Title: Son's Biological father trying to get full custoday. Has spent less then 3 days with him in his life.

Question:
First met his Dad when I was 16 and he was 21, I was very depressed and had a low self esteem when we started messing around but he started being creepy so I stopped talking to him. Ending up having a one night stand with him 2 years later and had my son 8 months after. I quickly got on Medicare, food stamps, low income day care, etc. But after a month I was told I would need to file child support against the father or be cut off from the programs. So I contacted the dad and asked if we could talk and he said yeah but i would need to pick him up from the mall because he had no car. I get there and he proceeds to invite his friend into my car without asking and says his friend needs to be dropped off somewhere too. Ok whatever. So i start driving and he says "This is my friend I Met in jail, they call him Booster cause he steals cars." So first I ask him why he was in jail and he tells me for Domestic Violence then starts to brag about how he got out of going to anger management classes. I start not feeling safe, and decide to not have the conversation just yet. After we drop off the car thief I ask where he's going and he says "your place" and I said no and he keeps trying and gets angrier as I keep telling him no. I bring him to his mom's place and she's locked him out because he kicked her door down before he got arrested. And he keeps crying about how he has no where to go. So I let him stay on my couch since my son was at my sister's for the night but throughout the night he kept trying to grope me and such so i just locked myself in my room and made him leave in the morning. Monday morning I decided to cancel my government assistance because I was afraid if he started paying child support he'd want access to my son and I don't feel like he'd be a good influence on him.

So FF 2 years and I was just served with papers saying the State of Alaska is making me get paternity testing because of the one month I was on assistance. A week later I get a text from the dad saying he was forced to do paternity testing the last time he was in jail and wants to see his son. So I've gotten the paternity testing done and now am waiting for the results.

He's met my son 2 times and I try not to judge other people's parenting methods but he says things to him that you obviously should say to a 3 year old. And he still has no job, except for am off the books car business that "Booster" helps out with. He still lives with his mom whenever she's not kicking him out, and still has no car.

I'm currently engaged and my fiance is in the Air Force and wants to adopt my son so he will can have health benefits and everything as well and feel like he isn't excluded from the family since we have a son together and another on the way. But once my son's biological dad found out I was engaged he started getting upset and said he'd try to take full custody. Is there any chance that he'll get it? What are my options? How does my fiance go about getting my son adopted?

Answer:
 >feel like he isn't excluded from the family

That is 100% on you. Has nothing to do with who his legal father is.

> once my son's biological dad found out I was engaged

And trying to have his son taken from him by being adopted.
But you are unlikely going to be able to adopt when he has a father who is trying to be an active father.

Best option is to figure out how to co parent with the childs father


Title: Can my boss force me to turnover personal network contacts?

Question:
Throwaway. US / California.

I am a legal assistant a small law firm, not an employment law firm.

I voluntarily contacted my alumni network (not a university job site for alumni, but contacts I know at the university) to help my boss during two bad dry spells in recruitment. I used my work email to send the emails as it seemed less professional to use a personal account. I did this when I was new and before I knew his staff turnover was insane, e.g. almost 20 person turnover last year and he keeps a "regular" staff of about 15-17 employees.

The turnover problem is him. It's not immediately obvious, sadly.

Several months ago he needed more candidates and told someone to tell me to contact my network to post more ads for a third time. I said no and asserted that I did this as a favor and feel like my contacts are being abused. It’s a top university and I feel strongly against exposing anymore grads to this nightmare.

He is now ordering me (again through someone else) to turn over the all email addresses for my contacts and the emails I wrote to them so that he can give them to another employee who will contact them, presumably with the personal emails I wrote.

I realize I can email my contacts a heads up: “hey, I know X employer will reach out to you soon. I would like to suggest against assisting him in recruitment for X reasons. I still work with him (I'm looking for a new job) and was ordered to give over my contacts. If I did not comply, I feared he would terminate my employment.”

Can he order me to do this? / What should I do?

Answer:
 Yes, he can order you to give him your contacts. No, you don't have to. Yes, he can fire you for refusing.Answer #2: Find a different job - this guy has issues with appropriate boundaries.Answer #3: You are absolutely right. This is burning your credibility with a valuable network that will only become more valuable as you all progress in your careers. The heads up won't help much. If anything it is airing your dirty laundry and connecting you even closer to what is about to become spam mail.

Unfortunately he can probably fire you for this. No clear labor issue to report and get some protection from retaliation either. You might just want to find a new job. It sounds like you've been there for over a year. No need to stay at a bad job for more than one year in this day and age. Job hopping is much less frowned upon and the job market is pretty great right now.

I'd delay and start looking for work. Quit if you want to risk it financially (pretty controversial in financial advice subreddits) but if he fires you then you get unemployment. Either way start looking now.


Title: [CA] I witnessed a motorist assault a pedestrian. What can I do in the future to stop something like that from escalating?

Question:
I was walking home from the grocery store and stopped at one of the busier 5 way intersections in town. Cars always misjudge how soon to stop their cars on these weirdly angled roads and like any other day, nearly every car in front of me stopped on top of the crossing. A man crossing from the other side had to walk around the cars to cross the street. Suddenly, a motorist got out of his vehicle and began shouting at the pedestrian for "fucking punching [his] car!" and proceeded to shove the pedestrian to the ground. The motorist then sauntered back to his vehicle all the while leaving verbal threats in his wake, and drove off as the long red light changed to green.

I got a photo of the guy's license plate and offered my eyes to the pedestrian should he wish to pursue justice. Another witness to the incident also offered his information. I would like to ask for advice on how I could be more proactive in the future to prevent such needless assholery from escalating to violence before my eyes like that. Within the bounds of legality and safety, of course.

I just feel terrible I stood by and watched.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 Don't try to step in the way of a violent confrontation unless (IMO) you think someone's life is in danger. Film it with your phone. Do the other things you did.

> I just feel terrible I stood by and watched.

This is not legal advice but life advice. Don't feel terrible that you stood by. Here's a passage that you might find interesting:

>“The great German philosopher Schopenhauer [...] asks, [how is it] that an individual can so forget himself and his own safety that he will put himself and his life in jeopardy to save another from death or pain—as though that other’s life were his own, that other’s danger his own? Such a one is then acting, Schopenhauer answers, out of an instinctive recognition of the truth that he and that other in fact are one. He has been moved not from the lesser, secondary knowledge of himself as separate from others, but from an immediate experience of the greater, truer truth, that we are all one in the ground of our being. Schopenhauer’s name for this motivation is “compassion,” Mitleid, and he identifies it as the one and only inspiration of inherently moral action. It is founded, in his view, in a metaphysically valid insight. For a moment one is selfless, boundless, without ego."

If I thought someone's life was in danger I would (hope that I would) intervene. But you (and I) are not Batman, and we live in the real world. There are consequences to actions. You did what you could and that is enough. No one died because you failed to act.


Title: NYC: hair dresser accidentally poked my eye, may have to go to ER

Question: Minor amount of money (I imagine ER visit pls antibiotics will cost me $100) but am curious. Yesterday  I had my hair cut and hair dresser poked in in the eye with her finger, she didn't even apologize, I'm not even sure she realized she did it. It hurt a little, but I didn't think much of it. Now, the next day, it's red, hurts more than it did yesterday, and if it doesn't heal by tomorrow I will go to ER to make sure it's not infected and get antibiotics. I don't have proof that this happened (another hair dresser was around but I don't know if she noticed.) Just curious, should I drop by hairdresser once I have the bill, or since I don't have documented proof, just eat the cost?

Answer:
 Would it not be cheaper to go to a regular doctor than the ER?

If you have medical costs you can ask for reimbursement but I not sure she'll be liable for something that sounds like it was just an accident.


Title: My mom is threatening to call the police and kick me out, TODAY. What can I do? HELP IMMEDIATELY.

Question:
I live with my mom and we have lived in the same address for 5 years. My mom is intoxicated and whenever she gets this way she tells me she's going to call the police and have me taken away to jail. I'm 19 years of age and leave for college in a month, with a steady job. I'm not sure what she can do or what I can do. Can I call the police and tell them what she's saying and have her taken away or something for the night? I really need help she's threatening me and she's done this before but the police never believe my side...
Edit: I live in Michigan, United States.

Answer:
 Why would the police take you to jail? Have you committed a crime? If no, then why would the police take you away?

Even if you do not pay rent you are a tenant. In most of the US she cannot legally kick you out without an eviction, which can take 30 days.


Title: what should i tell the police?

Question:
i expect the police to be here within 1-2 hours, and im not sure what to tell them when they arrive. my wife and my mother says that i should lie them straight in the face, and just deny everything, but i'm not good at lying like that either, and i thought i'd just tell them everything, they'd charge me for driving without a license, and that would probably be the end of it... what should i do?

story:

ok, so i borrowed dad's car to go to a nearby grocery store,
which i'm not allowed to do (i ain't got a license. i'm a good driver, no worries there, been driving a lot in vietnam, but don't got a license in Norway)

when i came home, while putting all the food i bought in the kitchen, father called me and told me that brother told him,
and that we'll talk about it when he gets home on sunday.
i said to brother that i'm not sure whether i'm angry at him for telling father or not,
because i wanted to keep it a secret from father.

Then brother tells me "actually, i should call the police"
then i say "if you call police, i'll kick your ass"
then he says "OH? SHOULD WE KILL EACH OTHERS RIGHT NOW?"

then i grab 2 knifes from the kitchen, and head straight for my room.

- on the way there, brother had become very provocative,
when i passed the hallway on the way to my room, brother yelled "No! i'm not there!", (wanting me to pursue him)
and i went to my room.

some time goes, and i exit my room, still with the knifes.. then i hear brother from the hallway, "i called the police"

i go to confront him, he says "ohh, knifes, scary! how long u wanna keep those around?", i respond "ah, probably not for long",
then some blabla, but he was very provocative, actively trying to get me to chase him with the knifes..
(that would probably sounds good for the police), and i went back to the kitchen, now im waiting for the police to arrive..

Edit: location: Norway, Tjøme

Update: its been 3-4 hours, and no police has come. not sure why, but it's also 2AM and i'm going to sleep.

Update 2: waking up, been over 11 hours, still no police...

Answer:
 So, firstly, I doubt anyone here is an expert on Norwegian law.  Generally, the best advice is to decline to speak with the police but I don't know what civil rights y'all have over there.

Secondly, there is a whole heck of a lot more going on here than you just driving without your license.Answer #2: This thread has been my most enjoyable read here since 'hail wrecked my car while I was in the liqour store' guy.

Thanks for that.


Title: How would I go about seeking disability at 23 years of age? Needing advice please.

Question:
Update: I don't wanna bug everyone with thank you replies, but all of this was an incredible help. We will be looking into all of our options and a lot of this is going to really help. Thank you all so much.

Location: Nashville, TN

My SO suffered a car accident several years back and walked away with permanent neck damage. She has paper work and documentation saying its a degenerative injury that'll worsen with time and that she already has lost 13% of her neck use. Because of this, she suffers migraines and bad throbbing neck aches, though its not constant. Yet. Some days its so bad, she has to call into work, and the absentees begin to become a problem. However, its nothing we can help.

We want to look into disability since it has become worse over the last year and its only a matter of time before she has to search for yet another job due to her absence building up at her current job. She works as hard as she can, but the pain just wins most days. She's 23 years old, with little to no health care.

Any advice we could get would be great.

Thank you.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer: Filing for disability is a complicated process. You should find a SSDI lawyer who will be able to give you an idea of what your options are and deal with the filing process for you. Answer #2: In the meantime she needs to file for FMLA to protect herself from being fired.


Title: My school can look at texts through the student wifi. Is this legal?

Question:
Sorry forgot im title this is California

A group of students got called into the principals office today becasue of "inappropriate texts" (swear words [i know what is this middle school?]). I am told admins saw the texts through the school wifi because the students were all connected to it. This to me seems like an infringement on our free speech but i really know nothing (thats why im here).

Thanks

Edit: damn guys why you gotta be so rude? For those who helped thank you, for those who cut to conclusions and telling me to get a grip fuck you. 4-5 years ago in middle school we read an article on one school district was monitoring students phones through school wifi and whether that should be legal or not. Since hearing about these students today, i thought back about that article, and wondered if my school district was doing that as well.

Obviously i know they could be lying, sorry i dont know all these little tidbits about imessage encryption..theres no need to get hostile with me!

Anyway, ill see whats up at school tomorrow, maybe do a couple experiments with imessage to see if i would get called into thw office. Thanks again to those who helped.

edit 2: ALSO, idk if this means anything but we log into the wifi with our school email and password (which they know). Maybe they can somehow log into our phones i really dont know. Someone knows though

Answer: Almost all modern messaging services (iMessages, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, etc.) use encryption between your device and the server. There is no feasible way the WiFi provider can view the contents of text messages sent on their network. Answer #2: This is legal, but it's unlikely that they were actually able to view your texts. My money says that somebody snitched.Answer #3: If the administration saw texts, it's because they were reading the texts on a student's phone.  SMS ~~messaging doesn't~~ messaging on most devices doesn't use Wi-Fi, and for those devices that do, the messages are encrypted and the school administration lacks the exaflop computers necessary to decrypt and read the encrypted messages in a reasonable amount of time.


Title: Help needed

Question: Hi, So a very close friend of mine lives in a house where black mold has been for at least 4 years and the wiring hasn't been updated since it was built (the 1850s from what I know) and there are both asbestos and lead in the paint. We want to remove the house out from under the owner or at least make sure he can't do this again. The friend of mine has said that they now have lung problems and heart problems but has no med insurance to get it checked out. They started having health issues about 6 months after moving in. I don't know law what so ever I need help here.

Answer:
 > We want to remove the house out from under the owner

Uh, what? That's not a thing.Answer #2: Is your friend eating the walls and paint?


Title: [TX] Landlord trying to evict over support animal

Question:
Sorry in advanced for the rushed writing.

I just received an eviction notice over violated my neighborhoods HOA rules regarding pets.
According to our landlords property management company dogs are not allowed in my neighborhood.
My dog is registered as an ESA and was prescribed by my doctor as a way to manage my stress as I suffer from an autoimmune disease. I provided both the dog's registration and my doctor's note when the realty company said the registration wasn't enough on it's own.
They have since been hounding us with fees and emails with blatant lies about where the animal is kept. They stated they recieved reports that we kept the dog in our garage and yard for days on end. Beyond being complete lies, our dog has been alone a collective 6 hours since we rescued her. That culminated in an eviction notice today.
I have already filed a complaint with the City of Austin department of Housing and they have forwarded that to Housing and Urban Development here in Texas.
A thing to note is that about 2/5 of my neighbors own dogs and we were never provided any HOA rules, just told by our property management company that the HOA forbids them.

I'll also provide details that I had to answer from my complaint since those may be useful.

It is a shared wall condo I live in with a fenced in back yard.
My names is on the lease.
My adoption of the dog went through on 7/11 and her registration as a ESA was approved on 7/14 and requested accommodation that day with her registration paperwork.
On 7/21 we sent the additional doctors note that tromped me getting the dog.
On 7/24 they said I needed a note from a psychiatrist or psychologist which is insulting since I don't have a mental disability, but a physical one.

All of this is causing me immense distress and I've had to miss several days of work, which my HR director has noted and been very helpful with.

What are my options and what should my next steps be?

Answer:
 > they said I needed a note from a psychiatrist or psychologist which is insulting since I don't have a mental disability

They may actually be right. ESAs are for mental illness, so unless the stress you have is enough to be categorized as something like clinical depression or anxiety I don't know that an ESA will apply.

You should also know that ESAs do not have a registration system, so I don't know how you registered the dog but that counts for nothing.


Title: Dallas - is it illegal to scare away protesters with loud noises.

Question:
I am going to leave these details as vague as possible. But basically is it illegal to roll down my windows and turn up my radio to play gun sounds to scare away protesters blocking the road?

Even if none of them got hurt as they all ran away?

Edit: I was not the driver

Answer:
 > Even if none of them got hurt as they all ran away?

People running away from what they believe is gunfire are never injured in the process of scrambling for their lives?

And what if someone shoots back at the apparent gunfire?

This is the worst plan I've heard of, other than driving over protesters with one's car.Answer #2: No, your plan sounds incredibly stupid and will likely invite chaos.

I can't believe this is a serious question.  What would you do if a protestor shot at you?  If one had a heart attack or did get injured as they fell?  When you got arrested for creating a public disturbance?


Title: Wife will be going largely in debt for school. $90k+ in private loans for school. No prenup, will this debt also be on me?

Question:
Married for 5 years. No prenup. School she was accepted to is a private non profit school. I read that it is mostly private loans that they help you get.

I am hoping that she can get some through salliemae aka Navient.

So my question is: If we ever got divorced or she passes away, would this debt be on me? Does it make a difference if they are private or federal loans? And could I get a prenup now after marriage to protect myself from her debt?

Location is Nevada.

Thanks for reading.

EDIT: Thanks so much everyone for all the advice.
In response to the job market. She's pretty set on this. We may need to even move states to find work for her.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 Very possibly.

What degree is she getting for 90k?


Title: How to avoid a pre-nup and still protect our family business.

Question:
I've started a business/investment vehicle that is going very well (Mostly real estate holdings).  I intend to bring my children into it as they reach adulthood but my lawyer advises me that their future spouses will need to sign a prenuptial agreement to protect their shares.  Is there a way to construct this so they aren't put into that awkward position without cutting them out entirely?  As an added complication- I would probably want to bring them into the corporation when (if) they enter graduate school so they can claim losses on their income tax to avoid the higher taxes the impending budget will impose on them.  I know I'm jumping the gun here, but I'm a worse-case scenario guy and like to plan ahead.

Edited to add- I am in Pennsylvania, USA

Answer:
 There are a variety of ways to protect the assets for your kids. Creating trusts that own part of the entity might be a good choice. You should speak with an attorney who does estate planning or asset management.

You totally lost me on your tax question. What losses? And why are you concerned about losses when they are in grad school with little income?


Title: Drunk

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > What can I do here?

Get treatment with an addiction specialist. Answer #2: It's not slander if it's true. Answer #3: Control your drinking better. Answer #4: I don't understand. You want to get back in the frat? You want them to stop talking negatively about you within the frat? What legal advice do you want?Answer #5: Have you been charged with a crime? If so, get a lawyer.

It will be difficult to defend yourself against accusations of wrongdoing here- they’ll say “you did X” and all you can say is “Sorry, don’t remember.”

And get some help for the drinking, yeah?Answer #6: Unless there's video evidence available somewhere, you don't have a lot of defense against people saying you did something when you *can't remember* if you did that or not. And unless something you haven't told us here is a reason why you suspect multiple people of colluding to lie about your actions, it seems a lot more likely that you did the things they said than otherwise.

You can talk to the Greek council, but I'm not seeing you getting anywhere with your complaints under the situation as described.Answer #7: I would just own up to it, dude. Apologize for the poor behavior on your part and eat some crow. If you’re lucky they’ll give you your dues back and you can walk away with your head held higher than if you were to attempt to go after your fraternity for what you perceive to be slander. It’s probably really tough right now but taking responsibility for your actions, regardless of how you remember them going down, makes you a bigger man in the end. Bottom line is that there really isn’t anything to do legally.


Title: Lying Landlord in foreclosure

Question:
So my situation is i have an absentee landlord on 10/29/2016 i was handed by what I'm guessing a court order server stating the home I'm renting is in foreclosure. on the paper work it states mortgage has not been paid since 5/2016. when i confronted the landlord she straight face told me this was a conspiracy to take her home. On 11/07/2016 she contacted me saying she was going to fight the foreclosure in court. then on 11/08/2016 she contacted my wife to tell us that we could buy the property if we wanted to. we gracious declined stating we do not have the money for any type of down payment or repairs that come with buying a home she became angry and hung up then on 11/09/2016 i'm contacted by a real estate company stating that the house was listed they need to show the home if we can set up an appointment. i told them i would call them back. Ive never missed or paid my rent late in the year and 3 months i've been here and my lease does not end til July. I have 3 kids and a disabled mother in law. what are my rights as a tenant?. What should i be doing to prepare?. do i have to allow people in my rental?, also Landlord has never made a repair or compensated me for any repairs I've made to the property. Can she withhold my security for any reason if i decide to move on?. She is never around only when rent time comes, do i ever hear from her. I should also mention theres an attached studio on the house that has a sweet old disabled lady that lives there and landlord is refusing to inform her of the situation. Landlord told me not to tell her as she doesn't want me to worry her. Should i take it upon myself to inform i feel like she should know. i live in NY. This is all so quick i need help.

Sorry if this is long and illegible I'm on mobile.

Edit: i just want to thank everyone for the great advise. You guys are awesome.

Answer:
 You continue to pay your rent to your landlord until the foreclosure process is complete; then you pay it to your new landlord. What your landlord does with your rent is her business.

Most lease include terms about reasonable notice when showing the property. You probably do have an obligation to make the apartment available when given appropriate notice.

She cannot keep your deposit unless you damage the property beyond normal wear and tear when your lease expires. Answer #2: In addition to the great advice above, remember that you will not be required to move out instantly or anything. You will have a minimum 90 day's notice if your new landlord wants you to move, and that will only happen if the new landlord wants to use that home as their primary residence. If not, your new landlord will be bound by the terms of your current lease. [See More](http://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumer/tenantrights.htm)

TL;DR - You're fine. You'll have a minimum of 90 days notice before anything happens. Continue paying rent to your current landlord until you are notified otherwise.


Title: Cable company is giving me an internet connection and not billing me for it, what do I do?

Question:
(Edit: I'm in the US)
I moved into a new house and called in to the cable company to transfer internet service. The local office for my isp was closed and the guy on the phone told me they couldn't finish the transfer and I'd have to call in the next day. I had already plugged my router and modem in, expecting them to ask me to do so to initiate service, and someone else in the house was using the wifi later that night with an internet connection. I checked for myself, and sure enough I had internet. Everyone living here assumed someone else had called the cable company the next day, and it was never mentioned again.

Fast-forward X number of months later, we just discovered no one is paying the cable bill and none of us have an active connection on our accounts with the company. Ideally we'd like to avoid paying them for as long as possible, but we're not sure what will happen eventually. Can they back charge us for months of usage if they eventually discover that we are using a connection?

Answer:
 > Ideally we'd like to avoid paying them for as long as possible

Why? They're providing you a service.

> Can they back charge us for months of usage if they eventually discover that we are using a connection?

Yeah, and you could be sued, the debt could be sold to a debt collector, etc.

The morally and legally correct thing to do is sort it out with the cable company.


Title: [NE] Thinking about suing ISP for false advertising.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > There is about three of us in this apartment, and we are all heavy gamers.

What matters for gaming is latency, not bandwidth. (Well, except for downloading the patches.)

> On the website, we are guaranteed 80% of our connection, because cable is shared with neighbors, or something to that extent.

I'm willing to bet that doesn't actually say what you think it says, and that the ISP gives you no bandwidth guarantee at all.


Title: I'm being asked to sign a materials release by a film producer because one of their actors has a tattoo of one of my quotes that will be visible on the show they are filming.

Question:
I was recently contacted by a film producer who is asking me to sign a materials release form because one of their actors has a poem I'd written tattooed across her chest. I've only ever shared my poetry on social media and have not formally published anything yet. And I don't want to preclude myself from any future rights to my own work. Should they be compensating me for this and can I ask them for anything? They have not stated any intent to do so.

I am located in California.
Thank you.

Answer: It is up to you whether or not you want them to pay you, and you really should get an attorney to review the documents you're agreeing too.


Title: Went shopping a few weeks ago and got really sick shortly afterwards. Eventually traced it back to two bags of chocolate that we purchased at a grocery store. I still have a batch of the potentially bad chocolate. Is this something that I throw away or is there anything that I should do?

Question:
Location [Fl].

I've gotten sick twice since purchasing the chocolates, I've never gotten this type of pain that I can remember. Each time I've gotten sick while I'm sitting there in agonizing pain I think what new thing did I eat or do and both times the only new thing that I've eaten has been those chocolates everything else I've had

Answer: How did you "trace it back"? Identifying the cause of food poisoning is not always easy. I doubt it was literally the only thing you ate that day. These didn't happen to be sugar free gummi bears did they?


Title: Cracked Collar bone Go-Karting - "Waver" was signed

Question:
I'm not sure how to start these but this was in Brisbane, Australia.

My girlfriend took me Go karting for my 21st birthday just over 2 weeks ago. We had two races that went for ten minutes each. After the second race she had massive bruising on her right collar bone. After a trip to the doctors, an X-ray and two weeks worth of really strong painkillers, it was deemed that she had cracked it and there isnt really a way to fix it immediately as this type of injury heals naturally.

Now after a google review by my girlfriend was left stating that we were never made aware of the potential risks, the business replied and were clearly unhappy. We swapped messages on Facebook as they didnt have a contact email. They claim that we "signed in" and to sign in you sign a waiver that states that it may lead to serious injury or death. Now we both do not recall any part of this process and it was all digital on computers at the venue, does this pose an issue legally? We aren't looking for compensation but she is in a decent amount of pain weeks onwards. Having to take strong painkillers to manage the pain. Even our original amount paid for her would be great.

Is there anything that can be done in this instance? Surely despite the waiver, if a business is operating at a potential to hurt clients, then there must be something that can be done.

Any help would be grateful. Thankyou

Answer:
 Waivers are fairly standard for this sort of thing and they were almost certainly a part of what you signed digitally.

It's considered the responsibility of an adult to decide which activities they are willing to risk engaging in, and to read what they sign.


Title: [CA] Will checking myself in for a few days to a mental hospital for suicide prevention cause issues for me at the airport?

Question:
Location: California, flying down to SoCal

Hello, and while the title may seem alarming, I'm stable right now, but a lot has gone wrong in my life recently and while I have no intention of hurting myself, I am aware that I can have episodes of severe depression and anxiety.

To cut to the chase, finals start Monday, and sadly they mark a huge turning point in my life and I am fearful of failing. I know its selfish and petty but I have seriously been considering checking myself into suicide prevention - and letting the appropriate people and authorities know ahead of time - to keep myself safe and ideally perform under an appropriate amount of stress at school.

I was planning on flying down to my girlfriend in-state for two weeks starting Wens, but that may be post-poned for obvious reasons. I haven't told her yet, as I haven't made my decision yet.

Will airport security give me issues if they see I recently came out of suicide-prevention - be it one day alter, a few days later, or a few weeks later?

I have no prior history of suicide attempts nor time at mental-health hospitals. I am diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, albeit high-functioning, but have no medically recorded instances of depression or anxiety.

Thank you.

Answer: No, this isn't something TSA would have any knowledge of.


Title: Doctor won't release medical records?

Question:
Hello,

&#x200B;

I'm trying to get copies of my medical records from a psychiatrist that I saw several years ago. I'm dealing with a recurrence of the issues that I dealt with in the past but need to find a new psychiatrist. I called and asked for the process of obtaining my medical records from my previous doctor and they said they don't release medical records to patients but will send them to my new doctor. Is this legal? I'm in AL and am not trying to sue anyone or anything like that. I simply want a copy of my medical records.

&#x200B;

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask but I didn't know where else to turn.

&#x200B;

Thanks!

Answer: Patients generally have the right to medical records, but there are certain mental health records that are exempt and can be kept private from the patient.Answer #2: Psychotherapy notes are one of the big exceptions to your rights to records under HIPAA, and there is a lot of discussion about what the difference is between notes and records. [Here](https://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/hipaa.aspx) is one description, but the repeated point seems to be that they have to be kept *separate* from records, which  are still subject to HIPAA.  So your psychiatrist should be able to provide you with some kind of medical records, just not your psychotherapy notes.


Title: Getting paid half my hourly rate instead of 1.5x (Texas)

Question:
Two weeks ago the company I work for started making it mandatory for all full time employees to work four hours on Saturday, (standard work week is Mon-Fri) this meant we would be working overtime. I was fine with this since I assumed I would be getting payed 21 an hour for those 8 extra hours (4 hours each Saturday since I get payed biweekly) but when I looked at my paycheck today I see that they are only paying me $7 for each hour I worked overtime. I talked to my HR person thinking they made a mistake but [they gave me this ](http://imgur.com/aLplxdk)
Is this legal? Can I do anything about this? Sorry for my format I'm on mobile.

Answer: OP- are you sure you're calculating your hourly pay rate correctly? The image you linked to shows that they will pay you your base rate for *all* hours worked, and then 1/2x multiplier for the hours over 40, which is legal and typical for OT.


Title: My friend got his car towed because the manager blocked him in the parking lot until the tow truck arrived. Does the manager have the right to do this?

Question:
There is a parking lot near my work that has one small sign in the back with a tow warning. About one time per week I see the manager blocking the driveway  and calling the tow truck company such that the person has no choice but to let there car be towed (well sometimes I've seen people just drive on the grass and escape to freedom). My friend visited me for lunch and I forgot to warn him about the lot, we tried to move the car five minutes later and the lot manager was already blocking the lot and wouldn't budge. I explained to him I forgot to let my friend know this wasn't my company's lot, but he just had a gleeful look in his eye, and pointed to the small sign in the corner. My friend just decided to let the truck be towed as he didn't know the consequences of just driving over the adjacent lawn to freedom. Anyway, I was trying to research if the manager is allowed to do this if the person can move the lot in time. It's not his property, its a community college parking lot for faculty. I think he's actually just supposed to hand out tickets, but maybe he really wants to send a message. I got limited search results though. Anyway, I don't think my friend wants to sue the guy, or get him in trouble, I'm just tired of seeing people weep as their cars get towed week after week. And I just want to show him a law so he'll stop and give tickets instead.
Thanks.

California.

Answer:
 The tow company doesn't have a right to do this. If the owner of a car is there when they attempt to tow it, they must release it immediately at no cost; failure to do so is a crime. (Vehicle Code, 22658(g)(1)(B)).

I'm not aware of any statutory penalty for the manager's actions. Since he caused your friend to pay unnecessary towing fees, your friend could probably sue him in small claims court for those fees, but there's no specific law you're going to be able to show the manager.Answer #2: It's illegal to tow a car with a person inside. He should have sat inside the car and pulled up to where the manager's car is. Then refused to move till the manager moved. You could also call the police non-emergency and ask if it is legal to block someone in a lot.


Title: Racist tenant harassing other tenants in recently inherited house. [NY, not NYC]

Question:
This turned out to be a full length novel so here are the most salient points and my specific questions broken down to something more manageable.

Breakdown:

* I inherited a home with multiple rental units when my grandfather passed a little under a month ago.
* A fairly new (\~3 months) tenant has been tormenting some of the other tenants with racist bullshit, but has not crossed the line to threatening violence or anything.
   * In the interest of full disclosure, I have long had personal relationships with two of the three parties being harassed.
* The police have more or less told me there’s nothing they can do, and that the tenants impacted by his behavior should file reports. Most of them are scared to do so out of fear that it will cause the harassment to escalate to something worse.
* As it stands, I see no path to evicting this asshole, and even if I could, I am concerned that he will blame the other tenants for his eviction and do something worse than the current harassment. This is exacerbated by the amount of time the eviction process takes in NY.
* He has nine months left on his lease so just waiting things out would not be even close to fair to the impacted tenants.
   * Once again in the interest of full disclosure, even before I was made aware of this situation, I did not intend to allow any of the basement tenants to renew their leases, as I plan to use the space for a business my wife and I own.

Questions:

* Any general advice or suggestions that can help mitigate the situation or get this prick out of there would be appreciated.
* Will a restraining order against him by one of the tenants open the door to eviction?
   * If not, will violating said RO with continued harassment do so?
* Does anything change once I (as the landlord) begin to occupy one of the units?
* Can I put security cameras that record audio in either a common area with mailboxes or on the porch?

Long-winded details:

About eighteen months ago my grandfather was diagnosed with a terminal illness. In the lead-up to his retirement, he gutted his home and divided it into multiple rental units; eight in total plus the space he and my grandmother occupied, plus a free-standing in-law suite/carriage house sort of deal (he was a contractor with his own business and did everything himself/with his employees). Shortly after his diagnosis, he informed me that I was his first choice to inherit the house. I agreed to do so and he began to get me acquainted with the ins and outs of being a landlord, both in the generic sense (legal stuff, my responsibilities etc) and specific to the situation I'd be inheriting (well below market leases, special arrangements with some of the tenants that aren’t in their lease etc).  He also took care of some things to make sure that I wasn't inheriting a legal nightmare - ensured all of the units are up to code, had an up to date survey done etc. Probably relevant is the fact that all of the leases are super generic NYS lease templates that he bought at Staples or something, with the bare minimum of specifics filled in (rental price, no dogs allowed etc).

He also began to keep me in the loop/run any decisions related to the property by me. One of these decisions involved a long time tenant (+/-20 years) in the basement studio apartment moving out. He asked my grandfather if his nephew who was going through a nasty divorce could take over the lease (this was one of the two leases that are well below below market). The old tenant and my grandfather had become very close friends, and to be frank, since this is an enormous, free and clear house on a reasonably large plot in a neighborhood with very high property values, I'm more than alright with respecting my grandfather's wishes to help the nephew of a guy that he had a long and positive relationship with. The nephew, who I'll call Joe, moved in about 90 days ago, and my grandfather had him sign a new, twelve month lease for the same rent as the old tenant.

My grandfather passed away three weeks ago, and while I am not technically the owner of the house yet while all of the administrative stuff is taken care of, I’m now the acting landlord as an agent of the estate or something along those  lines.

There are three other parties pertinent to this situation - Amy and Pete, who occupy two of the three efficiencies on the opposite side of the basement from Joe (separate entrances - Joe’s is private and the efficiencies share a common entrance hallway leading to a shared kitchen); Mike, who rents a studio in the attic; and Rachel and Rebecca, who have the three bedroom unit on the second floor (they’re the other tenants with a well below market lease).

Amy and Pete are students at a nearby college (where I happen to teach a few courses each semester); they wound up dating after living next to each other for awhile - Amy is African American and Pete is white. Mike is the son of one of my grandfather's old employees, and is Puerto Rican. Rachel and Rebecca are second generation tenants - Rachel’s parents were actually the first tenants to move in after my grandfather renovated the house to create the rental units, and Rachel moved back in with her mother (who has since passed) after the death of her husband. These guys are more like family friends than tenants at this point; Rachel’s sister and I actually dated for a long time in our twenties, and they’ve been at pretty much every family event since I was a little kid. They’re observant Jews.

I think you can see where this is going based on the title and the context I gave on my tenants’ racial/religious backgrounds. Since my grandfather’s passing, Joe has been an absolute nightmare for these people, and I have no idea what to do. Whenever he and Joe cross paths, Mike gets to hear the standard “Illegal immigrants are bad” talking points, including threats to report him to ICE (I guess the fact that his family has lived in NY for three generations is immaterial, as is the fact that Puerto Rico is a US territory, but nobody ever accused racists of being smart). Mike and I have actually been pretty good friends since our teens, and his response has mostly been to laugh it off. He’s a huge guy and a martial arts instructor, so he doesn’t feel physically threatened by Joe at all, but he shouldn’t have to deal with this shit in his home either way.

Joe berates Amy and Pete for being a mixed race couple whenever he sees either of them, and they’re both absolutely fucking terrified of him. I’ve attempted to mitigate this by giving them keys to the to the unit where my grandparents lived (and my wife and I will be moving in to early next year), which allows them to access their side of the basement through stairs that lead to an adjacent boiler/utility room. I’ve also offered to have extra locks installed on the door to the common area leading to their units, as well as their actual doors, but I am also going to offer to let them take over the vacant one bedroom next to Mike’s place in the attic to create some more distance between them and Joe.

Rachel and Rebecca are getting it the worst. This post is already excessively long, but listing all of the stuff Rachel has told me about would dwarf it. Suffice to say they get to hear all of the canned rhetoric that anti-semitic conspiracy theorist wackjobs tend to shout about online, along with somehow implying that “you people” are responsible for his divorce. Rachel is a teacher so she has a pretty predictable schedule, and since Joe is unemployed, he seems more than happy to devote part of his day to waiting for Rachel to get home after work so he can share his opinions about Judaism with her. Nobody should have to put up with this type of vitriol, but the fact that Rebecca, a seven year old, is being subjected to it is absolutely insane.

Mike has taken it upon himself to meet Rachel when she gets home to escort her inside whenever his schedule allows, and since finding out about the situation I’ve been doing the same. It doesn’t stop Joe from shouting his bullshit at them, but at least we can sort of talk over him and make the situation feel a little less threatening by not leaving the barely 5’, petite woman alone to deal with this piece of garbage. After a mezuzah on Rachel’s door was destroyed, I installed security cameras on the porch (where he tends to accost her) and in the common area that leads to my grandfather’s old unit/the stairs to Rachel’s apartment. I’d restrict his access to this common area, but the mailboxes are there (it’s sort of a vestibule with mail slots on one side of a locked door and the actual boxes on the other, it’s tough to explain so here’s a sketch). I’m trying to move them to the porch so I can have the front door rekeyed, but this has to be done with the post office’s permission, and it is my understanding that this can be a reasonably long process with no guarantee that it will be approved (though the odds seem pretty good since it will actually save the mailman a few seconds).

Anyway, I have spoken to the police and apparently there’s not a lot they can do, both because Joe hasn’t actually threatened to hurt anyone and since they’d need the victims of his harassment/destruction of property to report it themselves. Rachel, Amy and Pete are all terrified of getting the police involved due to how Joe might respond, and Mike hasn’t filed a report out of respect for their concerns. I spoke to Joe and he basically went on a rant about his First Amendment rights, so I brought it up with his uncle (the original tenant), who was sympathetic and said he’d speak to him, but asked that I be patient with him because he’s having a tough time with the divorce. I respect his position as a family member and the fact that he might not really grasp how serious the harassment has been, but as far as I’m concerned, Joe’s behavior does not deserve an ounce of patience or any form of benefit of the doubt. I’m leaving it at that with the uncle, as he’s really an uninvolved third party who doesn’t need the additional stress added to an already shitty situation he’s found himself in that is not relevant to this post.

I know that NY is a very tenant friendly state, and actually agree with that position 100%, but as far as I can tell there’s really nothing I can do to evict Joe in this situation. It feels like I should be able to based on his behavior fucking up the quiet enjoyment of other tenants, but during a brief chat with the lawyer my grandfather used for everything related to the rentals (who is out of town till around Christmas) I was told that this would more likely give the other tenants the right to break their leases without penalty. I’d honestly be willing to do that without being legally obligated to, but none of them want to leave and honestly they shouldn’t have to abandon their homes because of some regressive shithead in the basement. The lawyer referred me to another guy… who is also out of town, but will be back in about a week.

I wasn’t going to renew Joe’s lease either way, as I am planning to stop renting the basement units - I’ll be running my business out of the in-law suite and would like to use the basement space for storage; the efficiencies have also been almost exclusively rented by students from the aforementioned school, and I am not comfortable with being the landlord of kids I might wind up having in one of my classes (Amy and Pete are both graduating at the end of the school year and aren’t getting degrees that are anywhere near related the courses I teach, all of which are 100 level anyway). Either way, nine months is a long time to ask my tenants to deal with this asshole. My wife and I were planning to take over my grandparents’ old space at the end of our lease in March, so I’ll at least be around all the time to run interference, but that’s still four months away and honestly, I am not the police so there’s only so much I’ll be able to do. I’ve suggested looking into restraining order to all of the tenants impacted by his behavior, but again, they’re terrified of getting the legal system involved. Since an RO is just a piece of paper, I kind of see their perspective. If getting served with it sets this guy off, it’s not going to stop him from doing anything stupid. I’m really at a loss right now.

Anyway, sorry about the rant, here are my questions:

Just in general, what the fuck? What else can I do here to prevent this guy from terrorizing these people in their homes?

Would a restraining order against him open the door to an eviction given that it’d be meant to protect people that live in the same house? If so, I assume I’d still be looking a very long process given the protections tenants have in New York?

If a restraining order wouldn’t make an eviction possible on its own, would violating it via continued harassment do so?

I really wouldn’t want to ask this of him, but if Mike were the only one to get a restraining order, would it be any less effective than if all of the parties did so? I know he’d be willing to sort of shoulder the burden of this nutjob going off on the person “responsible” but again, this should not be Mike’s problem.

The security cameras I have up now do not record audio. Would I be legally able to swap either of them out for cameras that do?

Does anything change by way of my wife and I moving in? I know that the landlord living on the property changes some things but I feel like that might only apply if it’s more of a border/roommate situation in which we share common areas, which would not be the case.

Thanks, and sorry about the novel.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 NY Law allows the tenant to break a lease in the case of a restraining order. To kick your racist tenant out, you need to get a landlord/tenant lawyer and hand them the documentation that you've given here. They can look at the lease, state law, and local laws to see what cause(s) you have to evict the tenant.

The fact that you occupy one of the units increases your power, and reduces the rights of the tenants, and may work in your favor. If you are eligible for a restraining order, then you can almost certainly have him evicted during the period he'd be forced out by the order.Answer #2: Have you considered paying him to leave (cash for keys)? This would likely save you money and time compared to eviction/restraining orders etc.  I know it sucks to “reward” someone for this behavior but it can be worth it for safety and peace of mind with minimal conflict.Answer #3: Ok. Some things that are relevant:

1: What is being said to which tenants
2: Lease statements re: behavior to other tenants/harassment.

What isn't relevant:

1: Literally the rest of this.

You need to get your lease and talk to an attorney. You may have the ability to evict this tenant. And, per Arbern Realty Co. v. Clay Craft Planters Co., Inc., 727 N.Y.S.2d 236, 237 (Sup. Ct. 2001) you might be **liable** if you have the capacity to evict this tenant and do not in light of his harassment.


Title: Posting Children’s photos of school event

Question:
Location is Massachusetts.

I was asked to take photos at a n event sponsored by the PTO of an elementary school. While taking photos, I was told not to focus on the kids, because there was a law forbidding their photos from being posted online. This wasn’t an angry parent or anything, it was a friendly exchange with one of the organizers.

Is this accurate? I can understand there being some protections, so I’m not complaining or criticizing the law, I just want to understand what is and is not allowed to be done with photos taken at the event.

Thanks for any information you can give me!

Answer:
 > because there was a law forbidding their photos from being posted online

Wat. No. Just, no.

Georgia passed a bill in 2010 that makes it illegal for anyone but a parent to photograph or videotape a child, but they revised it a year later to only apply to sex offenders.

Other than that, I've never heard of any law remotely as ridiculous as what you're describing.

Maybe the person is confused about COPPA?


Title: Paying child support in jail? (SC)

Question: I am planning on turning myself in for an old warrant. I won’t have access to a lawyer (public defender) until I’m in custody. My question is, what happens to my child support? I spoke to a case worker at DSS, who said I will just keep accruing arrears. I pay $520/month, so if I get the bare minimum sentence I’m expecting, I’m going to come out owing 25k. Is there a way to avoid that?

Answer:
 Are you certain you can't talk to a public defender prior to turning yourself in? They may be willing to talk to you now.

How is the $520 a month calculated?


Title: A local Facebook group is circulating false "suspect" photos of my 14 year old cousin.

Question:
We have a store located in a tight knit community downtown. The area is about 3 blocks of studios, coffee shops and bars. We've had a string of break ins lately so everyone is on edge.

Recently, a large black woman was caught on video after hours in a building that's full of small businesses. A few days later one of our employees had an art show on the main floor of it. My 14 year old cousin (who is also an employee for us) attended and somebody snapped a photo of her with her mom, she's also black, but obviously a child and very thin.

The owner of the building sent out an email to all of her tenants with the photo of my cousin and a blurb about how she's their prime suspect, and it claimed that she was the woman from the video. It said that she's been seen around the building (our store used to be located inside that building, so of course she's been seen around). Lots of people wander around the building, hoping from studio to shop, and since she works in the area it's a pretty normal thing for people to do.

When we found out that she was being accused of breaking in we were appalled. She's a shy Catholic school girl from a well disciplined family, there is not a chance that it was her. We called the landlord immediately and explained that she works for us and that's why she hangs out around the area. It took some convincing, and we even had to send more photos with her and our family to get the point across. Eventually we talked the landlord into sending another email that said it was a false alarm. We felt the need to tell the child's mother, because she's so shy we didn't want her to be taken off guard by the accusations while she was in the area.

Of course, upon finding out, her mother called the landlord and vented her frustrations. She claims that the landlord offered no apologies and was very rude, defending her reasoning and saying that they looked similar.

We thought that would be the end of it, but a local business leader posted the photo onto his closed Facebook group. He said we needed to be aware and that people like my cousin weren't welcome in the community. The owner of the store next to us saw the post and sent a private message to the Facebook group owner explaining what had happened. Instead of the post being removed, he was blocked from the group.

I'm worried for my cousin/employees safety and for her name. She's innocent, and would be the last person to commit this crime. She loves the area, is polite, and is very kind to everyone. She can't even walk the neighborhood and now the rumors are starting to affect her at school.

Do we have legal grounds for a lawsuit? Or to even threaten one if they don't take down the photos of her? I'm not sure where to begin, this is a huge injustice and it pains me that it's happening to such a sweet girl.

We are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Answer: What about trying to counter it with some positive publicity?  Maybe hang up a picture of your cousin in the store with a "Employee Award for Outstanding Service" caption or something like that?


Title: Looking for probation advice.

Question:
It was suggested to me that I should post this in here as well as r/probation

I was placed on 18 months supervised probation on Oct. 31st of 2014 for DWI. I am due to be off probation on April 30th. I screwed up.

I'm not going to give you my life story or an excuse for what I did, I know what I was doing when I did it. I was a heavy marijuana smoker since the age of 14 (25 now) and stopped smoking in May of 2015. I have been given three, maybe four, urine tests in the 16 months I've been on probation. Less than a week ago, after going through a string of bad weeks, I broke down and got high without even really thinking about it.

I've already completed all required drug and alcohol classes(though it took twice as long to finish it due to complications), MADD panel, and paid my court fees.

There is a high possibility I will be given a urine test tomorrow and I just want to know how I should go about it. Should I tell my PO upfront that I will fail this test?

UPDATE: In case everyone was wondering, I did not get tested today! I graciously appreciate all the advice everyone gave me, it definitely helped me prepare in case of the worst. I learned my lesson this time and will wait until I am fully off to even consider doing something like that again.

Answer:
 "Should I tell my PO upfront that I will fail this test?"

Dude, seriously?  The answer to that question depends on your PO, your relationship with your PO, your perception of that relationship, your local laws, the judge you draw if you get popped for pissing hot, and a host of other factors that nobody here can answer.

Go to a pharmacy and buy an instant at home piss test for marijuana.  See what the results are before you do anything.   If you have a lawyer, you'd best call him, immediately.


Title: Wrongful death? Could use a little help here, please and thank you.

Question:
This is in North Carolina, sorry forgot to include that the first time.

My aunt had a heart attack recently and was picked up by ambulance. She was revived en-route and taken to the hospital. My mother has power of attorney both medical and normal(?) for my aunt. My cousin (aunt's son) got to the hospital first, and had my aunt removed from life support. My aunt had a do not resuscitate order , but he had it done before anyone else could get there.

 A little back ground, he and his mother were very estranged , hence my mom having power of attorney as well as being the executor of my aunt estate. Now after the funeral my cousin is trying to sue for control of the estate and driving my mom to tears. He announced all this as soon as we got back from the funeral ( the poor lady probably wasn't even covered in dirt yet).

What is our recourse at this point? I was thinking wrongful death, as I seem to recall you're not allowed to profit from someone you killed i.e. the Menendez brothers.  So if we pursued wrongful death that may preclude him from executorship of the estate? It's not even really about the money, we're talking about less than $100K total, life insurance, house, and all. It's a move by my cousin to give one last F you to his mom.

Edit: Added location

Thanks for reading it and I appreciate your thoughts and time.

Answer:
 > What is our recourse at this point?

To challenge the suit.  That's it.

This isn't wrongful death, because that decision was his to make.  He was next of kin.  Your mother could *also* make it, with the medical POA, but he was next of kin.  As is, it was the *hospital* that made the decision here, in the end, not the son.  Add in your aunt's DNR order, and you're not going to win a suit for wrongful death.

You can fight his suit.  We can't guess whether you'd win on that.


Title: A student at my school posted what I believe qualifies as child porn to her Instagram. How should I report this?

Answer:
 >what I believe qualifies as child porn

What do you mean by this? What exactly did she post?

Child porn is classified into grades. There are two scales commonly used by law enforcement, I can't remember their names but I know they're on Wikipedia. They should help you to figure out if it's porn or not.

My suspicion is if you're not sure enough to come straight out and say *"child porn"* instead of *"what I believe qualifies as child porn"* it probably isn't. If you're still not sure then drop by your local PD front counter and ask.

Kids need protection, particularly from themselves. Kudos for actually coming forward to seek advice.Answer #2: Call the police


Title: I just got caught for swindling just under $700 from my employer in Minnesota, what now?(details inside)

Question:
In a 6 month period I swindled around 700 according to my retail employer by refunding items I bought without actually returning them, they fired me and called the cops and said they are going to persue charges. They didn't arrest me and said I should expect a court date soon. I'm really scared and I know I fucked up, I am in a lot of fincial troubles due to my student loans and all I had was a minimum wage job(I explained this but they are persuing anyways) I'm currently 40k in debt from school and I'm scared that all the time, effort, and money it took to get through school will be for none once this is on my record, is there anything I can do to keep it off.

I currently shaking and freaking out. Please help me.

Answer:
 Like all the other criminal charges discussed here, the path to your best options comes from your lawyer.  This is not something you can handle yourself.  A criminal lawyer experienced in your court system will be the best to determine what your best outcome is and how to get there.  They'll have the connections in the system to discuss it and get it done.  With any luck they'll be able to find an option for you that avoids a criminal conviction on your record.  If you can hire a lawyer then do so, if you can't afford it then call the public defender's office to see if you qualify for their help.

>  all I had was a minimum wage job(I explained this but they are pursuing anyways)

Did you really think this would make them think that your theft was OK?Answer #2: Don't talk to the police. The fact that you are in debt is irrelevant, and not a defense to the crimes you've committed. If you are charged, plead not guilty and ask for a public defender.


Title: Leaky roof that the landlord won't fix. It's been 72 hours. (Illinois -- Chicago)

Question:
I live in a coach house apartment in a building with 6 units including the coach house.  On Tuesday, I came home to find that water was leaking through my roof and onto my carpet.  I notified my landlord and placed buckets to catch the water.  On Wednesday, the landlord stopped by and fixed the problem, so they said.  When I got home from work, I came home to a 13 gallon garbage pail brimming with water and spilling over.  The leak stopped sometime overnight.  The landlord said a roofer was coming over Thursday, but as of Friday afternoon, they had still not been there.  The leak did not reappear during this time.

I sent an email to my management company stating that if the leak was not fixed and continued to exist, I would be staying in a hotel and deducting the cost from their rent.  Amazingly, an hour later the roofer came by, according to them, and had taken a look at the issue but was not sure of the source of the leak.  As of about 20 minutes ago, the leak has started again.  They have done nothing to fix the leak in over 72 hours.  I have documented with pictures/video the entire fiasco.  They did bring a dehumidifier after I requested one for the 2nd time.

I have renter's insurance, and I plan on meeting with my insurance agent tomorrow.  I have no damage to my personal property, but I'm wondering if I have a legal right to withhold any or rent until the problem is fixed to my satisfaction, which not only includes stopping the leak, but replacing the drywall, carpeting, and floor boards that have been damp for 72 hours.  I also wonder if I can actually stay in a hotel at their expense until the leak is fixed (obviously I was just using a scare tactic by sending the email, I have no idea what the legality is).

I've done some research and found an attorney to talk to, but I guess I'm wondering if I should bother going that route, or if there is a better avenue to get the solution fixed.

For some added reference, when I went through the apartment before leasing, they mentioned there had been a leak before but they had remedied the situation.  It's clear since I lived here that there is mold in the apartment (based on smell), but I have not had any noticable health problems as a result of it.  I have also documented that there is mold in the water supply and that I have been buying bottled water the entire time I've lived here.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You're clearly overreacting.  They attempted to fix the issue within a reasonable time and aren't finished. It's not preventing you from living in the space, is it? It hasn't damaged your stuff, so why waste your insurers time? And it wasn't wet long enough to cause mold, so I don't think everything needs to be replaced unless it's been clearly damaged.


Title: CALIFORNIA: My dad's apartment has become impossible to sleep in and the management company has done nothing about it. He wants his rent refunded for the month. Any advice/edits for his demands letter?

Question:
This is his letter so far:

July 31, 2015

MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Re: Demand for Reimbursement of Rent

To whom it may concern,

Please be advised that MANAGEMENT COMPANY owes me the sum of $1,450.00 for reimbursement of rent for July 2015. APARTMENT COMPLEX has not fulfilled the Implied Warranty of Habitability under California Civil Code Section 1941.1 and the Warranty of Quiet Enjoyment under California Civil Code Section 1927.

On the night of July 6, 2015 I was awoken from sleep due to an extremely loud humming noise in my bedroom. The noise is so intense I can feel the walls and ceiling vibrating. On July 7, I spoke with WOMAN in the Leasing Office and told her of the problem. I was clear that the noise made it impossible to sleep.

 I have contacted MANAGEMENT COMPANY and have been given little to no information of a solution to this problem (the dates and descriptions of the conversations are too long to list in this document). With every conversation I have made it clear it is impossible to sleep in my apartment.

There has been no relief from the noise since I informed the Leasing Office of the problem. I have had to move my bed out of the bedroom and place it in the dining area of my apartment. While trying to sleep in the dining area, I am still awoken from sleep countless times a night by the noise. The lack of sleep for the last month has effect all aspects of my life including my health and welfare, personal and family relationships, and work performance.

If MANAGEMENT COMPANY decides to ignore this demand for payment, I will further pursue all of its legal remedies without further notice to MANAGEMENT COMPANY. This letter serves as evidence that I have attempted to resolve this matter informally.

Sincerely,

DAD

ADDRESS

PHONE NUMBER

I really don't know much about these sorts of things and I hope that's the right flair. Thanks in advance! :)
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: They don't owe your dad reimbursement. That's not how this works. He lived there, he pays rent. Noise from an AC is not likely to violate the implied warranty of habitability anyway.


Title: It’s been 30 days and I’ve heard nothing from my former landlord about my security deposit

Question: My former landlord, I was subletting from her, has ignored my attempts to reach her via text messaging on July 2nd, July 6th, and July 16th as well with regards to her returning my $700 security deposit. I moved out on June 17th and am now in California. I left the space in good condition. Due to her nature of her usually responding to my texts almost instantaneously or giving me a call back when I would text her, I anticipate she’s trying to steal my deposit. What is my next move? How do I even go about trying to get it back?

Answer: You can start with some kind of demand letter, and then move on (or skip straight) to suing her in small claims court for the return of your security deposit.


Title: Can my ex get visitation with my daughter if he's not her father? (BC, Canada)

Question:
If it is at all relevant I am a part-time employed 21F with two kids, one of which is the child (3F) in question and the other (1F) is by my current common-law partner (26M) who is in school and works two (1 full-time, 1 part-time) jobs. Steve (26M) works a minimum wage full-time job and John (27M) is casually employed (around 15-30 hours a week on average but it varies).

Around the time I got pregnant with my daughter, I was dating two guys (Steve and John) in a casual manner. I informed both of them when I got pregnant, and told Steve and John I wasn't sure which of them was the father. However, both Steve and I thought that it was more likely that he was the father as we had been less careful about condoms than I had with John.

Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, John got arrested. He was released on bail, and is at this point waiting for a trial to begin this June. When this happened, Steve stepped up and said he would be there for the baby and that he was sure it was his. He bought some baby stuff, and was there when she was born. He obviously cares about her and tries to be there for her.

At this point I think it's important to mention that while Steve is on her birth certificate, we have no legal parenting plan or set child support. He was usually okay about helping out financially and he was always flexible about scheduling visits and sleepovers so I never felt the need.

Flash forward almost 4 years later, and we decided to do a paternity test. Both of us wanted to know definitively, though we both wanted it to be him. Unfortunately, it turned out that John is actually her father. Steve was devastated, but he still wanted to be involved with her.

My daughter adored Steve so I agreed that the best thing for her would be to continue a relationship with him. At the same time, John decided he wanted to be involved in her life as well. He had never met her before but I agreed to go to lunch with him and introduce him as a friend of mine.

John has now decided that he wants to put his name on her birth certificate and get legal visitation. I am not opposed to this (despite the arrest he's not a terrible guy) but I also don't want to cut Steve out of her life. John, however, has decided that Steve is imposing on his territory or whatever and doesn't want him to be involved at all. John wants to petition so that he cannot have any type of visitation and so he won't be allowed to see her

Steve thinks that because he is currently on her birth certificate and he has helped raise and support her for the last three or so years that he still has rights as a father. I am unsure of how a court would see this. I don't actually want to take this to court at all, but the two of them can't seem to stop butting heads long enough to talk things out. If they do take it to court, I would like it if both of them were able to get some sort of visitation although none of us involved want actual custody to go to anyone but me.

What kind of rights does everyone have here?

edit: added ages

Answer: I don't know Canadian law but in the U.S., the legal fathers rights trump a bio dad who hasn't even established paternity through the courts.


Title: How vague can a landlord be when giving notice of entry? (MO)

Question:
I live in an apartment complex in Missouri, and received notice today that a member of staff will be performing inspections "sometime during the month of Janurary", but that they cannot give specific times due to the number of apartments to be inspected.

Does this constitute sufficient notice to follow the rule of "at least 24 hours" that is usually the standard, or does the notice need to be more specific?

Thanks!

Answer:
 [List of notice specifications by state.](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/chart-notice-requirements-enter-rental-29033.html)  MO does not have a statue that specifies what the notice has to be.

I would contact the management saying the notice is insufficient and they must be more specific if you don't find a month timeframe reasonable (I wouldn't find it reasonable).


Title: Can my brothers two fired employees sue him for termination? They were kneeling for 15 minutes when he told them to do it on their own time.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 They can sue him (anyone can) but they would almost certainly lose unless there's something important that you're leaving out of the story or that he didn't tell you.

>In MN, employers may not directly or indirectly threaten discharge or financial reprisals to compel an employee to vote for or against a candidate, ballot question, or recall petition or as a reprisal for an employee's political contributions or activities. There is an exception for employers that can establish that the desired political affiliation or viewpoint is a bona fide occupational qualification.

This doesn't mean while at work however.


Title: (Florida/Georgia) Purchased Car out of State, Dealer wants it back

Question:
I'm in south Florida and the (brand new) car I wanted was in Georgia. Local credit union approved me for the amount of the car. Credit Union sent payment draft to dealership. Dealership released the car and the car was transported to me. I've been driving the car for the last week. Now I find out that according to the dealership the credit union will not send check. The credit union says they are waiting on Certificate of Title (not actual title) and the dealership isn't following the terms of the draft agreement.

I was under the impression this was all being taken care of, but today I received a text message from the dealer that I either finance through them and refinance with my credit union in 3 months or return the vehicle.

They are harassing me with having to "come pick up the car". What obligation do I have at this point to "let" them pick up the car? What can I or should I do?

Answer: If your credit union hasn't paid them, the car is not yours yet. That's the bottom line.


Title: (MI) MIL just sentenced to 16 times the recommended sentence ...

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 It sounds like there's probably a lot of information that she's holding back. Whether or not it was "intentional" is absolutely a huge part of this- and for a disabled elderly woman to get a lengthy sentence, it sounds like they had to have some evidence that she wasn't just confused about a website.

Appeals and post-conviction work are very expensive and largely unsuccessful. I would recommend contacting a lawyer who specializes in parole representation and you guys can start trying to get together the things needed to make her a good candidate for parole as soon as possible. Sometimes, at least in my jurisdiction which is not the same as yours, parole comes up very quickly for non-violent offenses.

It is not uncommon for prisons to not allow visits while inmates are getting settled in, a process that takes a few weeks (I have never heard of it taking months, but your jurisdiction is different).
Answer #2: what was the offense?Answer #3: It sounds like your mother-in-law had been offered a plea bargain of 4 - 8 years.  When she rejected the plea and went to trial all bets were off.  When she found GAC the judge sentenced her to the max.

I had trial once when the defendant was offered 1.5 years for an Aggravated Battery and he would be deported at the end of his sentence.  The defendant elected to go to trial in spite of the fact that I witnessed his attack on the victim.  Judge gave him 8 years for wasting everyone's time and he is still going to be deported.


Title: [CO] A person on FB is asking if I'm violent masked anonymous protestor?

Question:
This person(we have mutual friends) on FB just made a status/shared a local-news article featuring a picture of an altercation at a riot; and she's stating "wether or not" some masked/bespectacled guy who is throwing a bottle at another demonstrator "bears a resemblance to me or not"; doesn't this constitute slander?

I've already told here that I don't care for it, and that she should take it down, in addition to writing another post about how her speculation was reckless disregard. She hasn't replied yet.

*edit* I should have used the term "defamation".

Answer:
 Saying someone looks like someone isn't slander. There really isn't a legal issue here.

>I've already told here that I don't care for it, and that she should take it down, in addition to writing another post about how her speculation was reckless disregard. She hasn't replied yet.

This is fine. It may or may not get the results you want. But if she wants to fight about it you should just block her.Answer #2: Can you prove the person knew it wasn't you when s/he posted it?

It sounds like they posted a question and didn't actually spread a lie, which (in my interpretation) means it doesn't rise to the level of slander. Answer #3: What is your actual question?


Title: Accused of sexual misconduct at an American Public University

Question:
Hello all,
I currently study at an American University, and just received a letter from my school informing me that I am being investigated on the grounds of violating their sexual assault policy. I have a meeting with the investigator in a few days, but I believe that I already know what it is about.

About a month ago, I went to a party with my friends. I met up with a girl there that I have spoken to and flirted with throughout the year, but we have never done anything romantic before. At the party, she only had a beer or two, and I had maybe a beer and a shot (that being said, by the time I left the party, I was not drunk). After the party, she walked home with a couple of my friends, who  tell me she appeared to be completely sober, and I met them back at my hall. After talking with everyone for about an hour (and sobering up), the girl and I proceed to start making out in my room. After about an hour of this, we go up to her room and do the same thing for a couple of hours. The most I ever did with her was feel her up, and I asked if she was okay every time I tried something new. She was more eager than me the whole night. Later on in the night, she asked me to have sex with her (almost begging), and I told her that I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it given the nature of our spontaneous actions. She thanked me for being such a good person, and I went my to my dorm. From the time we left the party to when I was back in my own bed, it had been at least four hours, so I assume if she was drunk that would have given her time to sober up.

That is what happened, and I specifically remember asking for consent, and in no way did we have sex. The day after was not awkward at all, but the next day she avoided me completely.
Since I have a meeting with the investigator in a couple of days, I would like to ask for advice as to what to say and do. I know title IX can be hell, so I am extremely nervous into being falsely convicted. To be clear, she consented to everything we did, and I even told her no when she wanted to go farther with me.

I have since not spoken to her over text or any social media, and none of her friends were present during this, so I am not sure what evidence she can use against me. However, I have no evidence to prove that I am innocent, so I feel like there is nothing I can do.

I would greatly appreciate some advice from people who are experienced in this, or have some legal words to offer before my first meeting in a few days.

Answer:
 Do not speak to the police without an attorney present. No matter what they say or what they promise, good or bad, say nothing. This is the rest of your life here. Answer #2: This sounds like pure, baity bullshit or something is missing from the story. In fact, this reads more like this is the story you are preparing to tell the investigators, and you're checking here to see if it sounds believable. The way the events go in this story just seems like something a redpill trollwould write up to demonstrate how terrible women are. Contrary to popular belief on reddit, false reports are pretty rare, and by the way you're characterizing this, *clearly* she must be lying because you're such a good guy.

>She was more eager than me the whole night. Later on in the night, she asked me to have sex with her (almost begging), and I told her that I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it given the nature of our spontaneous actions.  **She thanked me for being such a good person** and I went my to my dorm.

Really?

>I know title IX can be hell, so I am extremely nervous into being falsely convicted. To be clear, she consented to everything we did, and I even told her no when she wanted to go farther with me.

Again, this isn't something that happens as often (statistically) as Reddit might make you think. I am convinced this is a troll post. Apologies if this is really happening to you, but the way in which you've laid out these events, it seems improbable that:

1. It actually went down this way
2. You are completely innocent
3. This even happened.


Title: Michigan - Bought a used car from a big dealer, now 5 days later and I still can't pick up the car because they don't have the title.

Question:
Basically I bought a car Friday, paid $1500 down, signed all the paper work, and when I finished they said I can't get the car because the original owners need to sign the title over still. Well it's now Wednesday of the next week and when I called they said the original owners are out of town and I need to wait still.

I've already paid $1500 down, financed it, and gotten insurance for it. Friday night when I bought it, I figured okay, I'll pick it up tomorrow, but then they said I'd have to wait for the original owner's to sign the title over. They said once the owners do that they'll deliver it or I can have someone pick it up.

The thing is I'm just sitting here waiting for a call so I can pick up the car I paid for. Is what they did even legal? They're a huge dealership with great reviews and offered a lot of great warranties and such, and the car did very well in the test drive and car fax. I was really confident in my purchase until almost a week later and I don't have the car I paid for.

What can I do? Can I still back out? I kind of need something to drive, I can't imagine what it would be like if I would have traded in my car and didn't have a ride.

Answer:
 Be afraid, get your money back or get a car they have the title for only.
I have seen car dealers go under this way and the real owner can take your car because they have title and you have a sales contract worth nothing because they went out of business.Answer #2: You should see the title in the seller's (or the seller's banker's) hand before you give them a penny.  If they don't have it, something is fishy.  This rule applies 100% of the time.

If you don't see an actual green title paper...the sale can wait until they have it.

You're not going to get a call that your car is there.

You need to send the dealership a demand letter, pronto, and via certified mail.  In it you demand return of all funds paid because they have not fulfilled the terms of the contract you signed with them.  If they don't call you within 24 hours to arrange same, you file in small claims court for the return of your deposit.  Do not pay anything on a loan yet.

You also need to send a copy of this letter to your bank, if financing was arranged through a third party.


Title: (California) A 10 year old kid could be mine. How to go ahead about it. The mother isn't cooperating.

Question:
So I recently learned that an ex of mine has a 10 year old kid. I managed to find the kid's date of birth. 9 months earlier, I was with the ex.

I talked to my ex. She says he isn't mine, but also doesn't admit to cheating on me (it's either this or that, or both, but can't be neither). She doesn't want me to be part of the kid's life. I asked for a paternity test if she's so sure about him not being mine, but she refused.

So... what should I do next?

Answer:
 You go to court to get a paternity test ordered. You will probably need an attorney to assist you.Answer #2: get a paternity and be in the kids lifeAnswer #3: What do you want to do?  Do you want to suddenly assume parenthood over a 10 year old stranger?  Do you want to pay child support of at least, probably, several hundred dollars a month for the next 8+ years?

You can do nothing, if you wish, and it seems you'll be off the hook.  There's always the option of contacting the kid after the kid turns 18.

You can hire a lawyer to try to establish paternity if you want to do that.


Title: How serious are these charges

Question:
PC186.22(A)
PARTICIPATE:CRIM ST GANG
HS11351
POS/PUR F/SALE NARC/C/SUB
VC2800.4
PC186.22(A)
PARTICIPATE:CRIM ST GANG
HS11351
POS/PUR F/SALE NARC/C/SUB
VC2800.4

California where the charges took place

Answer:
 A gang rider on drug charges? Extremely serious. Like, extra serious. They'd be serious charges even without the gang enhancements. That's county for up to 12 months or State Pen for 16-24 or 16-36 months on the books. The evasion charge can get you 6-12 months in county or state and/or $1000-$10,000.

Better hope this isn't felony evasion, because then PC186.22 can drop even more years on. At least another 2-4 years for non-violent or non-serious felony.Answer #2: Gang charges are always serious.


Title: Legal to bury a dog in NC?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 [I am not a lawyer and your local laws may vary, but state law in North Carolina says:](http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/statutes/statutelookup.pl?statute=106-403)

>It shall be the duty of the owner or person in charge of any of his domesticated
animals that die from any cause and the owner, lessee, or person in charge of
any land upon which any domesticated animals die, to **bury the same to a depth
of at least three feet beneath the surface of the ground within 24 hours after
knowledge of the death of said domesticated animals**, or to otherwise dispose
of the same in a manner approved by the State Veterinarian. **It shall be a viola-
tion of this statute to bury any dead domesticated animal closer than 300 feet
to any fl
 owing stream or public body of water. It shall be unlawful for any per-
son to remove the carcasses of dead domesticated animals from his premises to
the premises of any other person without the written permission of the person
having charge of such premises and without burying said carcasses as above
provided.** Th
  e governing body of each municipality shall designate some appro-
priate person whose duty it shall be to provide for the removal and disposal,
according to the provisions of this section, of any dead domesticated animals
located within the limits of the municipality when the owner or owners of said
animals cannot be determined.


Title: Couple with terrible luck in PA needs housing advice... I'm even embarrassed to ask...

Question:
Hi Reddit,

   I am really hoping you guys can help me out. I have been scouring the internet for answers to my question, but no one seems to be able to help me. Here is goes:

   My boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year. We met shortly after he and his ex-wife legally separated and they had 4 children in the marriage. He has been granted shared custody, but the divorce and custody fees (which is still going - his ex wife has been dragging out the whole process to make him spend more money. She has inherited wealth, he does not)  has bankrupted him. He lost his job and had to get one that pays just barely above minimum wage. I make the same amount as he does. Combined we make approximately $34,000 before taxes. We live in the state of Pennsylvania. He is technically homeless and we live in my parents basement right now by their good graces. Can he and I apply for Section 8 assistance together as unmarried significant others? We both have totally clean criminal and drug records and meet the income requirements (even combined) and we don't want to stay on Section 8. We just need the extra help right now while we get our life back on track. This is actually really embarrassing for both of us that we even have to look into public assistance. I know it's there for people like us that need the boost, but neither of us or any of our family members have ever done it before so we both have zero clue. I would really appreciate some advice.

Thanks, guys!

Answer:
 I've never dealt with Sec 8 myself but when I run into clients that do, I usually refer them to a public aid organization that deals with low income clients in helping them secure housing. These organizations offer free services to those who need Sec 8.

Do a quick google search and see if any are in your area. Set up a time to come in and get guidance on how to obtain housing assistance.

Also, don't be embarrassed. You're not alone.Answer #2: Don't be embarrassed. This is why we have a social safety net. Look for help as has been suggested and focus on getting back on your feet. Answer #3: http://www.pha.phila.gov/housing/housing-choice-voucher.aspx May not be applicable to where you live specifically in your state, but you can learn some things about the program there.

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/pennsylvania/renting

Make sure you guys get in your application as soon as possible, as there is often a waiting list. I live in a completely different state, but just as an example, I can tell you in my community there is a 9 month waiting list. It almost certainly won't happen over night, but it will give you guys some time to squirrel away a little extra money so you will be on track to handle other expenses and utilities when you are out on your own again.


Title: Could you create and run a company that only hires one name? Like could you run a company that only hires "Jacob"s? Or only hires Sarahs?

Question: I feel like name isn't a protected class, and there's nothing stopping anyone in a protected class being named Jacob.   If it's a job requirement that your legal name (or the name you go by I guess) being Jacob, would that be okay?

Answer: I'd imagine that could cause issues with disparate impact discrimination, since that process would screen out most people who come from parts of the world or religions who tend to favor names like Muhammad or Yehuda or Rahul.


Title: If a police officer not in uniform gives me an order, but refuses to provide proof (badge, name/badge number etc) that he is, in fact, an officer, must his or her orders be followed?

Question: Hypothetical question that came up as a result of watching a police encounter video. Individual in plain civilian clothes begins giving orders to a pedestrian walking along the road. The individual claims to be a law enforcement officer, but refuses to show a badge of give his name/badge number. Is the pedestrian legally required to follow those orders?

Answer:
 No, you are not required to follow the instructions of any person unless a reasonable person would conclude they were a peace officer. Typically a plain clothes officer would need to produce a badge or peace officer ID depending on the state.

On the other hand it probably isn’t wise to completely ignore the commands of a person pointing a gun at you.Answer #2: Any police impersonator can buy/make a badge. What they usually don't have is LEOSA credentials usually. It has their picture, the department they work for, and their ID number. If I were asking if a person is an officer I would ask to see those.Answer #3: On Memorial Day, someone tried to get my wife and me to pull over by waving a badge out the window of an civilian car and forcing us to come to a complete  stop on the highway.  We were able to drive around him, got the license plate, and the person was arrested for impersonating an officer.

Don't ever stop for someone claiming to be a cop without obvious marks of office.  This guy's badge was fake, no clue what he woulda done had we complied.Answer #4: I thought for [sure you were talking about this Barney Fife, happened near my town.](https://www.wkrn.com/news/crime-tracker/off-duty-officer-accused-of-pulling-gun-on-driver-during-road-rage-incident-in-rutherford-county/) Gomer police officer, been on the force for a total of 3 months, from other jurisdiction from his own---pulled his gun. Fuckin idiot.


Title: Is it legal for Verizon to force non-union workers to serve as scabs in the pending strike?

Question: Throw-away account because I am directly impacted here, and don't want this to be traced back to me. For those who aren't aware, there is a big Verizon strike looming (~40k workers in the north east). In preparation, Verizon has given Emergency Work Assignments (EWAs) to ~15k management (i.e., non-union) employees. Many of these people are being sent across the country to do stuff like climb utility poles, do home installs of FiOS, etc, etc. In probably 99% of the cases the EWAs have nothing whatsoever to do with what the person was actually hired to do. I have friends who are Java programmers that are being sent to Harlem to do in-home repairs, for example. I know that at least one person died in pole-climbing training. I've also heard of several people who were fired for refusing to go, but I don't know any directly. So my question is pretty simple - is it legal for Verizon to force people that were hired for different jobs to leave their families and go be scabs for an unspecified amount of time? I know that their employment is generally "at will", but it still doesn't seem right that a company can basically force people to be scabs. In fact, my one friend who is being sent to Queens to climb poles was basically told to expect trouble, and that should he be chased, the best course of action would be to get on a toll road, since presumably the harassers won't want to pay tolls. He's also being given an unmarked van and was told not to wear anything that indicates that he works for Verizon.

Answer:
 A few things:

* Yes, they can make their management do this. I don't even think I'd consider it scabbing, frankly.

* The CWA isn't known for kneecapping scabs, so I wouldn't worry *too* much. They're not the Teamsters.

* Every union organizer I've ever known has EZ-Pass.

ETA:
I'm gonna soapbox for a moment:

> I know that at least one person died in pole-climbing training.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is *exactly* why folks in dangerous positions need union protection.