honestly doesn't seem too empowering.

All I can do is have someone else say, "Real-dreamer doesn't want ECT or anti-psychotics." and then all of the doctors get to listen to it or not listen to it.

There were other things on the form as well. Questions about how can I be comfortable. But where is the boundary between reasonable requests and unreasonable requests?

I know it's ridiculous to ask that I get to bring my cat. But... Can I request internet access?

I've spoken with my therapist about this and a couple others as well and I can't get direct answers.

There was a challenge about a year ago when I was hospitalized and I had sought to refuse treatment. I was detained, brought to the hospital anyway and swiftly eloped. I was upset and pretty broken up. They wouldn't return my stuff, apparently a sheriff was called, and it was a full thing.

I imagine that if I go into residential I would have similar rights limited and there's no real way I can imagine any future challenges between myself and wherever I end up staying.

What can I do to be most prepared? I can't really imagine any more questions as of now. Thanks for reading.

Answer:
 Pretty much you can request anything you want. The facility will tell you what they can accommodate.

Nothing you do can remove the facility/doctors ability to follow legal procedures to keep you in their care/facility and treat you in a manner (drugs, whatever) they see fit and approved by a judge (or whatever the law requires on your area)Answer #2: When it comes to residential (vs. inpatient) treatment, you generally agree to abide by the program's policies as a condition of being admitted there. Each facility is different in terms of what they can and cannot do, so you can request things like internet access and the program will decide whether they can accommodate your request. The answer may be "it depends;" a program may agree to a request but reserve the right to make changes if honoring your request interferes with treatment (yours or other patients'). Since it's residential treatment, you can choose to leave the program if it's not working out for you.

I'm assuming that you're not talking about inpatient treatment, which is a different matter. Inpatient treatment isn't always voluntary, and it's designed for acute stabilization. They're going to be much less flexible about requests because they have more rules in place. Those rules are there for safety, not comfort, so they're a lot more rigid.


Title: I've been recently scammed 6000+ USD without knowing it was illegal and now the I need to make a report to the police without making it seem like I was on the scam.

Question:
My birthday and high school graduation are both coming up very soon, so last week i looked around searching for a job to have some spending cash for the events. I came across a post of facebook on a buying and trading page advertising free money. I contacted the person and actually met him in real life, where he said he'd get me 3500 cash through legal means. Before i could ask questions he showed me pictures of him and his other "clients" with large stacks of cash from their legal ventures. He mentioned something about stock so i assumed he was gonna do some stock market stuff for me so i gave him my card, pin, SSN, ETC... and I assume everything is going well as he's constantly checking up on me.

On saturday he calls me out to go shopping with him with the money he acquired and to split the money. After buying some stuff he takes money out after making me call my bank (TD) and making me ask them to raise my withdrawl limit. I'm a bit confused but i go with it because the money is there.

Later this week i go the bank and they tell me long story short i owe them 6000+ and that my card has commited fraud. The person put a fake check on it without me knowing and they want me to sign a paper saying i had nothing to do with it so i can take full legal backlash if im lying about not working with the man to get the illegal check. If they check cameras they wont see me with the guy geting the check but the will see me buying stuff with him after the fact as they have the transactions and where they took place.

What do I do?! What do I say?! How do I get out of this without paying a 6K fine or going to jail (I'm 17 turning 18 June 6)

I'm having a panic attack and I honest to god don't know what to do. I've never had a record or been envoled with the FBI or police.

Answer:
 Just make a police report. You're young and obviously naive. The fact that you now owe the bank $6k reinforces that you were not "in on it".Answer #2: You call the police and report the fraud.

This man pulled a confidence game on you, and stole your money.

Now your bank might still keep you on the hook for the money, as you technically gave him access to do this, but that will be up to them. However, lying on the police report can backfire spectacularly.

Obviously, you shouldn't have believed him for a number of reasons.

1. Easy money is a lie. If he could get you thousands of dollars for doing nothing, why doesn't he just use his powers for himself?

2. He has zero reason to have access to your ATM card and PIN. You should never give that out to anyone, ever.

3. If he is depositing money into your account, why would he need to raise the withdrawal limit?

4. It's a Facebook ad offering free money. That's never good.

5. You don't even really know the guy.

I am sorry, but you have an even chance of owing the money. Your only hope of getting that back is to file the police report and come clean about your naiveté.