Title: [CANADA] Slipped on ice on my walkway that my Landlord refuses to shovel. Minor bruising. What do I do?

Question:
Hello,

I live in Ontario and my Landlord tried to put a clause in my lease to make his tenants (triplex) shovel for him.

Additionally, the lease isn't even well done and only mentions the walkways from front doors to streets.

I explained to him that it was his legal obligation to maintain the walkways but he wouldn't listen. He ignored me.

Additionally, he doesn't clear walkways that lead around the back of the building (not even in the lease) that lead to the laundry room. We're talking full on snow and ice, slippery as hell here.

Anyways, I slipped yesterday on my front door step and bruised myself.

How can I proceed from here? I can't afford to sue him and I have already filed at the LTB, so what other options are there?

How do people manage to get personal injuries lawsuits filed? Would it take actual bones breaking to get a lawyer to do it for free?

I'm not trying to cause issues here, i'm just genuinely worried about hazards because of his neglect and want to know what to do if the next time I don't get off with simple bruising. Or god forbid someone else coming to my apartment slips and breaks something.

Answer:
 He cannot sign away his responsibilities to shovel.

Ontario Regulation 517 deals with landlord regulations

Section 26 directly states the landlord must maintain outside common areas (walkways) from "unsafe accumulations of ice and snow"

He cannot sign responsibility away, as the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in 2009.

I tried posting a link to an article right here, but AutoMod was upset. But go read the Toronto Star's article called "Is it the tenant's job to shovel snow?"

That article also mentions a case of a tenant in Ontario who successfully sued for snow removal costs after the landlord failed to arrange for it.

In this specific case, I'm not sure if you have anything to sue for as I'm assuming you don't have medical costs for minor bruising, but you could sue for snow removal costs if you did it yourself.

I would give him written notice that he's in violation and you expect him to handle the snow issue in the future else you will be exercising your rights to sue for snow removal costs or medical costs from any resulting injuries. Just make sure you're not coming across as extorting.


Title: [KENTUCKY] University has called me in for a judiciary hearing and I feel as though it is unlawful

Question:
So, I returned from classes this evening and received an email which states I am being called in for "Destruction of Property" in regards to a door that was broken at a dorm which I do not stay in. This dorm has no cameras at the entrance foyer.

My ex-boyfriend (with whom I am still close friends with) lives in that dorm and I frequently visit him, always entering at a different entrance than the one in question. Supposedly this door was shattered last Thursday night at approximately 2:30-3:00 in the morning (keep in mind this is Thirsty Thursday on a college campus) a time when I was asleep because I was preparing for a job interview at 11 the next day.

The hall director pushing the allegations has harassed my ex-boyfriend consistently for two months about another allegation of which she has no viable proof.

I have a job engagement scheduled at the same time on this day but they offer no chance to reschedule (or for me to even have a say in the scheduling for that matter)

My ex and I suspected that one of his friends threw my name out there to be a  "bro" to him. Alec has talked to several of them and one of them has come forward as saying that he said it in jest.

They are bringing me in on hearsay and with no proof. I feel as though this is wrong.

Answer: It doesn't matter what you feel.  There has been an accusation, they can have a hearing.  There is no obligation to postpone, and you can present a defense at the hearing.


Title: Ticketed for showing underage ID at a bar that serves food.

Question:
Let's say I was going to a place to hangout with friends (who were inside at the bar), go get some food (Say I was 19). Say I was asked for ID in the line outside and showed my valid drivers license (that says I'm 19). Let's then say I was given two tickets, one for "Misrepresentation of age to obtain alcohol" and "Disruption of business".
Say this was at nearly midnight and
say I was then given my ID (because it is real) and then sent on my way.

My question is,

Could I have these dropped without a lawyer? I would have never misrepresented myself, and the police would have wrote these tickets to rack in cash for the town.

Answer: Say you should get a lawyer. Say that those are charges you don't want on your record.


Title: Was just informed that my raise from last year was never put into effect. [MI]

Question: I recently went to my management to talk about why i haven't received my yearly review and raise. Apparently my head manager put in for my raise last November but it never went into effect. I work for an apartment complex that has a lot of oversight from our corporate office. I have gone to my direct manager multiple times to ask about why my raise isn't there and he always says that he will look into it. I finally had enough of his runaround so I went to a different manager to just find out some information and in two days came back with paperwork saying that I was given a raise on 11/17. I then showed her my stubs that did not show the adjusted wage and her eyes opened wide. She said she would look into it with the main manager, and I trust her to do that. I'm not sure how to move forward.

Answer:
 You are good to go. Mistakes happen, and the most likely outcome is a large chunk if retroactive pay.

If something else happens...  THEN you need legal advice.Answer #2: > She said she would look into it with the main manager, and I trust her to do that.  I'm not sure how to move forward.

You follow up with her to see if she's looked into it.


Title: [Texas] Kid backed into me, dad sucks, and they're avoiding insurance. Help with next steps/update

Question:
Hey guys, the advice I got here last time was spot on and I really appreciate it. I can't get in contact with my own insurance agent, their insurance agent, and my dad and I have been on the phone/ google the last two hours about these ?'s.

**TL;DR if the dad continues to refuse to give a statement, we are going to file a civil suit. The approximate damage to my car is ~700 dollars, plus rental car allowance.**

1. If the accident happened in one county, but my legal address and the car is registered to another address, my home county, can I file suit in my home county?

2. Does anyone know if their insurance company would represent him, or if he would have to represent himself?

After the dad saw my video, he tried to con me into dropping my claim. When I said the only way I would do that was with a notarized contract saying he's responsible for the damage, he flipped. He wanted me to drop the claim and intimidate me into paying for his sons mistake. Not happening. I let him know three police officers have seen the video- fault is indisputable. For that, he went to my insurance and filed a bogus claim against me. Even after seeing the video... claiming I hit his son. Isn't that insurance fraud? Kicker is he still didn't give a "recorded statement" to the adjuster.

His revenge? He won't contact insurance. Both my insurance company and his need a recorded statement for their "investigation" but he is just flat out ignoring them. So the agents are ignoring me, and my car is still fucked up. I'm not going through my insurance for the claim because I just don't have 500 dollars for the deductible, and they won't give my insurance a statement either even though they filed the claim against ME with them! Fault is theirs, I want their insurance to cut a check like we've had in the past.

I will PM anyone a link to the video if you're curious.

Answer: His insurance would likely represent him, unless he doesn't contact his insurance. However, your insurance should also represent you. This is why you pay your insurance.


Title: Carmax error in my favor. They want to correct it. (Changing contract)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 OP, you can and should talk with your command or base financial advisor. One of the things they do is look over car sales contracts. If not them, base legal will help.

The reason they offer this is due to shady car lots selling cars with insanely high interest rates taking advantage of the military. At many duty stations this is a requirement for E4 and below. Sadly, this isn't enforced much outside of school commands.
Answer #2: Lets flip this around.

Let's say they made a mistake, and accidentally charged you an extra $7000 on the price of the car (so, instead of $37,000, it's $44,000).

After the drive home, you figured out they made a mistake.

What are the chances of you going back, and being able to re-do the deal?

Here's what happens: https://youtu.be/hhw0fiL8Brs?t=3715Answer #3: You should probably talk to a lawyer, but I suspect they are within their rights to demand you allow them to correct the loan documentation.  There doesn't seem to be any dispute about the purchase price or the value of your trade-in, but they made a clerical error by applying your equity twice.  You all signed it, but it seems like an obvious mistake.  Mutual mistake and clerical errors can certainly be grounds to rescind and re-form a contract, so I believe they are probably entitled to a do-over, so long as they are not adding charges or fees or changing other material terms you agreed upon.


Title: Protecting myself financially from potentially untrustworthy baby mamma.

Question:
Let me preface this by stating that I DON’T want to weasel my way out of child support payments. I am going to sound like a selfish prick to some of you but I feel like I have good reason for that.

Background: My girlfriend and I have been together for a two years, and lived together for a year. I’m 36 and a pilot who sold my business at 24 to pay for flight school and then spent the last 12 years building a fairly solid career and decent pay check. I have forgone a lot of luxury and fun over the years in order to build a solid financial base for myself. She’s 28 and dropped out of multiple colleges while enjoying the hardcore party life, and has a ton of student debt. Just last year she got qualified as a Certified Nurse Assistant(CNA), which is barely better than a minimum wage job. She has/had aspirations to become a full Registered Nurse(RN).

8 months ago she became pregnant despite both of us using birth control. She has been pregnant before multiple times with other guys that she described as losers and abusers(that part is important imo), and has had at least two abortions in the past. This time she said she couldn’t have an abortion even though I wanted her to have one. She flat out refused due to the “emotional toll”. I told her I’d support her in that decision but that I was unhappy with it because we were not ready to bring a child into this world and raise it responsibly. The right thing to do in my opinion would be to stick to the plan for her to get through nursing school and then consider such a drastic financial decision.

We’re a month from being parents now, she hasn’t worked for the last 5 months, and is now on disability. At times I’m really excited for this adventure of being a dad, but then there’s times I’m really pissed that despite me doing everything right in life, this person who supposedly loves me is about to ruin me financially. I just spent $10,000 on a car for her and the baby as her’s was not safe enough and we spent $2,500 more last month than we brought in. There is a strong possibility that my girlfriend and I won’t make it as a couple due to my trust issues with her now. My question is, in the state of California if we do break up, will she be entitled to any of the properties I own, retirement or investment funds, future income or inheritance, and how much am I likely to pay each month in child support payments for one child?

Everyone around us is talking about marriage, but there’s no way I’ll be proposing to her any time soon as that’s the one thing left in my life she can’t control, and if we did get married she’d definitely be entitled to half of everything I have worked for. Maybe in the future if she makes something of herself I’ll be able to trust her again and I’d consider marriage then. Thanks for the advice.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > My question is, in the state of California if we do break up, will she be entitled to any of the properties I own, retirement or investment funds, future income or inheritance, and how much am I likely to pay each month in child support payments for one child?

If you're unmarried, and she doesn't have any ownership of the properties/assets, she can't take them from you.

The court *can* order the assets seized to pay any lingering child support bills, if any.


Title: Company hired me. Told me they wanted me to start work and asked me to quit my previous job. The day my two weeks notice was up and I was ready to start with them they told me they made an admin error with my clearance and now I'm out of work and out of pocket.

Question:
I interviewed for and was hired by another company who told me pending my Security clearance for a government site that I would be able to begin work.

I told them I would not quit my job until I had assurance my clearance was approved and I could begin working with them.

After a few months they e-mailed me to tell me my clearance was approved and asked when I could begin working for them. I told them I would give my company two weeks notice and start working for them, but asked for a second confirmation from another of their managers.

They sent me assurances from three different people, one which I have in concrete writing from an email. They also said to me verbally on the phone "Hand in your notice so you can start with us".

Two weeks to the day of handing in my notice, when I had trained my replacement and firmly quit the company on good terms they emailed me and called me saying they had made an "admin error" and I couldn't begin work with them. I actually received a call on the.morning of my induction training confirming I was coming in, and then a text message and missed call I saw 15 minutes old when I had parked outside the work site for my induction that very day.

I called one of the managers and he said that the company would honour the contract and pay me my fulltime hours until my clearance was approved for me to work on-site, and to rest assured I would not experience financial strife.

A little over two weeks later I have not been given work and not been paid. I called again and that same manager told me he "thought" I would be paid and that he "doesnt really" handle that side of things. I do not have his assurance I would be paid in writing however, but do have the time and date the call took place where he told me as such.

I am now $2000 out of pocket having quit my precious job, and have no work.

I sent this email last Friday and have not received a response as of Monday today:

"Hi <Company Rep>

I was under the impression that <Company> would honour our contract and that I would be paid my full-time hours. After speaking with <Manager 1> he informed me that pay should have come through on Tuesday and that he doesn't know why I haven't been paid and that I should contact you.

I remain confident that this is some sort of admin error and will be resolved shortly. However, I must insist that my pay be sorted out as soon as possible as I have a mortgage and bills to pay.

I was told by <Company Man 1>, yourself, and <Manager> that I was cleared to be on-site and requested by <Company> to hand my two weeks notice in to <Company I quit>, my previous employer. I now find myself out of work, and out of pocket.

I trust you will resolve this matter shortly.

Thank you,

Toolbox1227

This is the assurance I received in writing before handing in my two weeks notice and quitting my previous job:

"Toolbox1227,

It gives me great pleasure to finally announce that all clearances have been duly received, allowing you entry to <Company>. Please view this as an official document, clarifying your position within <Company>. Welcome to the team Toolbox1227.  Please forward us an email indicating as to the earliest date you’ll be able to take up position?

What do I do? They have already coat me over $2000 in lost income and it took me working 10 months for my last company before I secured a fulltime position with them it could take me some time to find another job of similar pay and work hours. I'm quite depressed and annoyed about it all.

Thank you.

Answer:
 NAL, first of all you should be calling up the fair work Commission. Sound like you had a written contract but they acted in bad faith.

Try contacting HR  to see if you can get it resolved, it could just be an issue with payroll.

If your a union member contact your representatives and see if they can provide you with legal assistance.

Try and see if you can request a copy of your security clearance, from [AGSVA](http://www.defence.gov.au/AGSVA/)

Download evidence and create multiple copies of your contract, text messages and communications.

It'll be ok mate, you did nothing wrong, you'll sort this out and get back to working soon. Answer #2: You should try r/AusLega

This sub is more catered to US and Canada.Answer #3: Contact the Fair Work Ombudsman. It seems like the email trail shows you have a contract, which they are in breach of.


Title: Where is the best place in the world to live without the government messing with you?

Question:
Where do you have the most rights/freedoms as a citizen?

Edit I live in New York USA

Answer: Somalia comes to mind. Answer #2: Frankly: your best bet is to become leader of a small nation where you have absolute power so you **are** the government. I'm reasonably certain that Kim Jong-un lives the life you are seeking.Answer #3: You do realize that in most cases those two are mutually exclusive? For example your right to life constrains my freedom to bash your head in with a brick.Answer #4: You might want to peruse [this](http://www.freetheworld.com/2015/freedomIndex/Human-Freedom-Index-2015.pdf) report, which reckons it's Hong Kong (followed by Switzerland, Finland, Denmark and New Zealand). Answer #5: I hear Vermont is nice.


Title: I'm worried my niece is being molested

Question:
Sorry for the wall of text, but there's a lot to this story.  TLDR: I have no physical evidence. No bruising,  just an awful feeling about a man that my sister lets take her daughter unsupervised.  She sees nothing wrong with him because it's a friend's dad.  His behavior is weird.

My sister lived across the country and when she brought her newborn home,  a man that is her friend's dad moved in with them.  Apparently he watched the baby unsupervised frequently.  they don't need a babysitter. Someone is always home due to only one of them working.  This man takes the baby to the park,  shopping, and out frequently. It's laziness on the parents part. The mom told the grandmother that the baby has nightmares at night and is up every couple hours screaming. (Not normal baby screaming; waking up needing consoled. Not hungry or wet) She also screams any time a man is near her. Not women, just men.

So they ended up moving home.  That man helped them,  and while he was here he made everyone uncomfortable that met him.  There's just something wrong about the way he acts, reddit. I wish I could pin point it, but I can't.  I can give you some examples of things that seem strange though.  When the baby was pooping, he picked her up to "help her", then was going to take her upstairs to change her and let her nap.  With him.  Alone in her room.  The grandmother refused to let him take her upstairs.

He's always offering to take the baby somewhere alone.  He wants to take her out of the house,  to the park,  shopping.

The grandparents were freaked.  An aunt was creeped out. The parents don't see it.  They think everyone's freaking out because the aunt was molested when she was a child.

The mom just mentioned casually that the baby slept through the night for the first time without waking up screaming

He lives across the country near his daughter.  Now he's suddenly decided to move here.  He does have family here,  but the timing is just too similar.

There's no getting through to the parents. They've been talked to by multiple people.  They don't see the strangeness in a grown man talking such an interest in their baby.  They see him as someone who wants to take their baby of their hands for a little while.

Is there anything anyone can do to keep this man away from this baby?  I feel sick thinking about it.  I feel angry,  powerless,  and like I'm yelling at a wall. I know I don't have proof,  but I would bet all my money he's doing something inappropriate and he's moving here to continue it. Please help

Answer:
 You can call and report your concerns to CPS. Answer #2: I just want to quick throw out there that night terrors are a sad, but extremely normal fact of growth. Both my children(2&3) experienced them for a while. The baby being afraid of men is quit normal too. My son for instance cannot STAND women. He allows no woman, aside from me, to kiss him, hold him, nothing. No idea why. I would be VERY sure before you make these accusations op.

Also, I am in no way trying to say your worries are dumb or unfounded. But...some people really really like babies! Myself included. They are just darling, all of them. Now, if I was a man, people would automatically assume I had bad intentions, but because I am a woman, no one bats an eye. I have watched, held, changed, and fed little ones I had only met an hour earlier.


Title: What would happen if a child (especially one with a genetic disability) sued their parents for carrying them to term?

Question: (Assuming they have an insanely good legal team).

Answer: They would lose.


Title: Wife and I bought a house while renting another. What are our options?

Question:
We're in Missouri, USA
Here's our situation:
We signed a lease in April 2018 for June 1, 2018 - May 31, 2019. In September 2018 we decided to buy in the same area. Once we had an offer that was accepted, we informed our landlord 32 days prior to our scheduled closing date that we would be purchasing a house and moving out in the first week of January. The landlord said they were ok with us moving out and ending the lease early, if we could find a new tenant to take over the lease (not a subletter, but a new leasee). We advertised right away and had a few people interested, but in the few weeks following our notice, the landlord did nothing in the way of advertising or contacting the people we sent their way. Now there is 1 week left of us residing in the rental and no one has signed a new lease.
The lease states: "If the resident should move from the premises prior to the expiration of this time period, he shall be liable for all rent due until such a time that the property is occupied by an owner approved resident, or the time period expires."
What are our options? Is it viable for us to cease payments if there is not a new resident? We are comfortable paying full January rent, but once our mortgage payments start, we can't afford both. I should add that we are first time homebuyers, and my wife is 5 months pregnant.
I had thought that a new resident would have been found by now.
Did we mess up? Are we totally fucked?

Answer:
 I think you might have messed up here. The lease doesn't need to specify specific penalties for breaking the lease because the penalty is: you pay to the end of the lease.

Your landlord is required to mitigate his damages however. Many landlords will take the approach that it's easier to simply not rent to another person because they have got you on the hook, sadly.

The reality is - you can not pay, loose your deposit and potentially get sued by your landlord. Now since you are now owners you probably aren't concerned about having an eviction your record for non-payment but it will cause a hit to your credit report. In your place I would continue to make every effort to find another tenant (because that will play well with the court when he sues you for non-payment). If you have records that you have provided a number of possible tenants and he's done sod all it will stand you in good stead. But it may not be enough, I have to say.


Title: How would someone who is underage go about divorcing their parents?

Question: Not to get into detail but I have an awful relationship with my parents and I would love nothing more than to get them completely out of my life but I'm still underage so I have no idea what to do.

Answer:
 You don't divorce your parents.

You're thinking of emancipation, but that is a lengthy, difficult legal process that is very rarely granted and typically requires your parents permission in the first place.

If you're being abused, neglected, or mistreated, you need to contact CPS.  If necessary, they will remove you from your home and place you with a family member, or in foster care.


Title: Citation for cutting through gas station to avoid red light. Cop followed for 3 miles before stopping.

Question: My wife likes shortcuts first and foremost.  She decided she was going to skip waiting at a red light.  Our small town cops are known for being oddballs.  They followed her a good 3 miles before stopping her.  Does anyone know if there is a statue of limitations to how far a cop can follow before stopping someone?

Answer:
 What your wife did is dangerous, there's a reason it's illegal. That doesn't make the cops oddballs. They could have been finishing a phone call, getting plate information, waiting for a safe spot to pull over, or seeing what other stupid thing she was going to try.Answer #2: Seriously cops see what happens all the time and tere can be several possible reasons for it.

1. There is not a save space to stop for two cars and for the cop to get out of the car.

2. They want to monitor the driving for a couple of minutes before stopping the car, some people are so dangerous that stopping them directly would be foolish since they are bound to emidiatly hit the gas (and speed) or take other illegal and dangerous shortcuts.)Answer #3: The term "statute of limitations" refers to the amount of time they have to charge someone with a crime after it was committed.

For traffic violations, that is generally either 6 months or a year.

Following her for a few minutes before writing the ticket makes literally ZERO legal difference at all.Answer #4: It really doesn't matter how long he followed her. Legal.


Title: Custom costume not delivered

Question: Last year, November 2017 I ordered and paid for 1/2  of a fur suit for my granddaughter for Christmas. There have been multiple excuses as to why she has not delivered the suit and yet I know she has delivered other custom orders.  She has quit responding to emails, instant messages,  requests for my money back or the suit. What recourse do I have?  This was all done via instant manager and email and the deposit was done via pay pal

Answer: File a dispute with paypal.


Title: A Mexican Police Officer Planted Cocaine On Us, Then Took Our Money. What Can I Do?

Question:
Today was my first time traveling to Mexico through the Tijuana border (and the last).

&#x200B;

After entering Mexico, we took a wrong turn, made a U-turn, then were "randomly selected" for a search.  Being that I was clean, I complied to make it go quicker and be on my way.   After 10 minutes and a thorough search of my car, the police officer showed me a US bill wrapped with cocaine in it, claimed it was mine, and told me this offense would cost me 36 hours in jail to see a judge, plus a $600 fine.  In fear, my girlfriend panicked and said, "We don't have $600," proceeded to show him all of the money in her wallet, and said, "Just this!"  He placed the money in her passport, took it to his comrade, and came back with an empty passport, and told us we were free to go.

&#x200B;

Being that there was no receipt of this transaction, I'm fairly confident that we will never see that $350 again.  Is there any way to report this?  Is there anything I can do at all?  It really seemed like the army/police (roughly 20 men/women in uniform there) were all in on it.  I feel so helpless and taken advantage of and I want to do whatever I can to make less people feel the same way I felt today.

&#x200B;

Also, (though I know the following isn't legal advice I'm asking), what's the safest way to get back home through the border?  Time of day, day of the week, etc?  I'd like to leave Sunday or Monday.  I'm pretty terrified that this will happen again, and I won't have the bribe requested to get home.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: Good luck getting the bribe money back.  You can contact the Embassy but you would be admitting to bribing the police.


Title: [Wisconsin] Is murder legal if all victims agreed to potentially die?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You cannot consent to murder. The only possible way this would be legal would be an assisted suicide and those are highly regulated.


Title: [CA] Right of way at two way stop

Question:
[Requisite poorly done MSPaint](http://i.imgur.com/pvAKn1e.png)

The white car (at the bottom) wants to turn left, and waits for a break in traffic. While the white car is waiting, the blue car comes and waits as well. The blue car wants to continue straight.

When there is finally a break in traffic on the larger road, which has the right of way? The car that was waiting first or the car that is continuing straight?

I'm in CA, if jurisdictions make a difference. This is hypothetical. I was at in this situation yesterday and apparently I and the other driver both thought we had the right of way, but there was no collision.

Answer: The car who was waiting first.


Title: Inheritance Lawyer not showing up at court or responding to attempts at contacting them.

Question:
Thanks in advance for reading. A bit of background before describing the current incident:

A grandparent passed away in the state of California, leaving their inheritance to four grandchildren who live in Oregon, split evenly 25%. I'm one of those four Devicees. The grandchildren were in agreement to liquidate all the assets to avoid any quarrel. However, it has now been four and a half years since the grandparent's death. The executive of the estate (a person requested to be so by the deceased), seems very foggy headed and has a difficult time setting proper expectations, though is otherwise pleasant and appears sympathetic. Nearly 100 percent of their time table promises have been incorrect, and they tend to not do things they say they are going to, including call back, within the time-frame they say (though they do eventually communicate.) The estate executive's lawyer for the case switched legal firms somewhere within this time, though they kept the estate executive as their client and was still the attorney for them on behalf of the estate.

The Incident:

After things taking MUCH longer than expected, we were submitted copies of the "First and Final Account and Report" concerning the funds, and a court date was set to have it submitted to the judge and the funds be issued in February 2019. After the hearing, it was declared incomplete on a few points, and a new court date was set for May 2019. The Devicees was unhappy with another three month wait, but apparently the lawyer and the judge had overlapping vacations during this time and May was the earliest they could both be available.

About a month before the hearing, check-in emails were sent to the lawyer to make sure everything was prepared for the court hearing, but they were never responded to. This became very concerning a few days before the court date, as neither the executive or the Devicees had heard from the lawyer, nor could they get a hold of them. Finally, the day AFTER the court hearing, one of the Devicees was able to talk to the lawyer through his office. It turned out they did not go to the court hearing. According to the lawyer, they had no idea there was a court date set. The lawyer finally retracted the statement after being shown that the lawyer themselves had sent the email out to his client and the estate members with the court date. The lawyer said they had not received any of the emails, but was able to find at least one pertinent one inquiring about his preparation after being pressed. The lawyer admitted the fault and said with a sigh that they would start looking into rectifying the problem. A new court date had been set by the judge all the way out in September prior to this conversation.

Two days later, after calling each day, the estate executive received a call back from the lawyer, saying that they would contact the judge ASAP and see if they could move up the court date, and set an "emergency hearing" to allocate 50% of the funds before that date, as apparently at this stage this allowance could be done. It was illustrated that his response needed to be prompt (within a week.)

It has been nearly three weeks from this phone communication. Other than that phone conversation, the lawyer has not sent out any communication regarding the incident (no emails, letters, etc.) They are also not responding to any attempts at communication, be it through their office, email, or phone, since that phone call, including ones made by both the Devicees and the estate executive. The estate executive has left messages, called through the office, and tried their personal business phone, with no return communication. They also appear to have no proper idea what to do, or have followed up strongly on what they said they were going to try (like going to the office in person.)

The whole thing seems highly suspect, and the Devicees no longer have any faith in the people handling the estate. However, we have no idea what to do. I was looking into getting legal council (something I wanted to avoid), but I'm hoping you all might have some advice I could contemplate. I feel I'm personally having to hold the Devicees in check from making the whole situation worse with their anger. How do I get the lawyer to respond? Do his job? Is the executive technically to blame / should not be trusted? What courses of action are available? Thanks for listening; I know this was a long read.

Answer: You need to hire your own probate attorney and go to court and have the executor of the estate removed and replaced with someone who will do the job.


Title: Tinder Underage hook-up, potential extortion involved.

Question:
So I recently have hooked up (as in had sex) with a girl a few times over the past week that I met over Tinder. On the website she said she was 18 and I am 26/M and she showed me an ID saying she was 18 (and a fake ID saying she was 20) and lives separately away from her family to where I figured she was on her own. I just found out that she is apparently 17 and 1/2 and I am absolutely scared that I fucked up royally and I have no idea what to do. I don't know if she plans to extort me, she very well could, but I just want to know how screwed I am in all of this and how I should go about seeking formal legal counsel, if at all.

edit: I am located in Silver Spring, MD

Answer:
 >I don't know if she plans to extort me, she very well could,

Not likely. The age of consent in Maryland [is 16](http://brucegodfrey.com/2011/04/the-law-of-sex-in-maryland-part-1-ages-of-consent/).


Title: My ex-girlfriend is threatening a restraining order against me. Will this give me a criminal record?

Question:
My ex-girlfriend left me a message on my phone threatening me with a restraining order. It's just a threat at this point, but I still want to know what happens to my record if she were to file one against me?

Will it give me a criminal record and officially list me as a stalker? Is it something that appears in a background check? I just want to know how this'll affect things like me getting a job or something like that. Would this affect me nationally, or just in my hometown of Denver, Colorado?

Answer:
 >My idea is to dress up as Bigfoot again, but not to scare anyone. I'm going to dress up, go into her backyard with an old stereo/CD player that still works, and play "Sorry" by Buckcherry. I'll play it loud enough for her to hear and I'm hoping she'll accept it and see it as a cute apology.

What the fuck. Stop doing this, leave her alone, and cease all contact immediately. Answer #2: Just leave her alone man. Answer #3: Being the subject of an RO bars you from firearms ownership during the period the RO is in effect.

It'll almost certainly show up in a local background check.

There's no official US Stalkers Database, but being subject to an RO does make it easier for certain behaviors to be charged as stalking or related offenses.

Walk away and leave her alone. That includes social media, contacting her through friends, going to her workplace. Block her on social media. Don't talk to her friends, unless they're mutual friends whom you knew before you met her. Don't go to her workplace. Answer #4: Dude. Just walk away. For your own sake, and for her's. You blew it. Move on. Stop talking to her.


Title: If you trip and fall into Canada, is that a crime?

Question: I was working a couple feet from the border a few months ago, and I was wondering, if I tripped and fell into Canada, could a rather ornery Mountie arrest me?

Answer: Is this in reference to the reverse that happened recently where a BC woman was jogging, inadvertently crossed the US border and, arrested and detained for a couple of weeks?


Title: Previous employer dictating hours at my current employer

Question:
I used to work at a grocery store and after being let go and told I may return to shop it's been over a year and I now deliver to that store for the first time from a third party (my new employer) and my previous employer called my current employer and told him that they would "prefer if I dont return". Now I'm not working that day and my hours have been affected by it. Not to mention that they had no reason for me not being there. Legal or not??
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: I don't see a legal issue here.  Your previous employer has the right (generally) to determine who can and can not be on their premises (except on the basis of protected class such as race, religion, gender, etc).  Apparently, they'd prefer you not be there, and have communicated this to their delivery vendor.


Title: New apartment management company, new puppy on restricted breed list.

Question: I just got a new German shepherd puppy. I tried calling 3 times Sunday to add her to our lease during business hours and got no answer ( I was out of state). Monday morning I got an email that the management compy(who allowed her breed) was no longer managing the property as of that morning. I did some digging and found the new company (and their pet policy), they don't allow shepherds - what can I do at this point? Anything aside from pay to break the lease? I am in Arizona.

Answer: Sounds like if you didn't sign anything then you are bound by the new rules.


Title: New HOA Board is Fining Us For Previous Owner's Additions

Question:
I own a condo in Utah County.  When I purchased the property, there wasn't a functioning HOA board to properly assess fines for violations to the CC&R's.  A previous owner (not sure how far back) installed a satellite dish on the exterior of the building into the stucco, which is specifically against the CC&R's.  When I bought the condo, it was existing (I have photographic proof with a time stamp), and no fines were assessed at that time.

Now we do have a functioning HOA board which has been running for about 8 months now.  They have made the decision to not assess fines for such violations until the current owner sells or changes tenants, but have not informed anyone of this fact.  So I have just listed my condo and suddenly the HOA is fining me for a violation that has existed since I bought it and is threatening daily fines once I go under contact if it is not remedied by then.

I am wondering what legal options do I have? Are they within their rights to fine me even if I have proof that it was installed previously? If they are not within their rights, how can I fight it without spending too much time/money and/or causing the HOA to place a lien on our property? If they are within their rights, is there some other way we can legally contest it? I've already tried asking the HOA to waive the fine and they stated that another unit claimed the same thing but was still fined, so they don't want to play favorites.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!  Thank you!!
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 You should not be fined for the previous owners non compliance. But if the structure is not in compliance with the architectural standards, you can be fined for your current non compliance. You should read over the governing docs, it is possible the HOA requires giving you prior notice, or a chance to cure the violation before proceeding to a fine. You should also have an opportunity to have a hearing after appealing a fine.Answer #2:  You might want to refer them to the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

"The federal law states that a condominium association, or any property owner, cannot adopt rules that unreasonably interfere with the right of a resident to install a satellite dish on the area of the property within his or her exclusive control. With one exception, a condominium board cannot prohibit an owner from installing a satellite dish no larger than one meter in diameter on the exclusive-use area of a unit, such as a balcony or patio. The exception occurs when an association has a "central antenna system" that provides, essentially, the same transmission as satellite service at a comparable cost and picture quality."


Title: (PA) Does this count as sexual assault?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I'm sorry this happened to you.

Yes, it was sexual assault. I know your feelings are all over the place and you're very brave to tell anyone, even if it's just strangers on the internet.

Do you have a trusted adult that you can tell this to?Answer #2: You need to tell your parents and file a police report.


Title: Found a rock in my chick fil a salad. Still have the rock. Ideas?

Question:
Chick fil a messed up my salad and offered to replace it. Once they did, I bit on something really hard. I had a couple witnesses. Rock in my salad. Called the store. They apologized profusely and are offering to replace my salad with two more and a gallon of unsweet tea. He was really nice, so I told him it wasn't a huge deal, and if he could think of anything else to compensate me, give me a call. This was last night. Do I have a case?

Edit: I'm in Colorado

Also, what would an insurance claim do?

Answer: People that think like this are what is wrong with this country.


Title: Fighting insurance/employer over a $5k medical bill that was explicitly explained would be covered and was pre-authorized. (Tx - USA)

Question:
This will take some explaining, sorry. I'll attempt a TLDR at the end.

I work for a hospital as a nurse. My health insurance is through the hospital and is an EPO plan that restricts me to using only their providers.

Last year, due to an emergency, I reached my out-of-pocket Max for health insurance. I decided it would be a good time to have my heart defect checked up on, as I was concerned about potential long-term damage to my lungs. I hadn't had my heart checked in 10 years.

I went to a sports physician (in-network) who referred me to a cardiologist (in-network). The cardiologist was also concerned and ordered an echo. The echo confirmed regurgitation, but due to the positioning of the defect, they were unable to get a clear picture of the extent of the defect. The cardiologist ordered a cardiac MRI.

I found out later that my hospital does not perform cardiac MRIs. Concerned that my plan wouldn't cover an outside provider, I reached out to the cardiologist who told me there wasn't another good option. So I searched through my plan's FAQ to see what my options were.

Unable to find any information in the FAQ, I called United Healthcare (our insurance company). The representative told me outright that as long as my hospital didn't offer the service, and as long as I went to a United network provider, the service was covered at 80% after deductible. They mentioned no other stipulations. I was lucky enough to have the foresight to take a reference number for that call.

While scheduling the MRI, the provider obtained pre-authorization from insurance that stated the service would be covered. I had the test, got good news, and forgot about it.

Several days ago I received a letter from United stating my appeal to have the MRI covered was denied. I hadn't received any notice of initial denial, let alone filed an appeal. I called United to ask what was happening and spoke to two reps -- one a manager. I have recordings of this call.

I was told that the appeal was filed on my behalf by the MRI provider, and that the appeal was denied because the plan did not cover outside providers. After explaining I had called prior to the service , I was transferred to the manager, who had the authority to pull the audio logs from the call. In seeking to clarify what happened, the manager put me on hold for 20-minutes so she could thoroughly review my plan. When she came back, she explained that my plan had two conflicting sections:

* 1. Any service not offered by (employer) is covered at 80% after deductible at United providers. **Pre-authorization required** (note emphasis here, a distinction becomes important later)
* 2. Major diagnostics: Member must go to (employer) or be under 19 years old.

I explained that pre-authorization was obtained prior to the procedure. The manager confirmed, but stated that they had "authorized under one code and billed under another". The manager then told me she would reach out to my benefits coordinator for clarification and that she would call me back 48-72 hours later.

I waited and did not receive a call back, so I called United and was told that they spoke with my benefits director who told them that the service was not covered. The director also instructed them to tell me that I needed to fax a letter from my cardiologist justifying the MRI so the letter could be reviewed by an approval committee. I was further advised to "pick a different plan next year".

Thinking that maybe United and my employer were trying to pass the bill to each other, with me as middle-man, I reached out to the benefits director and thoroughly explained the situation. She wrote back and apologized, stating that United had given me "conflicting and incorrect information". I learned several things through her replies:

* 1. What I needed was not **pre-authorization** but **pre-approval** from a "special exceptions committee". (This was the first I had heard of this)
* 2. The above committee is mentioned in two places: our benefits guide (3 sentences out of 60 pages, not in the FAQ section), and an "SPD" document I hadn't known existed (two sentences out of 150 pages).
* 3. United does not handle exceptions for our healthcare plans. They are handled internally, as the hospital is "self-insured" and pays their own claims. United is "just a 3rd party administrator." (This was the first I had heard of this as well)
* 4. Related to the above point, United evidently had no grounds to tell me the service was covered. If the above committee decides I owe the $5k, it is my responsibility to pay.

I have copies of all of these emails. A couple things worth noting:

* 1. The MRI was performed in November. I would not have had it done had I known it was not covered. I planned to sign up for a broader plan (that allowed outside providers) in January when our plans rolled over, which would have covered the service outright.
* 2. I am a fairly diligent person. I read about this healthcare plan and compared other options prior to signing up for it. I know more about our benefits than most other employees and at no point was it obvious or clear there was an appeals process as detailed above.
* 3. I had plans to make a career change in the next 60 days. I am now afraid to leave my workplace for fear they may deny this claim in retaliation. Additionally, I had planned on applying for a large loan  soon and I am afraid the debt will harm my credit score -- not to mention the cost of the debt itself.

I have not yet submitted the letter from my cardiologist (his office is closed until Monday). I have a strong suspicion the claim will be denied, based subjectively on the tone of the emails from the benefits director. I am also afraid that submitting the letter may lock me into some form of binding arbitration, though there has been no mention of such. I also feel that this internal  'special exceptions committee' has a clear conflict of interest in deciding which claims they want to pay.

I realize this is a complicated situation. Do I have any defense to avoid taking on this debt?

TLDR; Health insurance plan requires internal providers. Was prescribed a medical service that could only be done by an outside provider. Insurance rep told me it was covered and the service was pre-authorized prior to service. Had service. Get letter in the mail 6+ months later and was told it wasn't *actually* covered, insurance was wrong. Worse, this exception should have been handled through employer, who is now telling me I may be liable for the $5k bill.

Answer: As an employer benefit plan, the federal law ERISA governs.  It requires you to follow and exhaust the plan's appeal procedures before you may take any legal action.   Ideally, you can get this resolved with the claims procedures.  You may want to contact a plaintiff-side erisa attorney.  Getting one involved now might make the committee a bit nervous.  A federal court also has limited review of plan decisions, so someone familiar with the whole process being involved now might leave you better off if you do need/want to sue.


Title: [Oregon, USA] My city wishes to impose a fee on a portion of the population by way of our utility bill. Is this legal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 "Residential water customers" is neither arbitrary nor not clearly defined. If you are in zoned residential property and you buy water from gov, you are a residential water customer.

As to your second question, [these fine people would know](http://www.puc.state.or.us/Pages/contact_us.aspx)


Title: My landlord may be scamming me.

Question:
OK so to start, I am  A college student in my senior year and I have been living in an apartment for a year already. I had signed a lease at the beginning of that year but not at the beginning of the next. My landlord is avoiding sending a new lease but I think there are legal rules where one lease slides over to the next year if a past tenant remains in the same apartment. My landlord has started renting out an Airbnb and threatens to evict me every time I don't offer the guests one of my own amenities such as Wi-Fi or cable that I pay for. In the original lease it says nothing about renting out an Airbnb whatsoever. My concern is that if the lease doesn't pass over to the next year then I am currently living without a lease and there's nothing I think I can do in regards to Airbnb. I was wondering if there were any legal actions I would be able to take where I am able to remain in my apartment without the continuation of an Airbnb.

Philadelphia, Pa

Answer:
 >I think there are legal rules where one lease slides over to the next year if a past tenant remains in the same apartment

No -- if you remain without a written lease or a notice from your landlord to move out, then you default to a month-to-month lease.

You have no obligation to provide access to anything that isn't spelled out in the lease. I'd tell your landlord he can find his own WiFi and cable for his guests. I'd also start looking for a new apartment, because if you're month-to-month and you start pushing back, he may decide not to renew your lease.Answer #2: Under no circumstances should you even consider giving out your wifi to anyone. If one of the guests visited shady sites you would be the one who ended up in hot water. That's a whole headache that you never want to go through.Answer #3: What wifi and cable, you don't even have wifi or cable.Answer #4: You do not have to share your cable or Wi-Fi with Anyone else unless it is on your lease agreement. The landlord is free to rent out a room that is not being rented to you. Most likely you are now on a month to month lease which means either party can terminate with sufficient notice.


Title: Curious of class action law suits and if there is grounds for one here.

Question: https://kotaku.com/disney-shuts-down-marvel-heroes-1820475273   so basically people put in a lot of into this specifically on console and the game was only out like 4 months and they suddenly end it.

Answer:
 This is part of the risk you take when you buy cloud services.  From the article, it appears the game developer is going bankrupt.

You bought the game from Gazillion, not Disney.  If the game developer goes bankrupt, what do you hope to get from them?  Sounds like they can not even pay their employees.

From the article, it looks like Disney's involvement is limited to licensing the characters and perhaps a co-marketing agreement.  So they likely have no liability.

Can you sue the owners of a building, if the gym that lease their space goes under before their contract with you expires?


Title: My coworker gave out my phone number and schedule to a customer, what can I do?

Question:
I live in California. On Sunday my coworker had written in our work log that a customer came in requesting a custom drink I'd made her before, and that she was unsatisfied with the staff on hands attempts to recreate it. In her frustration my coworker gave out my phone number and schedule to the customer.

I don't feel safe anymore at work knowing that someone has my information. I know the customer isn't likely seeking to harm me, but knowing that my coworker is stupid enough to hand out that information is the worst part. I also don't believe she has received any punishment for the act.

I had relayed this to my boss who said he would make sure this doesn't happen again, but I still don't feel good about it. What are my rights within the company? Can I go to a higher up and explain? I would really like a new job but I don't want to lose the security that my current job has.

Answer:
 You can certainly go over your current supervisor to report the issue. Providing your personal contact info to a customer wasn't professionally appropriate for your co-worker, but it's not illegal. Your company doesn't have any obligations here.

You might try speaking directly to the co-worker to let them know how you feel.


Title: Neighbor keeps shooting wild peacocks?

Question:
I grew up on a lake in North Texas. I recently moved back into my childhood home as its sole ( besides my fiancé) occupant. There have been dozens of peacocks who lived around the lake and in the neighborhood since I was a child. I've noticed that the amount of peacocks has heavily diminished. My neighbor has informed me that the guy who lives next door to him has been shooting the peacocks for years and that he wanted to inform someone but wasn't sure who. I was just as angry but also not sure who to contact or if contacting somebody would amount to any action. I knocked on the guy's door to talk to him and he told me to fuck off. He's a complete nutcase.

Who can I inform? Is it legal to shoot wild animals such as peacocks? If not, is there a way around it?

Answer:
 Perhaps contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife? He almost certainly doesn't have a hunting license.

The police may be interested if he's discharging a firearm in an unsafe area. (Is it a big property? Small? How close are the neighbors?)Answer #2: Peacocks are not recognized game in Texas.Answer #3: "Exotic Animals and Fowl

An exotic animal is any animal that is not indigenous to Texas, including but not limited to feral hog, Russian boar, aoudad sheep, axis deer, elk, sika deer, fallow deer, red deer, and blackbuck and nilgai antelope. An exotic fowl is any avian species that is not indigenous to this state, including ratites (emu, ostrich, rhea, cassowary, etc.).

There are no state bag or possession limits or closed seasons on exotic animals or fowl on private property. It is against the law to:

Hunt an exotic without a valid hunting license.
Hunt an exotic on a public road or right-of-way.
Hunt an exotic without the landowner's permission.
Possess an exotic or the carcass of an exotic without the owner's consent.

Penalty: A person who violates these laws commits an offense. Hunting exotic wildlife without a license is a Class C misdemeanor ($25-$500 fine). The remaining listed offenses are Class A misdemeanors ($500-$4,000 and/or up to one year in jail).

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) regulates the movement of feral swine for disease-control purposes. For more information please call TAHC at (800) 550-8242 or visit the TAHC Web site."


Title: Ticket for child not properly restrained... But she was

Question:
I would never let me child roam around the car unrestrained. I was pulled over today and the officer said he saw my daughter "standing on her carseat with no seat belt on". I informed him that she was buckled the entire time, and is always buckled up anytime we drive anywhere.

The cop was a dick and basically called me a liar. Gave me a ticket.

Obviously this is a my word vs his type of thing, but I legitimately am innocent of the accusation.

What is the most effective way to fight this ticket?

Edit: Location [CA]

Answer: I'm assuming that she is in a five point carseat and not a booster seat right?  If so then I would go to court and ask the cop if he witnessed you get out of the vehicle and strap the child in?  Then ask to see the dash cam footage.Answer #2: So she was still buckled in her seat when he got to your window? How old is she?Answer #3: one trick to do is call the court house and have them change the hearing on your ticket. most of the time an officer will put a court date when it is convenient for their schedule. if you bump the court date to early as you can tis will clash with the officers appointments and he will not be able to show up to court to defend why he wrote the ticket.


Title: Wife stiffed on $4,800 dollar payment

Question:
My wife is a freelance graphic designer. She recently completed a job for a company in D.C. that does “business management consulting.” The work was quoted and approved and used for an event, of which we have photographs.
It seems the company is going to flake on the payment. It’s been 60 days and our terms were net 30. Their AP department will not return calls or email. The only way my wife was able to get through was to give a false name. Once she let them know who she was she was promptly hung up on.
What recourse do we have? As I said, we have photo evidence of the work being used direct from an employee of the company. We also have all prior communication when the job was quoted and excepted etc.

Answer: Sue them in small claims.


Title: Legal advice for religious clothing at work (NC)

Question: As part of a religious tradition, I wear a form of hat as a covering when I am not at home or in a place of worship. A dress policy is at my place of work where hats are not allowed. I have already been told it's fine by HR but at least three or four times a day I am stopped by someone and told to remove what they think is a beanie. The people who ask me why I'm wearing it often follow up with questions regarding my religion. Do I have to answer these? Never worked at a place like this before where it was a problem.

Answer:
 >The people who ask me why I'm wearing it often follow up with questions regarding my religion. Do I have to answer these?

Do not HAVE to, but if it is not too much trouble, I find educating people helps - it will help eliminate the feeling that you are violating workplace policy or that you are getting special treatment from HR.

If not, just state that the head covering is religious and that you would rather not talk about your religion during work time when  you are supposed to be working.


Title: Neighbor is accusing me of being a racist. New Mexico

Question:
Last year a new neighbor moved into the house next to mine. Everything was fine or normal at first until her dog jumped our fence and killed  2 of my chickens.

It happens, I honestly wasn't that angry. I just wanted her to replace my chickens. I didn't want anything bad to happen to her dog either so I tried to work it out with her without the law. She wasn't down for that so I did have to go through the law.  She got a fine.

Since the incident she has been telling all the neighbors horrible things. Including that "I'm turning tricks" out of my house, selling drugs, running a meth lab in my camper( completely unoriginal). Every week it's something new. I've been ignoring it. Until recently that is.

She has started telling people I'm racist. This like the other stuff isn't true at all. I would have ignored this too but a couple weeks ago my cousin was visiting with her new baby. My cousin is biracial. My neighbor took it upon herself to stop my cousin in the driveway and "inform" her that *I*  think she (my cousin) is [something offensive].  She actually said the word to my cousin

A few days later she told my Hispanic grandfather comments involving the weed whacker he was borrowing that I supposedly said.

We all did confront her as civily as possible but she just doubles down and tried to cause a scene. I want my guests especially family to feel welcome at my home.

Now everytime she sees anyone come to my house she informs them of my "racist comments" if they call her liar or to stop she starts screaming that she's only trying to protect them from my evil.

Up until now she was just talking bs, but now she is actually going out of her way to confront family, friends, the mail man, and anyone else who steps foot on my property. She harasses them to harass me. I have a big family many of whom visit often, but now some of them don't want to because of her continued badgering.

I don't know what to do.

What can I do?

Am I stuck in this situation?

Answer:
 She is slandering you.

The easiest argument is that by claiming you're "turning tricks," etc. (actually doing things that are likely to expose you to public ridicule and disrespect) she is knowingly or recklessly misrepresenting facts to your detriment.

The less obvious but likely effective addition is that by calling you racist to everyone in your general vicinity, she's also slandering you, although it's difficult to really overcome her earnestly held (if insane) belief that you are.

In New Mexico, defamation claims must rest on statements of fact, but the defendant needn't necessarily know the fact to be false, so long as they made the statement with reckless disregard for whether it was true.

You're certainly entitled to consider getting an attorney to do a C&D  with some reference to the damages you could get for her actions. That might scare her down.Answer #2: If she is trespassing on your property to harass your guests, start calling the police every time she steps a single foot onto your property. I would also recommend getting a security system to record your property and backup your claims of trespass. Answer #3: Put cameras out to tape any encounters with them on your property, confronting your guests. It will show their harrassment to you.Answer #4: Also don't forget: start a log *now*, if you haven't already. Her behavior is escalating, and may continue to do so. A log of her behavior, and every single incident, will be good evidence if you ever need to go before a judge.

I would also recommend at least two cameras: one pointed from the front of the house and recording that shared property line, and another in the back with a similar angle.


Title: Father wants to publish the book we wrote together by himself

Question:
Location: Texas, USA

&#x200B;

Over the last several years, my father and I have been writing a fantasy book together. We started when I was around 15 or 16, and then worked on it on and off until I moved out, in which it slowed down substantially. We haven't worked on it in a while, but it is pretty close to completion and has been in the back of my mind to finish up at some point. This story is one of the favorite things I've written and I've always wanted to eventually put it all together and post or publish it somewhere so it can at least be read. Making money off it is not important to me.

&#x200B;

A few months ago, I came out to my family and our relationship immediately took a downward turn. My folks are very religious, conservative and unaccepting of the LGBTQ community. My father specifically took it very hard and we've had some tense discussions since then, and not been on very good terms. I've been slowly distancing myself from them and trying to cut off contact since they have had a large negative influence on my life and I find solace in my supportive partner and friends instead.

&#x200B;

My father runs his own business and is incredibly busy, and since the book has sat untouched by both of us for so long, a few weeks ago I asked him if he would be okay with me finishing it by myself, since I have more time and want to finish it. He told me he wouldn't be comfortable with that since we wrote it together. I figured that might be the answer, so I accepted it and went on my way, thinking we would just not end up finishing it.

&#x200B;

Last week we had another tense discussion that ended with him saying that he was going to finish the book by himself and that I was "welcome to join him if you want". I tried to ask him why he was okay with him finishing it but he refused to answer the question and called me manipulative and other insulting and untruthful things. Knowing him, there is a very low chance he will actually finish it on his own as he tends to start tons of creative projects but then not follow them through, but the risk is still there, because once he gets his mind set on one thing and sits down to finish it, there's no stopping him.

&#x200B;

My question is this: Can he finish and publish the book on his own without my permission or involvement? I would hate for him to wipe me out of it and call it completely his own when I've spent a lot of time and investment in making a story I'm really proud of. Additionally, if I finished it on my own and posted it somewhere for free, would he have any legal stand against me? I just want to be able to share this story with people. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Tell him you are going to publish it and credit him as a co-author, and will give him half of any net income since you don’t care about making money anyway.

Hard to see what additional damages he might claim.Answer #2: This might be better suited for /r/relationshipadvice unless you are planning to sue your father for stealing your work on the bookAnswer #3: First off, tradition publishing is very difficult.  You first need an agent to accept the book, than pitch the book to publishing companies. The process takes up to a year.

Self-publishing can be done easier. Your father will never make it through traditional publishing. An agent isn't going to touch this situation with a ten-foot pole.

The moment you put word on paper, it is copyrighted.   [https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/business-legal-matters/copyright\_law\_101](https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/business-legal-matters/copyright_law_101)

&#x200B;

What is the book written on? If its a computer software, the account name and time created is time-stamped. If it's your account, you have more of a leg to stand on.

As far as publishing goes, no, he cannot legally publish is as his own without crediting you.

Now, if you want to publish it, you can change everything he has added. Make everything your own idea, and he can't do anything about it.


Title: I just don’t even know where to start... I need advice, badly

Question:
It’s a warm, sunny afternoon in Oregon and everything was going great. I headed down the the Sheriffs office to apply for my Concealed Handgun License and was excited to finally be able to exercise my second amendment right!

Go to the clerk downstairs and pay my fee, she sends me upstairs for photo and prints, everything’s normal, yeah? She asks me to sit in the waiting room while they print up my license.

About 10 minutes later she calls me into the back and I sit at her desk. She taps her fingers on a stack of papers and asks “did you really think we were going to issue you a license?”

“Well, yeah. I completed my Firearms Safety Course and paid all my fees.”

She taps the stack of papers and asks “did you not think we’d find out about this?”

After a little more discussion it turns out that someone has been using my name on the East Coast. This dude is bad news. We go over the list and I admit I sort of spaced out as she was going down the list, Multiple DUIs, domestics, felony drug charges, probation violations, criminal registration (the fuck is that??) ... the list goes on. Also, I’m apparently currently incarcerated in Monroe County, FL. A quick call confirmed that I’m in my cell and I have not escaped.

All arrests have my social and physical description (6’4” 250 brown hair & blue eyes) and she’s in the middle of asking them to send her prints. Best case I don’t get my license for 4 weeks.

I need to clear my name but have no idea where to begin. Please, please lend me your advice.

Answer:
 Start by filing a police report for identity theft, then pull your credit reports to see if there has been any financial impact from this.

If it's bad enough, you'll want to retain a lawyer who specializes in identity theft and fraud.Answer #2: They're already working on it for you...


Title: The font door to our apartment doesn't lock. We've been living here for two months thinking it was secure. Are we entitled to any kind of compenstion from the building?

Question:
So basically, me and my room-mate moved into this apartment at the start of 2015. It's a fairly new building (in Richmond VA), we were the first tennants in this particular apartment.
Today we discovered that the lock on our front door is completely useless. Like, anything more than a slight push and it'll just swing open.
We feel that the building should have a responsibility to provide a basic level of security. We keep laptops, phones, tablets, cash, personal documents, everything here. And it sucks to know that at any point in the last two months someone could have just walked in and taken something.
 We're going to speak with the building manager tomorrow to get it sorted. Is there anything we'd be entitled to out of this other than getting the lock fixed?

Thanks

Answer: So you feel you deserve to get compensated for something that didn't happen? Stop it snowflake, your buttered flavored wings are tasty to us.Answer #2: You're entitled to get the lock fixed.  Nothing more.


Title: Can you be prevented from photographing a film shoot on a public street?

Question: I noticed a post claiming that a film crew was trying to prevent people from taking photographs of a film shoot happening on a cordoned, but otherwise plainly visible, [public street](http://imgur.com/a/iqJYK) in Charleston, SC. I've always been under the impression that anything in public, in plain view is fair game to be photographed. Is that not the case? Is there some law that would prevent one from being allowed to take photos of a film shoot?

Answer: It's not illegal for you to take photographs in a public place but film shoots are often done with cooperation from the local municipality.  If they cordoned off an area for the film crew to work, it's no longer property that's subject to public rights of way.  Answer #2: You are permitted to photograph anything you want from public property.Answer #3: No law.  Perfectly legal.  They can tell you that it's not allowed, but that doesn't mean that it's actually not allowed.


Title: Landlord Restricting Kitchen Access?

Question:
Hello everyone! So I've been renting a room in my landlord's house without a lease for 3 months now. Every week or so he comes up with a house rule he'd never mentioned before and it's getting worse. This week he just told me to stop using the kitchen and do all my cooking on the grill outside, to avoid 'heating up the house' and yelled at me this morning for using the stove to make pasta. It is very inconvenient, as you can imagine. I use the stove for about 15-20 minutes on average. I was wondering if this is in violation of any laws? Thank you for your help!

Edit: I'm located in Eugene, Oregon.

Answer:
 Keep using the kitchen. But he can give you notice to vacate since you're month to month. No judge would grant an eviction for that. Answer #2: Kitchens are commonly accepted shared property. Generally speaking a landlord cannot refuse kitchen access to a tenant. That being said, you don't have a lease and are a presumed month-to-month tenant, he could give you the appropriate notice to vacate for your jurisdiction and you would have to leave.

All this is a guess however, because you did not include your location.


Title: [Canada] Jointly own a house with now ex-gf, she voluntarily moved out and stopped paying mortgage, what options do I have?

Question:
A bit of background, we decided to buy a house together, I put down 60k and she put down 6k (Seperate checks to the bank) and then each paid for the mortgage 50/50 for the past year and a half.  We also took out a 40k joint line of credit to develop the basement for which I am solely making payments on (All payments to that account show that it's being paid from my personal account).  We had a falling out a couple months ago and she stopped paying the mortgage, utilities, bills tied to the house since she said she couldn't afford to anymore because of her own personal debt and was saving up to move out and rent a different place.  She has since left and now wants her name off of the mortgage and Line of Credit, both of which I cannot refinance and qualify for solo, so I think I have no choice but to sell the house.  Do I have any recourse to show that any profit after commissions, fees, remainder of mortgage and LoC payout should be split at least a 6:1 ratio between me and her as I did put down a bigger stake and have made more payments on the mortgage than her, and was solely responsible for paying for upgrades that upped the value of the house?  Or do I have any other options of keeping the house and claiming she abandoned it by voluntarily moving out.  Just fyi, I did not ask her or tell her to leave, and I did not say it was ok for her to stop paying the mortgage or anything, she pretty much forced this issue.

EDIT: I live in Alberta... and afaik we are not in a common law/adult interdependent relationship, so I think for all intents and purposes we are strictly investment partners.

Answer: You might think you're not in a common law relationship but you might be. So check with Alberta law about how long you have to be together to be considered common law.


Title: [WI] I got a "promotion" kind of...

Question:
Hey Reddit!

I am employed with the county government. I interviewed for another position within the county and was turned down, but they did offer me a different job which was a promotion but just not as much of a promotion. My supervisor informed me that I needed to make the decision quick because if I took it I would start training that day.

I took the position and started training. My supervisor informed me that I still needed to actually apply for the position so that it could be processed through HR and I did. Now, I am just waiting.

So here is where we get to the legal issue, I am currently doing a job that entitles me to a new title and a pay raise. Currently I have neither. I have talked to my supervisor and there is not much that she can do until HR does their thing. Am I entitled to back pay for the 2 months that I have been working in this position without the pay increase? Are there any other options?

Answer:
 > So here is where we get to the legal issue, I am currently doing a job that entitles me to a new title and a pay raise. Currently I have neither. I have talked to my supervisor and there is not much that she can do until HR does their thing. Am I entitled to back pay for the 2 months that I have been working in this position without the pay increase? Are there any other options?

If you are in a union, go through your union rep.

If you are not, you can inquire through HR first and see what they say. Or, take this opportunity to join the union, and go through your union rep. :)


Title: My dad just died. He didn't leave a will. Am i legally ably to take all of his property?

Question: My dad just passed away on Friday. He had a "deal" worked out with his gf that he would give her his lexus and she would sell her car and buy me a new one. He died before this could happen. Can i demand his car because he died before she could fulfill her end of the "deal" and it wasn't left to her in his will? He left no will and i believe that she has already taken any money that he had stashed away. I am very upset about this and would just like to get all of his stuff away from her and give it to my sister and our children (his grandkids)

Answer:
 You don't indicate where you live, so, I'll have to speak generally.

If your dad was not married at the time of his death (or the death of his spouse preceded him), the "rules of intestacy" apply.

It is possible for full rights to survivor (or joint ownership with right of survivorship) to be listed on a motor vehicle title. Regardless of the rules of intestacy, if a title is listed with full rights to survivor and is titled in two names, the survivor then becomes the legal owner of the car.

Otherwise, the estate should be probated. The court will appoint a personal representative. Since there are living children, they should inherit the estate equally.

Having said all that, there are a few ways this could go down:

1. You could ask the court for "specific performance". Since there was a prior agreement, a court could direct her to fulfill her end of the bargain and get you a car. This sometimes works and seems like it would be the most equitable solution.
2. If the car is still titled in your dad's name ONLY, you should list it as property of the decedent when you file in probate court. The personal representative will be responsible for overseeing the appropriate disposition of the asset (either selling it and splitting the profits or getting your sister to release her claim to it and you can keep it). If the court is so inclined, they can direct his gf to give the car to the personal representative.
3. If the car is in your dad's name and someone else's without full rights to survivor, then the heirs gain partial ownership rights.


Title: (Nevada) I bought solar panels that are now worthless and I'm not sure where to go from here. Any advice would be immensely appreciated!

Question:
The facts: In November of last year, my family and I contracted with a local solar installation company to do what we thought was a service to our environment and our wallets. The engineers drew up a plan that involved installing 31k worth of panels on the roof of my home.

After a couple of weeks of back and forth with NV Energy, the local electric company, our application was denied. We were told that the amount of panels proposed greatly exceeded our forecasted need, so we were forced to revisit the contract. The salesman we were working with wrote a new one up and we agreed to buy 21k worth of panels.

In early January, technicians came out to our home and began installation. Within a week, the work was complete with the exception of an on-site metering device we could use to measure the amount of energy our panels were producing.

By now, I'm sure a lot of you are aware of the decisions handed down by the Nevada Public Utility Commission. They've essentially driven the solar industry out of the state and our contractor is no exception. By late January, their office was closed, the salesman we had worked with had moved to Florida, and the regional manager had removed himself from the grid.

At around the same time that all this was happening, we began receiving notices of intent to lien upon our property. After researching the matter, it appears that this is standard policy in our state and the subcontractor that provided materials for the project is obligated to file a lien. What's weird, however, is that the amount listed as the original contracted price is 31k. I've spoken to a subcontractor representative and was told to "take the mater up with the Nevada State Contractors Board." As it turns out, this wasn't bad advice. A claim has been filed but we haven't heard from anyone yet.

Some final details: on Monday we received a notice that the contractor that installed the panels on our home has filed for bankruptcy. As far as we know, the panels are not working.

My questions: Is there anything I can do to fight the lien? How can we got about seeking restitution? The panels we bought are now worthless and we are in the hole for 21k.

I am not opposed to paying for legal advice, but I've been a long time lurker of this subreddit and I've seen just how powerful of a resource it can be.

I apologize if this matter has already been addressed. I understand it's a common issue but I haven't found any answers yet.

Thank you so much in advance!

Edit: I signed a 12 year note to satisfy payment for the panels and installation. The installer received full payment before they filed for bankruptcy.

The subcontractor is the one who filed the lien. I imagine they never received payment because the installer was aware of the impending change in legislation. The lien is for "work, materials, and equipment" and is in the amount of 3k.

Answer:
 >Is there anything I can do to fight the lien?

You have a lot of interesting information, but it's not clear how much of it is important.  Why is there a lien on your home?  I assume it is because you haven't paid the installers, but if that's the case, then you seem to have left out that important piece of information.


Title: Can I (21) get in trouble if my friend (20) drinks?

Question:
My friend is wanting to to come over to my house and drink (I won't be drinking).  She is bringing her own alcohol (her mother of boyfriend bought it for her).  I was wondering if I could get in trouble just for letting her do this, like if I got pulled over while taking her back home  or something since she isn't 21 and I am?

Location: Michigan

Answer: Yes you can.


Title: (AZ) Shipping scam I think

Question: I've receiving emails from a company called global express shipping, in these emails it read that i was to receive 3 packages. I received them all and I just want to know what it is to do with them. And if there is any law that has been broken or if i can get prosecuted?

Answer:
 You received 3 packages. And your question is?

Ah - are these packages you ordered or did you just get them?


Title: Not at fault car accident that happened 9 months ago. Lost everything. Lawyer is saying they’re still resolving the case.

Question: So the long story is this: 9 months ago I was working (I’m a flooring contractor) and driving to lunch. I was on a three lane one way with crossroads that have stop signs for crossing traffic only, the one way had no stop signs. I was leader of about four to five other vehicles and in the middle lane. Out of no where a 19 year old ignored the stop sign and plowed into me trying to cross or turn left on to the one way. Either way we met pretty hard front end to front end. She hit my driver side front quarter headlight area with her passenger side front quarter headlight area. Smashed up both vehicles pretty bad. We were both injured, nothing too serious. Ambulance picked her up, I declined as I didn’t feel I warranted a hospital trip with an ambulance. Went home to shake off the adrenaline rush from the whole thing and wound up sleeping until the next day. Woke up planning on getting my tools from the truck and finishing my jobs. Couldn’t walk and had a horrible neck and head pain I went to the hospital and was then sent to physical therapy for two months and couldn’t work due to an injury to my knee. Doing flooring with a knee injury doesn’t work. I got a lawyer the day after the hospital trip, they helped setup the rental while my truck was fixed( the bill to the at fault insurance company was almost $7000.00 the truck is only worth $10,000.00. That seemed weird). I stopped the physical therapy due to the inability to go anymore, no work equals no money, no money means not being able to afford driving anywhere. What I’m curious about is it’s been 9 months going on ten and no info on when this will be settled. Lawyer tells me it’s still being resolved. I have no idea what that means. I call once a month to check on it, feels like they’re sick of me calling. I have been medically recovered as much as I can afford, lost everything, house, tools, and the place I’ve contracted through for five years. I don’t understand why it takes 7+ months to settle a not at fault claim. If I’ve been confusing it’s because doing this on mobile is a little difficult and I suck at writing stories. I’d be happy to clarify.

Answer:
 I’m a California attorney, but I don’t practice personal injury law. However, my girlfriend is in law school and works at a personal injury law firm and is planning on going into that area of law. She says it can take a year easily to settle, but that can vary widely based upon many different factors, including your state, what insurance company they are negotiating with, policy limits, the wealth of the other party, where you are at in treatment, if they filed suit or not, etc. She said the main factor is if you are still being treated for your injuries. It sounds like you’re not. Does your attorney know that?

They sound annoyed because they can’t speed up the process, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to information. Ask exactly where they are at in the process. For example if they’ve filed suit, is discovery complete? Is trial set? If they haven’t filed suit, have they sent out a demand letter? Received a reply to the demand letter? Do they plan on filing suit? If so, when?


Title: Food Safety Help! Dangerous foreign object!

Question:
I bought a banhmi sandwich a few days ago using cash so there's no receipt but i have the bag it came in which is a paper bag which says the shop. So I have proof i bought it from them.

Short story of what happened, I bought it a few days ago put it in fridge to eat later, heated it up and bit into it, halfway through i have this huge pain on my teeth and i see that i've bitten into a sharp piece of wood!

These people at the store make the sandwich themselves how the hell would this by accidently put this huge piece into the sandwich and its so sharp and dangerous, I have no idea what to do. Have i ruined the evidence since I've eaten part of it??? i touched to wood to examine it so could I have ruined all my chances? I don't know what to do, i'm in Toronto and this was a shop in Chinatown. Please help :\(

TL:DR bought a sandwich had sharp piece of wood inside, need legal help!

Answer:
 > it so could I have ruined all my chances?

Your chances at what? Did you go back to the shop and ask for a new sandwich?


Title: (FL) Over $75,000 possibly stolen from multiple people by con artist. Advice needed on how to proceed.

Question:
**TL:DR; con artist steals tens of thousands of dollars from multiple people in various states, need to know options for legal action.**

To be clear, the con artist is located in Florida, and the multiple victims are in various locations across the United States. Basically put, the culprit, who we'll call C, was a moderator of a private group on Facebook with over two thousand members. They used their status as a trusted administrator as a sort of jumping off platform to start a business page on Facebook, the business being named something like "C's Event Planning" and advertised themselves as being an event planner, acting as the middleman for events like cruises and parties. They had a business email set up with a PayPal account and that was how you would book something, send this person however much they told you for a stateroom or a hotel room or whatever. It would be over the price of a regular hotel room, but the extra money was supposed to go to "perks" like a goodie bag for the event, T shirts for the event, and such.

Fast forward two or three years. Slowly but surely, goodie bags start never turning up and nobody seems to know where the extra money is going. A cruise line's bookings for one of these events all fall through, people are out thousands of dollars, and suddenly C is retreating from social media due to "health concerns" and all the booking information winds up with people who start poking through and asking questions and it turns out that C has been siphoning money, a few hundred bucks at a time, from their business PayPal account to their bank account. The cruise line dropped the bookings because C was thousands of dollars under what they needed to pay for the rooms for everyone (meaning they withdrew and spent all that money). In the private Facebook group that C was an administrator in, there was a gofundme set up to help people in abusive situations among other things and C had full control of this Gofundme. There was almost $5,000 in that fund and C claimed the IRS took it, which is patently untrue. The GFM was also supposed to be structured like a kickstarter, with prizes being mailed for however much money you donated. Nobody ever got their items.

It also turned out that multiple people had "covered" the same room for C on several cruises after C claimed they were going to be completely broke and couldn't cover their room; two separate parties paid for two separate cruises in FULL (we're talking thousands of dollars each; they covered rooms for 15-20 people) after learning that C was mysteriously short money even though they overcharged people for rooms. One of those parties had a promissory note from C signed and dated which C has failed to act on; the other party had nothing in writing saying that C would pay them back. Multiple people are out money for plane tickets as well since at this point all events have been canceled and many people already bought plane tickets to attend them--the kicker is that "C's Event Planning" was never an LLC. In addition, a previous company (a real company) that C had co-run with another person had wound up $25,000 in debt from unpaid back taxes that C had never paid to the IRS. C did not inform their business partner of this fact and signed off the company to them, putting all the responsibility for the back taxes on this other person, who had to sell their brick-and-mortar business and move back in with their parents as a result. All in all we've estimated that C has pocketed over $75,000 from people

Is there any legal action that can be taken against this person to help everyone involved recoup their losses and if so, what can be done?

Answer: Tips.fbi.gov


Title: [NJ] Aunt filed false criminal assault charges against my Mother tonight. Evidence is in her favor but who proceeds with/what punishment for the false charge after its over.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 You can petition the court or the police to file charges, or hold her in contempt.

Practically speaking, it's unlikely to happen.


Title: Optometrist charging fee for eyeglass prescription release

Question: I recently just had an annual exam for new eyeglasses. My current optometrist moved to a different office so it was my first time there. At the end of my exam I asked for a prescription for my eyeglasses and they told me it would be a $40 fee for a copy. My previous optometrist’s office never charged for a copy of my prescription. I read somewhere that optometrist’s cannot hold prescriptions so is it legal for them to charge a fee for a copy of my prescription? I’m assuming it is legal but this is just something that I have never encountered and would just like some answers or guidance on what to read about the release of prescriptions and if they can charge fees. Oh and I live in California. Thanks for any help.

Answer:
 Shoot.. I was just about to post a link, but I don't think I can in this sub.

Google "eyeglasses prescription law" look for the FTC page. It will outline the law and what your Dr has to comply with. There is a complaint process as well.

In short, they are legally bound to provide you with the copy of your prescription at NO ADDITIONAL COST.

anything else and you can raise Holy heck. Answer #2: Have you seen this yet: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0116-prescription-glasses-and-contact-lenses ?


Title: Online retailer charged $500+ to my amex for an order over a year old that was paid for and successfully disputed through PayPal. Is this legal?

Question:
The order from sometime in 2016 was never delivered, so we disputed it through PayPal and got our money back. Fast forward to now and they tried charging an amex we had used on a previous order.

Is this even legal? I’m not worried about it because I already had the charge removed after reporting fraud, which is what I originally thought it was. Now that I’m looking at matching order totals, it looks like it’s just this company being super shady. Odd that they waited so long.

location: US

Answer: You disputed it, right?  The company is definitely NOT allowed to do that.  They can sue you, but can't charge a completely different card from a different transaction.


Title: Cleaning up bodily fluids at restuarant in PA

Question: I dont really know if this is the right place to ask, but can I manager make a server clean up vomit if they have not been trained to do so? I figured since servers handle food it would be a big no-no.

Answer: Depends on the location. Generally yes he can, I think the only one with specialized training would be blood


Title: I hit someone going 1mph in a drive-through... other person seriously over-reacting. What do I do?

Question:
Foot slipped off the break and I love tapped someone in the in-n-out drive through. Literally 1mph hit to their rear bumper. The guy who got hit immediately started making a big deal about this, claiming that his transmission might be fucked, etc, etc... He called in a report immediately and claimed that I was "harassing him" and other similar bogus claims.

He refused to communicate and took forever to take a picture of my insurance. Finally after I snapped some shots of his rear bumper he took my information and I was able to leave.

This guy is going to try to blow this up way more than is right. The car behind us even told him to "stop being a douchebag". This was at 1:15am so it was very uncomfortable for me too, I just wanted to get out of there.

What do I do? Should I call my insurance? Never hit someone before, let alone have someone try to exaggerate damages. The guy claimed he was a mechanic so I worry he may tamper with things to make it seem like the accident was worse than it actually was!

*edit:* Thanks for all the help guys. I was pretty frazzled due to having to deal with this at 1:30 am and bc of this guys attitude but you guys all made me feel a lot better.

Answer:
 > Should I call my insurance?

Yes. This is exactly what you pay insurance for. Let them sort it out for you. Give them all the information you have listed here so that they know what they are looking at when the claim comes in.

Answer #2: Did you get the contact details from the person in the car behind? If so they could be a good witness that he was over-reacting.Answer #3: I was an adjuster for many years and dealt with people trying to claim  mechanical damage was related to crashes 9th a semi frequent basis.

After you report it to your insurance they will have the guy sign an inspection authorization form. Basically it is for the car to go to a shop to be diagnosed, if the transmission damage is determined to have not been caused by the collision (100% probability) the owner has to pay for the diagnostic fees.

Just report it and let them deal with telling the guy to pound sandAnswer #4: OOC, does the In-N-Out have a camera you could potentially grab the video from in the event this person decides to make 'bogus claims'?


Title: [CA] ESA dog new job won't allow him

Question:
 I have had an ESA dog for the past 2 years, and I have a real letter for him, not one of the online ones. At my previous job it was not a problem, i just had to show them the letter form my doctor and that was it.

I have been at my new job for 6 month and had to bring him in 1 day so i started the process there. But they did want to accept this and say there are "different interruptions" of the law. I have finally got them in talks, but they seem very focus on having me take time off or something like that to "resolve my issues". I have tried to explain to them that is not how a ESA works, it is a commitment for the rest of the animals life, even if theoretical i could take 6 months off to resolve my "issues" i will still have the ESA after that.

They have given me a form for my doctor to fill out, but it asks question such as "How long do you anticipate these limitations will last? If the duration is unknown, when will you again be evaluating the employee’s condition?", "Will granting the Employee a leave of absence enable him/her to return to work and perform the essential functions of his/her job?" and i don't want to bring this form to my doctors.

My question is, can they require my to get a custom form filled out by my doctor or do they have to accept the ESA Letter that i have from him? I know of other people at my work that feel "bullied" into not being allowed to bring their ESA to work when needed. (Problem is it is HR doing this, so i can't go to them)
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: ESA's are not protected in the workplace. Any requirements they have are legal.