Title: (PA) can I legally make $4.50/hour for part of my shift that I have no opportunity to make tips?

Question: So I work for a food chain as a delivery driver and my wage is $4.50/hour plus tips. At night when the store closes, 4 of us stay back to close the store. This is usually 2 delivery drivers (making $4.50) and 2 in shop workers who are making minimum wage. It takes about an extra hour to close the store. So that's an hour I'm only getting paid $4.50 to be there while the others get minimum wage. There is absolutely no chance of getting tips as we stop taking orders before we clean and close the store. Is it legal to pay someone under minimum wage if there is no possibility of tips, even for just an hour?

Answer:
 I am not a lawyer, but from what I've read here, your check must be adjusted so that overall, you can't work less than minimum wage. They have to average your entire pay check, not just the one day.

So, if from 8-9 you make 20 dollars with tips, and 9-10 you make 4.50 without tips, your overage for 8-10 is actually 12.25 and you're not making less than minimum wage.

But again, no legal experience, I'm sure other posters will be able to provide more accurate information. Answer #2:  http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=553566&mode=2 says the tipped employees have to have their pay (presumably for the pay period). brought up to minimum wage, 7.25, if the tips don't get you there.

Then there's http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.pdf which says to me that this scheme is ok so long as overall, with tips, you earn minimum wage.

I'm not a lawyer and may be misinterpreting this info.


Title: My grandpa has been using my mother and uncle as tax shields for 20+ years

Question:
Forgive me if I use bad rhetoric and poor structure when it comes to these topics, I am pretty unfamiliar and have what feels like a lot of angles to cover. Thank you for all of your help in advance. My grandfather is the president and CEO of a bank in Tx and has been using both my mother and uncle's identities to maintain stocks in some sort of joint ownership with him to reduce his dividends. He's cashed in some stocks in 2017 that were in my mother's name and she was subsequently audited this year and ordered to pay around $5000, which is how we've found out about this whole ordeal. We have confirmed activity of him acting in my mothers name as early as 1999, her being an adult at that time. One of the things that worries me most is that my mother was on food stamps for a lot of the time that she "owned" these stocks, the value of which being about $20,000 when it was cashed in back in 2017. Most of the money he used to start his first business with was inheritance that his mother had left for my mother and uncle to go to college on, to give you a further mental image of this man. I have no idea how or if this was done legally. I guess what I'm asking is, how illegal is what he is doing? Should my mother be worried about the food stamps situation if she doesn't have a legal dispute with my grandfather? My family doesn't make all that much money aside from my grandfather and was genuinely wondering if their was anything to gain from confronting him or if we could somehow be at a loss ourselves in the long run. Again thank you so much for the help, and feel free to ask any questions if I haven't made anything clear.
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 Short answer, file a police report for identity theft.

He may lose his ability to be CEO of the bank due to the financial and tax fraud.

If you don’t report the theft, your mother could be found to be falsely claiming benefits, as she appears to have had income and assets.  This could also impact her ability to receive future assets.

You mention something vaguely about trying to get something from your grandfather.  If you are thinking of exchanging not reporting the crime to the police in exchange for money, that is extortion and since you’re talking over $500, it’s a felony.  https://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/texas-extortion-laws.html


Title: [Hypothetical] Planet Fitness Lunk Alarm.

Question:
Some background: The gym chain Planet Fitness installs sirens at their gyms which they use to shame people engaging in "Lunk" behavior:  Grunting, dropping weights, or whatever the employees don't like.

So what happens if this alarm startles someone and they injure themselves?  Maybe dropping a weight on their toes, or tripping on a treadmill.  Does planet fitness have any liability?  I understand that if people are injured in response to scare prank there is liability.

Answer: Given that Planet Fitness warns you regularly of the existence of such an alarm, their liability would probably be close to zero.


Title: Fired for printing blank pages from company printer

Question:
United States - San Francisco, California

Yesterday I was terminated from my job for printing 1,000 blank pages on the company printer.

During my termination meeting and on the document I was given, I was told that I caused the damage to company property and wasted paper and ink. Violating the company’s “Respect Our Planet Commitment”.

However the pages printed were blank and no paper or ink was ever wasted as the blank pages could simply be reloaded into the machine. The machine also still appears to be completely functional and I am under the impression that there was actually no damage to company property at all. Though even if it was damaged or malfunctioned is it possible it wasn’t my fault? There are many machines and work equipment at the company that are very run down and broken or breaking.

Now I obviously shouldn’t have done this but hindsight is 20/20. I did this as a joke with another coworker and supervisor standing next to me several times and all anyone did was laugh and hit cancel.

I think I was wrongfully terminated and was wondering if anyone thinks I have a leg to stand or what legal options I have with the labor board or elsewhere. I greatly appreciate any and all help or advice given.

[This is a link to the document I was given with cause of termination with all identifiable information redacted.](https://imgur.com/a/C6zaI)
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Depending on if they lease the printers w/a supply package or not their payment plan might actually run on a per page plan. I’ve seen it before, though rarely.

In that situation 1000 blank pages costs the same as 1000 totally black pages - even though the actual supply cost is way different.

Just something to consider. If that was the case I’d have expected them to cite that however but who knows.

Best of luck finding something new!Answer #2: File for unemployment. Look for a new job. Don't screw around at work unless you like repeating this process.Answer #3: You were not wrongfully terminated.

Apply for unemployment, appeal if/when they deny you.


Title: Telemedicine start up wondering whether nutritionists and psychologists can provide advice to users across state lines?

Question:
Hi y'all,

I'm from Texas.

My partner and I are launching a startup focused on helping unhealthy users become healthy by leveraging technology. Users can connect with a nutritionist, personal trainer, and a mental health expert on our platform. These specialists then discuss the user's overall goal (ex. lose 100 lbs) and determine how long it will take to reach that goal. All parties meet once or twice a week and set short term goals that are easy to meet (ex. eat salmon twice a week, walk 1,000 steps today, etc) all the while working towards the user's long term goal.

Our concern is that nutritionists are licensed in a particular state, they will be unable to provide advice across state lines. Especially given how each state seems to have different stances on what constitutes medical advice. The same goes for psychologists. There are sites like teladoc and doctors on demand that make it seem like this isn't a problem, but they also deal exclusively with medical doctors.

Any help or advice is appreciated. Over and out.

Answer:
 ....if these people are professionals they should know their limitations....you should also have a lawyer on retainer if you are starting a startup whereby people will contact you for info about their health. Answer #2: You're starting a business in a regulated industry. My advice would be to engage a competent lawyer who understands medical licensing in multiple states. Your legal team will be a crucial part of your business, so free internet advice won't cut it.Answer #3: What happens when someone dies because they followed the advice that was provided by your experts? I don't know the answer to that, but you should. If your start up takes off, it's going to be a matter of when and not if, and that's just assuming all of your experts do everything right.

You need to have an attorney that specializes in this look over every part of your business model to make sure you're operating within the scope of the law, make sure that you're meeting all of the licensing and other requirements of every state you're operating in, and also make sure that you've managed to cover yourself legally every possible way that you can for when something eventually goes wrong.


Title: Hit & Run + also hit another guy

Question:
My dad got into a nasty car accident tonight. He got rear-ended, totaling his car. He's in a hospital now. Thankfully he's okay. Just a very bad whiplash.

Now get this, the guy who hit him FLED the scene. In order to do so, he forced his way out and swiped ANOTHER car.

The second victim chased after the criminal, but he stopped as he was with his child. He did manage to get the plate # and was given to police.

**Questions for my course of action:**

1. Tomorrow, we'll call the police, dad's auto insurance, and consult a lawyer. We'll find out if they caught the guy, how insurance works in this case, and I've been informed it's very wise to lawyer up. Anything else we should do?

2. How do you find a good auto accident lawyer? It's not as easy as yelping restaurants. This is Massachusetts btw.

3. So, hospital will bill our asses & does dad's insurance have to temporarily cover while they recover from the guy who hit him?

4. Has anyone here been through this or know who have? What happened- tips, recommendations, advice? I've heard you should receive lots of medical attention as possible so you're not fucked down the road later in life. Then lawyer up and recover the costs.

5. What's the difference between just letting dad's insurance recover costs VS getting legal representation?  It may sound obvious that lawyering up is better, but exactly how do they force it better.  And how is it 'better'?

What an emotional roller-coaster it's been.

Answer:
 If your father had collision coverage on his insurance (you can check the insurance card in his wallet to see which options he selected) then you probably won't need to get your own lawyer. You report what happened to the insurance company, provide them with the police report, medical bills, and everything else, and they ought to cover everything and go after the other guy to collect what they paid out. If he had insurance, they'll reach a settlement with them. If he didn't, they'll have their lawyers sue him.

This is the simplified version, of course. You might want to cross post to /r/insurance for more information.


Title: Neighbor drama

Question:
We have a very weird situation that we need some advice on. A few months ago, our neighbor hired someone to dig a trench in between our houses. Whoever they hired put all the dirt up against our house, which eventually caused a flood in our basement. We took the issue to small claims court and won. The judge ruled that our neighbor would have to pay us for the damages.

She has been trying to pay us through her insurance company, but the insurance company just responded and said that she is not insured by them. It turns out that she is paying the previous owner for insurance and the mortgage, and his name is on the insurance instead of hers. It seems like the previous homeowner is financing her.

On their contract, it states that she is paying for home insurance. Although the previous homeowner is listed on the insurance and not her, is it possible for her to still file a claim and pay us through insurance?

We also talked to the previous homeowner, and he said that he is liable. He told us to sue him instead, and then he will go through insurance to pay us for the damages. How can we go about doing that if we already got a judgement passed on our neighbor? Does anyone have advice on what to do moving forward? Ps we live in Utah.

Answer:
 You have a judgement. You can potentially levy bank accounts with this in some jurisdictions.

It's well past a "who pays" phase-- your neighbor owes you. You have a judgement. Now you just have to enforce it. Answer #2: You need to collect from the neighbour. If their insurance will not pay out that is not your problem. They can turn around and sue the guy whose policy it is if they want to recoup that money.


Title: MA - Person asking for insurance to cover "cracked tooth" from fight

Question: So someone was being a huge dick during a softball game, long story short he crossed a line and I punched him once, before team separated us. Now 2 weeks later he wants insurance info from me for his cracked tooth.. There was never any report filed after the fight.. What are my options here?

Answer:
 you can ignore him. he can sue you for the costs (and pain and suffering and his legal costs). if you can convince a jury that he deserved it, you might win.

what insurance info does he want? your homeowner/liability carrier?


Title: Legality of Lottery In USA

Question:
[TX,USA] Is a lottery illegal in the USA no matter what if it isn't state ran?
Also does the lottery extend to all forms of money or payment?
Are cryptocurrencies exempt by any means?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Each state has their own laws regulating lotteries. Federal law makes it illegal to operate a lottery through the mail or over the telephone. No, cryptocurrencies do not provide any exemption.


Title: Class action suit over stock loss

Question: Recently, a stock I owned shares in suffered catastrophic losses due to the discovery that the company received a subpoena from the SEC, and the revelation from the company that it might adversely affect the company. Several law firms have started class-action law suits to recover the losses that I would be able to file with, but I don't know exactly what to do. Should I file with all the relevant law firms? Would my claim be invalidated if I sold my shares? I'm pretty lost right now, and any advice would be appreciated.

Answer: Way too fact specific for the internet. If you have significant of enough interest for this to be worth anything speak to a securities lawyer. There's thousands with this as their wheelhouse.


Title: Legal ramifications for walking out on job?

Question:
Long story my job got a new manager they hired from outside and he's doing the whole "pick an employee to assert dominance" gimick and started accusing me of nonsense. I don't need this job, he's already caused one person to quit, someone just put in their 2 weeks, and I caught him in a lie so I have proof he's lying about his military service.

I work in corporate security at a site that's air tight with security, so my plan is to come into work one night to relieve the person on the shift before me, then walk out. There's no legal ramifications for this, right?

My work site doesn't involve safety or anything serious, it's just a corporate center with a lot of computers. The type of place where cameras are everywhere and every person not vetted has to have an escort. There will be other security people here, but can my employer come after me legally if I just walk out?

Answer:
 > so my plan is to come into work one night to relieve the person on the shift before me, then walk out. There's no legal ramifications for this, right?

No, there can be legal ramifications for this.  Absent a contract(and presuming you're in the USA) you can quit at any time you want.  But if you promise to do something(secure the space) and don't, you can be sued for follow-on damage.

So quit if you want, but don't abandon the job after you've relieved someone.


Title: (Hypothetical) Are"booby traps" legal? The r/funny post Tasering bike thiefs made me wonder.

Question:
Here's a link to the post. Pretty funny, and sweet justice too, but it's gotta be illegal, right? http://i.imgur.com/hlK9vJR.gifv

Can booby traps ever be used? What if you're attempting to trap an animal and get a thief? Or what if the guy in the post had just walked up to the thief and tasered him instead of doing it remotely?

Answer: Read Katko v. Briney.


Title: Strike first with legal lawsuit or wait

Question: My friendly local code enforcement stopped by and sent me a cease and desist and informed me I was violating some code or other.  I reviewed the code and figured the way I was doing said action was a loop hole not covered.  I pointed out that technically speaking I was violating the code, he told me that the city was filing an injunction against me.  So I waited and waited and nothing arrived, I noticed on the local city council they were planning a voting session to change the wording of the ordinance so that I definitely would be in violation of the ordinance.  I have decided to go to court, should I wait until after the city changes the ordinance to file suit or file suit and file a injunction prior to the vote?  This is in Kansas if it helps at all.

Answer: Care to explain what you are doing or have that they believe is in violation, and why you believe it is not? It would certainly go a long way in getting yourself pointed in the right direction.Answer #2: Could you just comply with local ordinances?Answer #3: A court action would be dismissed and possibly result in sanctions against you. You can't get an injunction against a legislative body passing a law. All you can do is defend against the enforcement of the law against you.Answer #4: You cannot file a lawsuit over an ordinance that hasn’t been changed and thus might not actually be changed.  Even if it is changed, you may have a standing issue unless you are actually cited for violation of the ordinance.  You need to talk to an attorney about this, because litigating about the validity of ordinances isn’t an easy task and if you go it alone you will almost certainly lose.


Title: I’m concerned I might not be able to adopt my son back from my mom.

Question:
So I got pregnant in 2014 gave birth 2015 and then 2016 I had a mental breakdown. It was bad enough to get CPS involved. I was forced to leave my mom house and then I moved into my fathers house. I’m in the US in Oregon.

So my mom took on the role of taking care of my son and eventually adopted him. It’s a closed adoption because my mom said the lawyer was having trouble with paper work and it was easier to file for a closed adoption. I don’t entirely believe that but I’ve also lost trust in my mom thought out this process.

My burning question is that can I adopt my son back? I know I can’t take care of him now. I’m a college student and I can barely take care of myself. I was hoping that once I was graduated and had a job I’d be able to essentially reverse the adoption and everything would be back to the way it was. I’ve tried looking up if in Oregon you can adopt back after a closed adoption but I haven’t found real answers.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Adoption severs your legal relationship with the child.  If it’s a short term thing adoption is not the way you want (or in this case wanted) to go.  Your mom would have no obligation to consent to a readoption, you need to talk to a family law attorney.Answer #2: I'm sorry, but adoption is set up to be permanent.  If this is an actual adoption, not just custody, then your chances are very slim.  She is his legal mother. Unless she's prepared to give him up, you'd be looking an expensive legal battle that you'd still likely lose, especially since the child will have been with her for several years by then and she will be the only mother he's known.Answer #3: Essentially, to adopt your son would require your mom's parental rights to be terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily (or, heaven forbid, through death),  and for you to meet the state's adoption requirements (home study, income evaluation, etc). You now, legally, have the same legal rights to your son as any other random person.

It is possible. It is not likely unless your mom and the state agree to it.Answer #4: OP, you said it was a closed adoption.  But in your post history, 2 weeks ago you posted about being out with your 3 year old son and discussed his nap, and in July you posted about him as well, whichguessing means you either live with him or he stays with you sometimes.

How are you involved in his life now?   Does he know you're his mom?   What is your mom's take on all of this?  Are you sure a closed adoption is the right term?


Title: Dropshipping legal advice

Question:
Would very much appreciate some advice on this. Here's the thing, I'm dropshipping for a while now and came across a smartwatch that measures Blood Pressure and Heart Rate sold by many Shopify stores. Right now I've sold around 20 units but got pretty freaked out when a customer called me telling that she wanted one to seriously use it to measure her mother's BP. Immediately stopped advertising it and sent an email to all customers saying that it's NOT medically tested, got only 1 response. It's from China, some reviewers say it works, some people say it doesn't, let's assume it doesn't.

Am I at risk right now? Should I send everyone another email or do I have to undertake other action? I'm willing to refund them all.

Thanks,

Wesley

Answer:
 > Right now I've sold around 20 units but got pretty freaked out when a customer called me telling that she wanted one to seriously use it to measure her mother's BP.

What customers do with the watches is not of your concern or your liability. As long as you aren't advertising it as a medical device or replacement. You can, to put your mind at ease, even put a note on the page listing stating it's not intended to be used as a medical device.


Title: [California] Landlord specifically assured me the unit had heat before I rented. Unit has no heat. What are my options?

Question: Due to problems with the key, I was not able to see the unit prior to renting. She sent me pictures and I signed the lease based on those (I did visit the complex and met with her - no scam here) and the fact that small studio apartments are very hard to come by in my area. Twice during the process I asked if the unit had heat, she assured me it does, but it does not. I am currently heating using a space heater, so its not a huge deal, but I am curious about my rights in this situation.

Answer:
 [Looks like](http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/legal_guides/lt-8.shtml) she is required to provide heating according to California law. Answer #2: You have the right for the unit to be habitable.

http://dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/problems.shtml#footnote139

> A dwelling also may be considered uninhabitable (unlivable) if it substantially lacks any of the following: ... Heating facilities in good working order.

By making assurances to you that the unit had a heater there was a misrepresentation. The lack of a heater means that you could argue that the lease is invalid due to the misrepresentation. You could also argue the unit is not habitable due to the lack of heater (assuming the area you're in requires heaters in units).

So...you could seek to invalidate the lease, contact your landlord and ask for a reduction in rent due to the misrepresentation, or suck it up.


Title: [US New Jersey]Questions about legality of a traffic stop

Question:
Hello, two nights ago me and two of my friends were out driving around playing a phone game. Right as the snow began to come down we decided to run to WaWa quickly before heading the 2miles home. There were three of us in the car; me in the back seat, the driver we’ll call Glen and the passenger we’ll call Heath.  Both of them went into WaWa and I stayed in the car. Behind the car two police SUVs were parked side by side conversing, making it difficult when we backed up, which, included with the weather made me quite nervous(I get highly anxious in snowy weather hence why I was not driving that day).

Anyhow, we proceeded to leave the parking lot stopping completely at each stopsign thereafter. One of the Officers in the SUVs predictably followed us. Three stop signs later and we drove through a light that had turned yellow. The officer followed as the light turned red; it would have been too dangerous for him to stop in any case. He then put his lights on and pulled us over.

He informed us he had stopped us because we rolled thru the stop sign exiting the WaWa. We three simultaneously all rejected this as false.  He then stated he did not intend to write a ticket for that anyway. Unfortunately Glen’s phone had ran out of battery and as he keeps his insurance on there it was not immediatly available although it had been plugged in since we left the wawa parking lot. Unfortunately the officer did not wait and went back to his car to writethe ticket.

So here is where my questions come in. 1. Heath’s sister works at the WaWa and we can access the cameras. If we can show we stopped at the sign in question is it possible to show the officer pulled us over without probable cause?  2. Several years ago I came across something that indicated the legality of pulling someone over for running a stop sign on private property. Am I mistaken here? 3. While i know the driver is supposed to have his insurance ready at the time of the stop, A. can this ticket be dismissed if Glen was pulled over without cause and B. Can the officer be made responsible for the court fees if we give sufficient evidence that he had no reason to pull is over?

Those are my main concerns. Another point of this traffic stop is that while we were delayed the conditions of the road bexame much worse with quite a lot of snow now covering the asfault. Heath’s house-our destination- was a mere 90seconds to 2minutes away from the spot where we werepulled over. As we made our way from the situation the car lost traction and hit the curb. This may have caused damage to my friends car, and while it may not be legally the officers fault; his actions in delaying us caused an unsafe condition that led to this accident. If we can prove he pulled us over without cause is there any way he can be held responsible?  Remember this is secondary to the main questions regarding the other paragraph and I would rather this final question be disregarded in favor of the real issue as I know it would be nearly out of the question to prove. I am asking for my friend, because I care and think he was wronged.

Answer:
 If the only ticket he got was for failure to have insurance, he can call the number on the ticket to see what the procedure is to get the ticket dismissed.  Glen should also carry around physical proof of insurance for exactly these situations.

> As we made our way from the situation the car lost traction and hit the curb.  This may have caused damage to my friends car, and while it may not be legally the officers fault; his actions in delaying us caused an unsafe condition that led to this accident.

The officer didn't cause the car to slip and hit the curb.  Driving too fast for weather conditions caused that.  The officer has no responsibility for Glen hitting a curb.


Title: Unpaid intern

Question: I got an online internship position from California. I was expecting to learn. However from day one , I was ordered to do things constantly and there was no time consideration. The employer had no knowledge about my field. So after a week I quit. Now they say I messed up their website because this problem never cropped up before. What do I do? There was no written contract, only video chat. How do I protect myself?  From Rawalpindi

Answer: Welp, this post is sufficiently vague. What are they alleging, did you work on their website, and what are they asking for you to do about this issue?


Title: Can an attorney quit? [FL]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 A Judge can allow him to cease representation, you don't have to sign it. Why would you want an attorney you've pissed off anyway?Answer #2: > If I don't sign it, he can't quit. Right?

Wrong.

You might recall from 8th grade Civics class that slavery was abolished in the US over 100 years ago.


Title: I telecommute for a NYC company and they want to drop my pay to match the market value of the state I now live in. Is this legal?

Question: I am currently telecommuting for a NYC firm.  I moved out of state and they want to drop my salary to match the pay rate for the state that I currently live in.  Should my salary be based on the NYC market value for my position?  Or is it legal to drop my salary to match the market value for the state that I currently live in?  Please note that the company that I work for is stationed in NYC only.  They have no offices in my current state.

Answer: It's completely legal so long as you are given advance notice.  If you wanted a guarantee that your pay would always be X you should have negotiated a contract.Answer #2: It's completely legal, but if I were you I would seriously evaluate my options with a company that is threatening to give me a pay cut. You might even tell them you are willing to quit over the issue if you in fact are and think you can find a job that pays better.Answer #3: Make sure when you negotiate that you consider the fact you might be liable for NY state income taxes on the income they pay.Answer #4: Many companies give a premium pay if you work in a large metro area such as New York or Los Angeles.  When you leave that area for a smaller market the premium pay is removed.


Title: Found what appears to be a burner phone in my trash can.

Question: So today was trash day for me. Took the trash out this morning, it got emptied at about 1pm and I went to bring in the empty bin at around 5. The lid was open, it usually is from the truck mechanism, and I glanced in to see the two halves of an older style flip phone laying there in the bottom of the can. So do I call the cops about it? Or just forget it because I’m being paranoid? If it’s actually a burner phone can they get any info from it anyway?

Answer: You can take it to the police station if you want, but honestly sounds paranoid. I wouldn't call them out over it, just avoid touching it with your hands.


Title: Grandfather's estate sold off at suspiciously low prices by auction house

Question:
I'm helping handle my late grandfather's estate, part of which involves selling the antiques in his house so we can sell the property.  I engaged an antiques auctioneer for a clean out, who explained to me that he would put the nicer pieces up for auction and sell the lower-tier items through a "discovery" sale.  The difference between these sales is that the auction is for higher-value lots expected to sell for $100+, and that items that do not qualify go into discovery at a higher rate of commission for the auctioneer.  When I got the results of the sale, which was estimated to net at least $20k, we got a check for $5k and found out that the vast majority of items went into discovery at suspiciously low prices.  For example, 24-place sets of fine china (e.g. Liberty Blue and Lenox) went for a grand total of $5, even though I had private offers for $100+ and a quick google search shows that I should net $100-200 for these lots.   I am deeply concerned that the auction house intentionally put valuable items into discovery and "bought" them for $5, allowing them to resell at a reasonable price at their leisure and only giving me $2.50 in commissio.  I requested evidence of the bills of sale to verify that real people bought these items, and they have refused to provide anything, stating that they can't reveal the identities of their customers.  Do I have any recourse?

tl,dr; Auctioneer agreed to sell grandfather's valuable antiques, chose to sell majority of valuable items in a non-auction liquidation-like sale for suspiciously low prices, won't provide evidence that they didn't sell items to themselves so they can re-sell at higher prices without paying commission.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 As someone that shops at a few state sales and auctions per year, its not really in their best interest to keep any inventory or acrue anything but money. They are also really bad at marketing or researching what they are selling... buyer beware.

Often what people believe to be expensive is not since there isnt much demand for vintage china, or older furniture. Design is very important, MCM pieces in good condition are very desirable but if you didnt have that, well there isnt much to say.

Hop on an estate website like maxsold, estately, or search CL estate sales section and you can pick up sterling silver flatware for pennies on the dollar. China for next to nothing. Thought your waterford was worth something? Think again. The current generation isnt into it, there is excess supply and very weak demand.

Im a little off topic legally, but i see so much of this that i sincerely doubt they acted with malice. Answer #2: Did you sign any sort of agreement with the auction house, and if so, what did it say?


Title: [CA] Landlord charging $400 for 5 smoke detectors and 1 CO detector on move out

Question:
I moved out a rented house on the 31st of August and just today (The 23rd of Sept) received my refund of my security deposit in the mail. My landlord is charging $400 for 5 smoke alarms to be fully replaced (we forgot to replace the batteries upon move out. We never smoked in the house, but one of the first days in someone burned popcorn and all 5 went crazy, nothing malicious) and 1 CO detector, it never worked and we could never get it to function (I guess we screwed up by not telling our landlord, oh well, that's in the past).

This seems minor, but is this outrageous? Can I just email and ask for store receipts? She already charges 20% of repair costs for labor (so had to pay an extra $68 for the trouble of her replacing them).

I know this is minor but it just seems like a swindle, thanks

Answer:
 Unless you broke the detectors, that is not something she can charge for.  It's normal wear & tear.Answer #2: http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/sec-deposit.shtml you can see for the amount withheld plus an additional two times that amount for bad faith.  It sounds like you owe 5 9-volt batteries, not $400.

Let the landlord explain to the judge why dead batteries made it necessary to replace them all.

Also how old were they, most are only good for 10 years, so even if you smashed them "office space" style you would only owe (remaining life) ÷ (total life) • (cost)Answer #3: I don't have any legal advice here for you, but I gotta tell you that is insane. Smoke detectors cost between $5 and &20, and take about thirty seconds with a screwdriver to install. $400 is definitely not reasonable.


Title: My mom died in France on a vacation and we have no answers.

Question: My mother passed away suddenly on March 17 while on a flight to Paris, France. There has been no obvious cause, and the police finished their investigation within 5 days of her death, and released her body to a funeral home in France. We still have not received an official Death Certificate, nor have we received any Autopsy/Toxicology/police reports that can help give us any answers. Working with the US embassy is a massive headache, and they work at such a slow nonchalant and maddening pace. We just received an unofficial certificate of a deceased US citizen last week. We need to initiate every conversation to get information or any movement. We need the official reports, and cause of death in order to move forward. It's been 5 weeks, and we can't make any progress with the embassy or the French bureaucrats. Do we have any legal options to expedite this process? Please help, any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 unfortunately, the process takes a while. i had a close friend pass away unexpectedly in overseas at the age of 25, and it took three months of working with the Spanish government and the U.S. Embassy to get her affairs in order.

i'm sorry for your loss.


Title: I'm so lost.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It sounds like you're in the military.  In addition to calling the police, you may want to see if the chain of command has any recommendations for you.


Title: [Ontario] $600 Internet bill going over data cap

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Can I sue Bell Canada for not providing an adequate service?

But they have provided an adequate service. You just need to pay them for it.


Title: [VA/OH] Is it illegal for my family members to take away my medication?

Question:
I'm a transgender female on hormone therapy.  If my prescribed drugs are found while I'm visiting, can they stop me from taking them?  I'm 18 and acquired them myself through a doctor.  I paid out of pocket (no insurance) and left my family completely out of the equation.  They are in the original containers, with a pill organizer, inside of a small locked box.  I just need to make sure I'm prepared for this situation and not making any errors that would put me in the wrong.  Thanks so much
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 No one can steal your possessions, and quite frankly if you think they might, you shouldn't be visiting.

Adults do not get to "punish" other adults.

Answer #2: Your parents have no right to control your access to your own property, now that you're an adult. If they take your meds, you have the same recourse as you would if a complete stranger took your meds: a police report for theft, and/or small claims for the costs you incur in replacing them. (Conversely, your parents no longer have an obligation to feed and house you; if you're dependent on them, pick your battles until you can get clear.)

If your medications are scheduled, then stealing them is a much bigger deal. Most hormonal medications are either not controlled substances or are minimally scheduled, but it's still worth being aware of. You also have a much stronger obligation to keep scheduled meds in their original container.Answer #3: Theft is never legal.


Title: UPDATE : [NYC] I have to walk daily to subway station. During this commute, there are some mischievous kids, probably aged 13-14 years, shout n-word and other racial slurs at me. When I try to catch them, they run away. I just want them to be stopped.

Question:
Original Post : https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/38ynlr/nyc_i_have_to_walk_daily_to_subway_station_during/

So, As you guys had advice me yesterday, I called non-emergency number today and made them aware of situation. They insisted I should call 911 and mentioned that NYPD is vigilant and strict on street harassment.
I called 911 and briefed the operator. She noted down my name, address and contact number and said an officer would contact me soon.
3 hours ago a NYPD car came to my house. Officer was pretty polite. I told him everything that happens during my commute, very nicely. He asked me whether I know where those kid leave. I declined. He said tomorrow morning on my commute a NYPD officer will accompany me. When I would identify those mischievous kids, he will detain them and inquire about their home and will warn the parents of these kids. He said not to worry and promised me to take all necessary actions.

I am feeling very motivated right now guys. Tomorrow, hopefully the pain will be over. Wish me luck.

Answer: Wow, that's pretty impressive police service!Answer #2: Thanks for the update!  Best of luck!Answer #3: That's awesome. Please update us if/when there are any results.Answer #4: Good job NYPD. Answer #5: That's awesome. I didn't like that some of the commenters on the last post seemed to have the attitude that just because they were kids you should suck it up. Nobody should have to endure being harrassed daily.


Title: State residency

Question: [deleted]

Answer: What she is doing is fraud and illegal.  But you aren't doing it.


Title: [Nebraska] Am being told that the 16 months of an 18 month probation sentence have basically not counted even though I met all requirements. Please let me know if I have a case here.

Question: I’ve been running an intensive probation sentence of 18 months in the state of Nebraska for 16 of the 18. I’m just now being told that because I’ve also been running a bench probation on a less sever case (Bench meaning no reporting to a PO, drug testing, or any other requirements such as AA or other classes) that the 16 months of drug testing, monthly PO meetings and classes that I’ve had to miss a substantial amount of work to attend have all technically not counted towards my 18 months. The wording in the probation order apparently states that the 18 months could not be served concurrently with any other probation term.  My PO basically said that I should not have had to submit to any of the requirements that I’ve had to endure for the past year and a half of my life, and that my 18 months is just now starting. This is utterly unjust and is quite frankly stressing me the fuck out. My PO is pretty much on my side and I told her that this is too stressful and unfair. She said she would call me back after she tries to figure things out but that there is likely nothing she can do. She has not called me back and it has been more than a week. I keep my fingers crossed every day now in hopes of a call bearing good news. I feel completely wronged and want to be prepared to fight for my justice if I even have a chance. Please anyone, help me out here.

Answer: Follow up with your PO. If they have to be served sequentially, maybe your PO can argue that this should count towards the stricter one. A lawyer may also be able to help.


Title: Home Appraiser Politically Bias

Question:
In Florida, not sure what flair to use.

Our house was up for sale, full asking offer 3rd day. The house has an addition which is above grade, heated and cooled, electricity to the outside walls, ceiling fans, so addition was included in square footage when we bought home.

Appraiser came while I (Mom) was alone with kids. As he finished up we chatted. He asked why we were moving so I told him husband was in the military so leaving on orders. Then the appraiser start going on about the politician he idolized. Went on to talk about many hot topic controversial subjects. He also mentioned that political figure was going to do amazing things for the military, I noted to appraiser that my husband (in military) wasn’t a super fan. There is more but trying to not be too specific. We went on to chat about something else and he left.

Appraisal came back much lower than what it should have, which will cause buyers an issue. The addition wasn’t counted in the square footage. Our realtor said that the addition can be a gray area but the type we have is typically considered in sq.ft. She then informed me this appraiser is basically a blow hard, self riotous, ass (she said it nicer). We have since had cash offers for the house and aren’t worried about it selling but the buyers are out money to the lenders if they can’t get their loan approved due to the appraisal. I feel like somethings the appraiser said I didnt agree with might have swayed how he appraised the value of our home. Now the buyers may be out of the money they already paid because the appraiser was unprofessional.

Can I help the buyers in any way? At the very least this man needs to stop chatting about some of the subjects he was discussing.

Answer:
 > At the very least this man needs to stop chatting about some of the subjects he was discussing.

He can chat about anything he wants to. I highly doubt he gave your home a lower appraised value because of something he said. If you truly believe he did, complain to the lender, but don't be surprised if they laugh at you.


Title: Previously posted on r/answers, my coworker is trying to sue someone for saying his band sucks.

Question: We have a chalk board at work and one of my coworkers often writes his band name on the board to sort of advertise. Someone wrote “sucks” with an arrow pointing to the band name, and now he is trying to find out who it was so he can sue them. I know he can actually try to sue them, but is that a valid reason to sue somebody?(NY)

Answer: No opinion is not the basis for a defamation claim


Title: Friend got check in mail to do something for someone. Bunch of red flags seems similar to check scam. WV

Question:
Posting for a friend who doesn't use Reddit. They were looking for jobs and went on Craig's List where they saw a posting looking for a house cleaner. Details were they send a check to my friend and then get the place clean for when the poster moves to the area.

They received the check this weekend in their name for close to $3000 with instructions to use a portion of that to pay a realtor and get the keys to the house. I informed them about the check scams where someone sends a check, and money is required by law to become available before the check fully clears. Then when the check clears and is found to be fraudulent the bank goes after the one who cashed the check, where usually the money is gone at that point.

Now, red flags are how the check is issued from a credit union that operates only in Southern California and LA, and a promotions company that doesn't have their google search info filled out when you look them up, nor their About Us page on their website. Actually has the filler for what's supposed to go on those still showing. The check itself was sent via USPS from Texas and has the "name" of the guy who posted as well as the name of a software company. What's more, the guy claims he's moving to this area to open a dealership, another red flag. Given we live in an area that can at times be described as a meth capital, seems like the guy would be better opening this supposed dealership in California where people have more money.

She has plans to go to Legal Aid about it tomorrow and has received a text threatening legal action and isn't sure how to respond to it. Would it be better to ignore responding until meeting with the lawyer or to send a bs message about not having time to make it to the bank and cash the check to appease the check issuer?

Edit: Marking as criminal law for flair because I'm not sure which it would exactly fall under.
Edit: One other question I had is what would the legality be if we were to cash the check and hold the funds in a savings account, just as a hypothetical? I was curious if there were laws regarding cashing a fraudulent check but not withdrawing the money so it could be removed when found to be fraudulent.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 ScamAnswer #2: > They received the check this weekend in their name for close to $3000 with instructions to use a portion of that to pay a realtor and get the keys to the house

This is exactly the structure of a classic check-cashing scam, and your friend should destroy the check and refuse any further contact with this "employer." There is no legal action the sender can take to force her to cash the check, or for refusing to participate the fictitious business transaction the check is supposedly for.


Title: Why hasn't New York State attorney general Letitia James brought charge in the Eric Garner case?

Question: There's afaik no statute of limitations on murder and she's made it clear that she considers what happened to be an injustice, even condemning the Staten Island grand jury in 2014. Why hasn't she brought charges? Is it really possible that Pantaleo didn't commit a crime under the laws in place at the time?

Answer:
 In New York you cannot proceed to trial on a felony complaint unless there has been an indictment or the defendant has waived their right to an indictment by a Grand Jury.  The Grand Jury in the Garner case declined to indict the officer.

The New York AG could conceivably impanel another Grand Jury, but to what end?  Unless there is some significant new evidence the prosecution could use to convince the Grand Jury to indict, why would the result be expected to be any different?Answer #2: Prosecutors are a mix of politician and lawyer. She hasn't brought charges for either political or legal reasons.Answer #3: There is no statute of limitations on murder, but there is a five-year statute of limitations on manslaughter, which is really the operative charge. [https://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/goingtocourt/SOLchart.shtml](https://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/goingtocourt/SOLchart.shtml)


Title: High-school teacher showing students porn?

Question:
Today I found out that my Computer Science teacher that I’ve had for three years, was fired for showing porn in class. He was in the middle of going through a slideshow (it was on his computer but was hooked up to the projector) when his tab of porn he misclicked and his tab of porn popped up. It was common knowledge among us older students that he watched porn in school because of the amount of sexual ads he had in his browser, but we didn’t really care so we didn’t say anything. But in this instance a freshman reported him and he was fired. In Texas, can he get in legal trouble for this? It was on a school laptop if that adds anything.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 Legal trouble? Maybe.

Did he permanently end his teaching career? Almost certainly.


Title: On the hook for $68k due to a 3rd party health insurance broker mistake which they refuse to correct. What can I do? (california)

Question:
I used to work for a small company (company A) who used a 3rd party broker to deal with their group health plans for them. The coverage was OK at best, but I left this place in May 2016. I started with a larger company (company B) right after with much better health insurance. I ended up needing a major surgery to repair broken bones shortly after starting with company B, but not so soon that I didn't have their health insurance as my primary.

Here's where my problem starts.

Upon leaving Company A, they informed their broker to terminate my coverage with them. Their broker mistakenly cancelled the wrong employee's coverage twice and left me on the group plan until Nov 2016. I have documented proof that Company A made this request and that the broker made a mistake and failed in termination of coverage for me.

Company B's insurance won't cover the costs of my surgery because they expect Company A's insurance to pay for it. Company A's insurance won't pay for it because I had the procedure done out of network because I wasn't supposed to have them as insurance anymore.

In order to get this all fixed, the broker needs to correct my termination date in their files, so company A's insurance will be nullified for the period that I had my surgery and then Company B's insurance will pay for it.

The broker is refusing to make this happen, even though I have emails and pdf's showing that they mistakenly didn't cancel my coverage.

The only way that I found out about all of this is because company B's insurance sent me a denial of payment almost a year after my procedure was completed. I have been trying to correct this for the better part of a year. Right now I am being sent to collections for $68,000 because this company refuses to fix their mistake.

Is there any kind of action I can take to get this resolved? Can I hold the broker liable for any charges that I am being forced to pay for my surgery?

Answer:
 First of all, what a nightmare. You did everything 'right' and are getting mega-hosed by it.

I think this is lawyer territory. I have no idea what they can do here, but that's why you should be talking to some. In particular I think you have a claim against Company B's insurer.

Also: is Company B actually self-insuring? Meaning, are they using an insurer for the paperwork but actually paying out themselves? If so, escalating through your employer might help unblock this.Answer #2: I would explore filing a claim under broker a's errors and omissions (e&o) insurance. Depending on their policy, you may need to sue them for the insurance to be involved.


Title: [NJ] Removed car from service lot without paying, did I steal it?

Question:
When trying to pick up my vehicle after some service work was performed, the amount they asked me to pay was significantly more than what I had agreed to pay and have an estimate from them for (like, double). There was lots of double-talk and confusion about things, people not available to confirm prices at a late hour and similar. They insisted I should pay the full amount and they would refund me if things were wrong.

Eventually, there was no more productive discussion to be had, I offered to pay the amount I agreed to and we could discuss the additional amount later but that was declined.

I got in my car (I had the spare key) and left.

Did I just steal my own car?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You technically own it, but they can civilly sue you to get their money back now.

There may be a trespassing claim but that'd be hard to make because you were allowed to be there. Answer #2: NJ Lawyer here (but not your lawyer). Good news, OP.

You did not steal your car, but might be subject to a lawsuit. Double-charging or doing a change order without first obtaining written confirmation from the customer is a violation of the NJ Consumer Fraud Act. Mechanics need to be able to produce a legitimate itemized invoice order if billing hourly for repairs, and hourly rates must be posted in plain view in the shop.

If they had even a technical violation of the Consumer Fraud Act, they will not be able to recover any money from you at all. In fact, they will wind up being responsible for **paying your attorney’s fees**.

You should contact a lawyer to discuss the situation; at the very least to help you get your keys back.  Feel free to DM me if you want a recommendation. Answer #3: not legal advice but practical advice......you may want to work out something by mentioning the NJ Consumer Fraud Act that u/legalalias

you may want to do this because it sounds like a shop you know to be shady has a key to your car....youre gonna want to get that key back. not that theyd take the car.....but they might come and take their parts back;)Answer #4: A lot of states have laws about how much a shop can charge relative to the estimate without more authorization.  It looks like in New Jersey, they have to get authorization before doing any work that would exceed their estimate.


Title: [KY] I'm getting booted out of grad school and I don't know why. Can FERPA help?

Question:
I was recently doing an internship for practicum at grad school. Very suddenly a week ago, my supervisor called me in and said very cryptically that they wouldn't be able to work with me any further, that I had crossed too many boundaries, and that it was too much of a risk having me at the agency. I was shocked, and I wanted to know what in the world she thought I had said or done. She never gave me an answer, and my grad school told me we would work out another placement.

Today I received a letter from my grad school insisting that I withdraw from the program or face consequences, signed by the department chair. I went in to talk with them about what in the world had happened, and they were also very cryptic about things. I was given the option to appeal, but I don't even know what I'm appealing. All I know is that my practicum supervisor emailed them and was "very clear" about why I should not remain with the program. I asked to know what it was she had reported to them and what in the world people thought I did or said. They declined, and refused to meet with me further on the issue until I submit my formal appeal letter.

Can FERPA help me here? If the email to the department is what informed this decision, do I have a legal right to see it?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 If you have no idea what's going on then you need to find out. While I was in grad school I was once called into my advisor's office and was dressed down and in serious trouble for mistreating the animals in a lab I was TAing. I couldn't for the life of me understand what had happened. But she had gotten an email from the academic coordinator in charge of the lab section saying that I was going to lose my TAship. I went to the academic coordinator and he had no idea why I had gotten in trouble. As it turned out there was another grad student in my advisor's lab with a similar name to my own who was also TAing the same class and when the academic coordinator sent the email he had accidentally written my name instead of his.  Answer #2: This kind of maneuver is very common in grad school.

Slick administrative maneuvers are used all the time to remove students when one or more people in charge want to get rid of someone. They simply take actions to prevent you from continuing in the program. They don't have the grounds to kick you out, but they do want you gone, and aim to achieve that end.

Recognize that even if you appeal and win, they will very likely find another way to achieve the same end. Do you really want to continue in a program where they want you gone, rather than want you to earn your degree?

tl;dr: politics trumps education


Title: Getting sued by my dentist over negative youtube comment on hes video

Question: Hello. As the title said my dentist is suing over comment i left on hes video. Comment i made was that hes service was overpriced and i didn't get care i expected. And i said i do not recommend hes service. Now i'm interested in youtube and google guidelines regarding comments left on platform and any other idea that would help my defence. Thanks in advance , Milos

Answer:
 are you actually being sued, or was there a threat to sue?

If you are in the US, it's unlikely the dentist will have a case - you expressed an opinion (he's overpriced and you didn't get the care you expected) on a public YouTube page.  That's not defamatory in most jurisdictions and, even if it was, he has to prove his reputation suffered as a result of your statement.

Also, this might be a SLAPP (strategic litigation against public participation)  action and, depending on where you live, there may be an Anti-SLAPP statute in place to protect you.


Title: [CO] Meth residue was discovered to be in my apartment that I had been in for just 2 months. I was given a notice to quit and forced to leave.

Question:
I'll start from the beginning, because every step with this management company seemed less than legal.

I was told in August that a September 8 move in would be possible. On the 8th, I was told the apartment was not ready and I would have to wait a week. The lease has a fine print clause holding the signer for 7 days passed the agreed move in date regardless of the cause. I could not get my deposit back in that time. They did what they could do to clean up the mess the last tenant left behind in that 7 days, but it was not enough.

I moved in to broken floor tiles, damaged appliances, small holes in the wall, mold in the bathroom, and (as we found out that night) a bedbug infestation. They fixed and cleaned those things over the next week or two.

A month later, a neighbor told us the last tenant had used meth in the apartment. We asked the management company for a contamination screening and they obliged. It tested well beyond the levels allowed for even cleaning. The whole unit has to be stripped to the studs. We were given a notice to quit our lease and told to vacate the unit.

We left at the end of November, got a better place across the street, and waited for our reimbursement. It finally came two weeks after we were forced out. They continued to charge us for a week after they were aware of meth contamination, as we were finding and paying for a new apartment.

This management company took over the property in June, but the owner has remained the same for years. It is not clear if anyone knew of drug contamination. Although, I did contact an Environmental Contamination Lawyer who was already on the payroll for someone connected to this property; he couldn't say anything else.

Can anyone advise me as to what I should do about this? I'm out just around $1000-$1500 for being displaced twice and the rent I should have gotten back from the week I was evacuating. Could I take this to small claims court? Can anyone point out clearly illegal actions on their part? I can give more detail if anything is unclear. Thanks for the help reddit.

Answer:
 I would write a certified letter and followup lack of response with small claimsAnswer #2: I'd talk to city code enforcement and definitely go to small claims. Your argument is going to be that the landlord did not fulfill their obligation to provide you with a habitable unit. I would also reach out to the city and your state rep/senator - their office may be able to put you in touch with other agencies that can help you here.

What you need to find is evidence that LL knew the prior tenant used meth. Ask your neighbors, they may know.


Title: Family Law: Aunt seeking custody

Question:
My sister called me for help Saturday because her boyfriend took her phone away so she couldn’t call the cops; and then beat her and trashed the apartment. She locked herself in her 9 year old daughter’s closet and used her iPad to FaceTime Audio my phone.  Thankfully the 9 year old girl (my niece) was not home at the time.

Since then, the boyfriend has left their apartment and is staying with one of his own family members.  My niece is staying with me until my sister “figures it out”. She is refusing to press charges against him and also refusing to call it quits.

While in my presence, she and my niece discussed the possibility of him coming back home.  My niece told her “I’m scared of him now because he hurt you, if he moves back in I’m moving out. You can visit me here at Aunty’s house.”

Last night, under the promise the “HE” wouldn’t be at their apartment, she asked my niece to have a sleepover and my niece agreed after making sure he wasn’t going to be home. My sister had her in the car for less than five minutes before she facilitated a phone conversation between this man and my niece because he wanted to apologize. Then she told my niece this morning that he may be home as soon as next weekend and that if she’s not comfortable with it she can come and stay with me.

I’m infuriated with her for putting her daughter in this position.  I feel like it’s preying on her emotions. The girl has been having a hard time sleeping since the incident because (against my advice) my sister disclosed all of the details to her without considering that she’s only 9 years old. Naturally, I’m concerned for her emotional and mental health as well as her physical safety.

I took photos of my sister’s injuries, the damage to the apartment and of the iPhone that he smashed to bits to keep her from calling the cops.  Right now she is still refusing to press charges and is actively working on reconciliation.

My question is this:
Do I have any legal right to file for custody of my niece based on these circumstances? I’m in California.  Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: I'd suggest start with making a CPS/DCF report.


Title: [GA] Estate Executorship questions (Mother allegedly murdered by father, huge shitstorm inside)

Question:
I'll give as much background info as I can.
Current situation:  We buried my mother today, my father is currently incarcerated and charged with her murder.  My maternal grandmother was laid to rest last Friday and mom was entitled to a third of that (sizable)estate.  Dad was denied bond and the police claim to have a large amount of forensic evidence.(basically he called it in as a suicide, they investigated, then charged him on the spot for murder)  Mom doesn't have a will that I know of, but she did get a life insurance policy around 6 months ago.

It was decided that I will take control of the estate over my younger sister due to being in better economic position to absorb the costs that I know are coming.  That should happen as soon as the death certificate is granted.

Question: IF dad is named the beneficiary of the policy(the policy itself was taken by police and I have to request access), but he is currently being charged and held without bond for her murder, how or when should I start the claims process?  My initial research says that he is not entitled to the policy proceeds as it conflicts with some "profit from crime" statute.  I will soon have a 20k funeral bill on my hands.

House and Possessions: Mom's house is owned by grandmother's estate and that estate is making mortgage payments on the house.  As we clean out the house and prepare to sell, how am I supposed to handle dad's belongings?  My intuition says that I might have to store or otherwise preserve his stuff until he is convicted.

Mom's share of Grandma's Estate: I believe that estate can be amended to cut dad out by the surviving members of mom's family and the executor of that estate, but, again will I expose myself to further trouble if this is done before a conviction?

Debts:  Mom had very little when she died.  However, I fear there will be a lot of bad debt after the loss of their construction business in 2007.  As I understand it, upon accepting executorship of the estate, I am on the hook for those debts, both past and present.  Do I have any additional rights under FDCPA to fight off the agencies that will surely start to come after my assets.

I appreciate the advice, and yes, I will be retaining an attorney and possible a victim advocate as early as next week to get this dealt with.

Answer: Ga has the most metal of all BAR exam hypothetical statutes on the book, a "Slayer Statute". Simply explained, a killer can not benefit from the death of a decedent (person who wrote will). This sounds likely to be invoked based on the facts you have provided. Answer #2: Executors are not on the hook for the debts of an estate.


Title: [IN] Software startup: no salary, but my partner "gifts" me money monthly -- is it taxable?

Question:
I am working on a software start-up.  I do not get a salary, but my partner pays me a fixed amount every month to live off of ([more than the FPL but well under 4x it](https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/federal-poverty-level-FPL/)).  We do not have this amount or agreement in writing anywhere, though I do have equity in the company itself (which is still pre-revenue).  **Do I have to report it as income for the IRS?**  I also am getting mail from these cheap health insurance programs (Healthy Indiana Program - HIP).  **Am I legally allowed to use them?**

Or is this a "gift" between friends?  He is not writing it off as an expense.

Answer:
 Yes, you have to report it as income.  Just calling it a gift doesn't make it so.  It's money received in exchange for labor.  That's wages, they're taxable.  Even if they're distributions from the company to it's owners, those are still taxable income.

> Am I legally allowed to use them?

If you're accurately reporting your income and still qualify based on their criteria, then yes.


Title: [wisconsin and florida] i got my dad to take my mom to court for custody because i wanted to go live with him but now I changed my mind and i want to go back to my mom

Question: hi /r/legaladvice!! i have a question about legal stuff and custody cases and idk what to do next. so the situation is my mom was being real hard on me and stuff. she got especially mad at me because I posted on twitter and facebook about #lickingdonuntswithari and a bunch of pics of me licking a donut or with a emoji donut. she was really mad and embarased and made me take them down but then i posted them again because i didn't see what the big deal was and i love ari and wanted to show my support. so my mom got mad when she found out and she grounded me for the summer which sucked sooo bad. she took away my cell and everything and i wasn’t aloud to go out or anything. my mom and dad got divorced when i was baby and i have always lived with her in wisconsin. my dad moved to florida back then and like once a year my older sister and me would get to go visit him. my dad is really cool and not a hard ass like my mom. so i told him i wanted to live there with him. he wasn't too up on the idea at first but i convinced him how good it would be. so he filed for custody of me and the judge agreed because I told him i wanted to live with my dad. my pretended she was sad but i think she was happy to get rid of me. so I have been living with my dad now. it was cool at first because my dad doesn’t have any rules and he let me do whatever i wanted. but now i don’t like it because even though my dad is chill he sleeps lots and he forgets to buy grocery's or sign stuff like permission slips for field trips at school. i have changed my mind and i want to go back to my mom but she says i have to stay with him because of the court order and if i go back to her she will get in trouble for kidnapping. so now I am stuck. is there anything i can do to get custody switched back to my mom?? i already complained anonymous to cps but they said there was no neglect even though my dad is not on top of things. is there like a form or something i can fill out to change custody?? im only 15 so I have no money for a lawyer or anything. tia!!

Answer: You know, posts like this are the most effective form of birth control.  After reading this, I never want to have a kid for fear that it will turn into an entitled piece of shit.


Title: (Ontario) Is this ethical for a prof to do

Question:
The professor wanted each of us to pick an article and create a "reading summary handout with bullet points" for a "class facilitated discussion". Prof also gave us a sample, which did not look like an essay, and so I thought it is an informal assign. On my presentation date, I had the handout ready along with a powerpoint. After the class, I asked the professor if there is any improvement needed. Prof said will let me know. The next day, the prof emailed saying that I misunderstood the article's meaning, but will follow-up with me so we can discuss prior to moving on to the 2nd assign. I never heard back from the prof, but I decided to follow-up 2 weeks later (we had reading week etc) and prof still said will let me know. But the prof never did. Instead, I received an email that I have to attend a facilitated discussion with the prof and 3rd person because prof suspects me of plagiarism (lack of quotations). I don't understand why the prof did that. Many of my classmates' handouts have "lack of quotations", but they never got into trouble. They are in fact starting on their 3rd assign, while I never got opportunity to even start the 2nd. This is my first "plagiarism" issue.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 If it's like almost every university in North America then it isn't just ethical but is also policy. People have crap to do besides deal with plagiarism,  so he probably took some time to gather evidence.

Did you plagiarize?


Title: [NC] Title IX office at my university is withholding case file records from my sexual assault. What can I do?

Question:
I was sexually assaulted five years ago as a freshman at my public university. I reported the assault, took all steps necessary to
file my case, and it was grossly mishandled. My university has a long, quiet history of sweeping sexual assaults under the rug in order to maintain a better image, but all this has created is an environment where people know they can get away with these types of infractions with no penalty. I am working to change that.

I have set up an interview with a local news station and a story is in the works in a local newspaper, but I cannot move forward with anything without my case file for review and evidence. I have emailed the Title IX office, and have been run around by three different employees now, as they like to do. I received an email today stating that in accordance with FERPA, they can wait until 45 days out to process my request. The jargon in the email insinuated that I was only asking for an educational record, but my contact at  the news station, who has been researching this subject for months now, mentioned something about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) coming into play here.

So the trouble is that my university has somehow caught wind that I am trying to stand up for change, so they are making it as difficult as possible for me to make anything happen. I am working two jobs right now and don't have much spare money after bills, but at the suggestion of our contact, I told the Title IX office that I had spoken with an attorney on the matter already. I feel so lost right now, all of my emotions are running wild, and I really need some help. Is there anything in FOIA that would allow me to retrieve my records without jumping through a million more hoops? I am absolutely exhausted.

EDIT: Came back to clarify that this is a public university, and a rather large one at that.

Answer: First of all, is this a private or public university? If it's private I don't see a FOIA helping.


Title: (GA) Restaurant industry. I'm a waitress and was forced to pay up what a patron thinks I stole.

Question:
A couple of weeks ago, I was serving a party of women. They were all drinking and eating, and it was a good night all around. They all got separate checks, so they all paid individually and I did a great job of splitting every last drink among them. A week goes by and one of the women comes back and tells my manager I pocketed her cash because I rang her card up with the bill. This woman says she gave me 40 dollars and her card to pay for her 36 dollar tab. She said she wanted me to pay her tab with cash and ring her card up so she could tip more. Well with our system once a tab is closed out, there isn't a way I can ring up a card to tip me without having to charge anything. So what she asked for isn't possible and I'm positive that wasn't asked on that night nor was there any cash to begin with.

 I keep looking back and I honestly do not remember nor think she gave me cash. I've been in the industry for way too long and I know that if I was given cash I would have brought the change. Especially with a difference of 4 dollars because I'd be expecting the customer to leave at least 20% and I'm sure bringing back 4 crumpled dollars guilts people into leaving more. But instead, I ran her card which was provided since there is a receipt that that woman signed and left 5 dollars on the tip line and signed with the correct math and everything on a now 41 dollar tab.

So this woman demands she be recompensed for what she believes I stole from her.. so the restaurant GM gives her back 40 dollars and then turns around to me and demands I pay up those 40 dollars.. is that legal? I think that woman was to drunk to even remember she paid with her card and is mad she did because she couldn't point me out of the other servers....

Answer:
 Unfortunately, Georgia is one of the few states that doesn't have any rules about what sort of deductions are allowed from your pay.

What happened sounds pretty ridiculous. If there was a problem with how the payment was made, why didn't she address it at that time?


Title: New management will not let me enter apartment 8am-5pm starting 10/23

Question: I was just informed of this today when I came home to find a paper slipped under the door with this information. I live in Washington State and these are new managers to the building. Our apartment is an old home that has been split up into about 8 apartments. They let us know today that starting October 23-29 we will not be able to enter our apartment from 8-5 because they will be rewiring and doing sheet rock repair in every apartment and the workers need full access. Is this legal? What can I do? They gave us 3 days notice of this. The paper also goes on to say we have until November to move out but they gave us plenty of notice so I guess thats not a big deal. Sorry for rambling but I just got off work to come home to this. Thanks for reading..

Answer:
 There are three separate but related landlord/tenant issues that I see here.

The first is reasonable notice needed for access for repairs and maintenance.   In Washington State, two days notice in writing is necessary, and the statute says that you must reasonably accommodate this request, and that it must be at reasonable hours of the day.   Your landlord's request appears to conform with the applicable law, [RCW 59.18.150](http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=59.18.150).

The second is "quiet enjoyment", which is a term that is very often misunderstood by laymen.   It means that as a tenant, you have exclusive use of the premises, and that your interest in use of the premises over-rides the landlord's.

Telling you that you can't be in the apartment during the day, for a week, is a significant impairment of your right to occupy the premises.    You might find that the landlord has to compensate you in some way;  this is outside my experience with Washington State LL/T law.

The third element about "you have until November to move out" is strange.   Do you mean "move out permanently" ?   Even if your boyfriend had a month-to-month rental agreement, this doesn't meet the 20 day notice period required by [RCW 59.18.200](http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.200).  EDIT:  Unless they say "the end of November", and it's a month-to-month rental.

It sounds to me like they planned a renovation of the building and screwed up their schedule with the contractors, and are trying to push out their tenants without the proper notice.

Take a deep breath.   Get out the notice, and the lease, and read them carefully.


Title: Will I be taxed on my inheritance if I am gifted it before grandmother passes away.

Question:
Hello! Using a throwaway since it's financial information.

I am inheriting $12,000 from my maternal grandmother but she wants to give all the grandkids their inheritance before she dies. I was wondering if I would be taxed on this gift, either when I receive it or if I'll need to include it on my taxes next year as "income."

I am 28, married and in Oregon (USA.) I would like to see a financial advisor or a lawyer but my husband thinks this is going to be simple and doesn't want to.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 Anyone can gift $14,000 per year to anyone, tax free.

Bona-fide gifts are tax free to the recipient.  If the gift is large enough to be taxable, it is the giver who is responsible for paying the tax, though the Service has been known to go after the recipient if the giver fails to pay despite collection attempts by the Service.

Gifts are not income to the recipient.


Title: Would my actions in this case lead to a successful denial of unemployment benefits?

Question:
I was let go a while back because I made an error while covering for a co-worker. He taught me the task in one day but we miscommunicated on one critical action (we didn't even realize until it was too late) and due to that misunderstanding, he assumed it wouldn't be an enormous problem and told me he'd fix it when I called to ask him about an anomaly I encountered.

When upper management found out, they were furious- I wasn't given any figures but I understood it probably cost the company a good amount of time and money (my supervisor described it as a "7/10" in terms of "how bad"). I spent the day working with a few other co-workers trying to mitigate the damage as much as possible, and later on my supervisor later called me into his office and gave me the run of it and mentioned that while he himself didn't want it, upper management wanted me gone so that I was being let go. He mentioned he'd be happy to provide a recommendation if I needed one (and not mention what happened at the end) and that I should apply for unemployment so I can focus on job-hunting without worrying about bills and such in the meantime.

After a few weeks passed and the status of my benefits on the website didn't change from "pending", I called the department of labor and found out my former employer protested the claim. I read up on what I could find about it, but couldn't find much on anything like my specific case- I do know that if you commit crimes or take other antagonistic actions that they can be denied.

I've already written off the benefits since I'm pretty sure they're willing to fight tooth and nail to prevent me from receiving them (probably related to the insurance they have to pay) and they have the time/money to take actions that I absolutely can't match, but I was still curious as to how you'd think something like this can turn out. If it gets to the point where I need to seek a legal representative, I'll probably just have to forget it- for reference, this took place in New York.

As for other details I can think about, I am pretty sure that nothing was documented- as far as I know and from what my supervisor said to me later on was that the guy in charge was angry but that he didn't seem to write anything down for future reference. There were no warnings or any type of hearing, only me getting called in to get released.

For now I'm just going to act as if I'll never see anything and try to get a new job as soon as possible before my savings run out. Thanks, everybody.

Answer:
 Absolutely do not write off your benefits. They can contest, and you can appeal.

It sounds like they are claiming your single mistake was so bad that it rose to the level of misconduct. While the exact definition varies by State, misconduct can generally be defined as behavior against the interests of the employer that is so bad that nobody should think it's OK.  There can be other types of misconduct, like repeated attendance problems, but that's not relevant here. In order for them to get you disqualified for this one mistake, they bear the burden of proof to show you made this mistake either on purpose or due to willful negligence. (For example, not turning off a hose and letting a room flood on purpose)

It sounds like you made an "honest mistake" due to not-so-great training or your own lack of experience in performing this task. That is not misconduct. That it cost your company a lot of money has no bearing on whether or not it's misconduct.

The next step will be a fact finding interview where both sides give testimony. Simply state that you performed this task to the best of your ability as you had been shown, and did not do anything wrong on purpose. That's really all you need to say. They need to prove otherwise, which it doesn't sound like they will be able to do.

Do not lose hope. Just because they have lawyers doesn't mean you need one, or that you are a disadvantage.


Title: Restaurant Legal Advice Pleaseeee

Question: I live in California and work at a restaurant that is family owned. My friend worked a 13 hour day on a Saturday and at the end of the night, when she clocked out, her time stamp said she had 4 hours of overtime for the week. She worked the following day and when she clocked out the time stamp said she had 9 minutes of overtime for the week. The manager cut her hours of overtime so that she does not get paid for those extra hours. Is that even legal in California? And what can we do about it? This restaurant has done this on multiple occasions and we’re all fed up about it. Thanks reddit family.

Answer:
 When does the pay period reset?

Most pay periods reset between Saturday and Sunday, meaning that as of midnight Sunday, she had zero hours of overtime for the **current** pay period


Title: Who is at fault in this parking lot accident?

Question: The two cars are turning a corner in a parking lot and each car gets a minor scratch from bumping into each other. Only one guy collects the insurance and drivers license.

Answer:
 We cannot possible answer this question without more information.  Generally, parking lots are not constructed in such a way that two cars would both have the right of way in a manner that could cause a collision.  Someone is likely at fault, but without pictures or a more detailed description, no one can help you.

I have no idea why only one person would collect info.Answer #2: > Who is at fault in this parking lot accident?

The driver.Answer #3: > Only one guy collects the insurance and drivers license.

Why? That's not what you're supposed to do.
Answer #4: Both can be at faultAnswer #5: >Who is at fault in this parking lot accident?

>The two cars are turning a corner in a parking lot and each car gets a minor scratch from bumping into each other. Only one guy collects the insurance and drivers license.

It depends.


Title: Dog was fed chicken bones without our knowledge (Northeast Ohio)

Question:
Hey r/legaladvice,

Location: Portage County Ohio

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As the title states, my girlfriend and I's dog (a 7 month old black lab) was fed chicken bones last night without our knowledge. She was woke up this morning by the noises of the puppy vomiting extensively and she discovered the bones in his vomit. We're always extremely careful to monitor what he eats due to his sensitive stomach.

We've checked with my mother who also has access to the puppy, but she's stated she has not fed him anything.

Last night the puppy was outside in the back yard (largely unsupervised) for several hours in our back yard - which is fenced. There are some gaps in some places, but we're confident he could not have escaped and come back as we checked in him every 15ish minutes or so. Also the puppy is monitored very closely and could not have gotten into the garbage where he could have ate some bones. At night he sleeps in his kennel in our room.

He has since been taken to the vet who instructed us to monitor him closely and give him a light diet for the time being. They stated the volume of the bones was the most they've ever seen in a dog that doesn't seem to have any internal damage. They also stated to bring him back if he starts acting abnormal.

Upon returning home the girlfriend walked around the yard and noticed a container on the side of the fence by one neighbors yard. We don't have any issues with those neighbors as far as we know, as we largely keep to ourselves and they seem to as well. We suspect there may be an issue though, as while we were out of town a couple weeks ago my mother (who was paid to dog sit) reported he was barking and growling in their direction. We found that incredibly out of place for our puppy because he has never shown that kind of behavior before towards anyone. Normally he's super sweet and incredibly submissive. They do have dogs themselves which are tied outside on their property, so we had assumed their barking was just distressing to our puppy.

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Aside from contacting the vet, the girlfriend was going to file a police report just to have something on record.

We were also considering a call to the local Animal Protective League to see if they have any additional guidance.

&#x200B;

Aside from that, is there anything else we should be doing?

From reading this sub for a while, it seems that any recourse (repayment of vet bills, and/or loss of property claim should the puppy pass away) would have to be done via small claims assuming there's sufficient evidence. And law enforcement could investigate if there's a violation of any animal cruelty laws.

Once I'm home from work I did wish to go over and simply ask the neighbors if there's any issues with our puppy that has upset them or if they (or their kids) may have given him some chicken bones without thinking. Our concern is that we want to ensure that the neighbors know this is unacceptable.

Any assistance our guidance would be appreciated.

Answer:
 > Aside from that, is there anything else we should be doing?

Supervising your dog.

I don't see avenues here towards legal action. You don't know how your dog came to find bones. You've got a hypothesis that your neighbours dropped litter into your yard - which is reasonable - but the evidence for it is thin at best: the litter you found was on their side of your yard, and your puppy reacted strangely to them. That isn't going to support a lawsuit.Answer #2: File a police report for what?

There’s no proof and you already stated that the dog was out side in the yard for many hours at a time. Dogs will eat anything, if they find it on the ground and it smells good, they eat it.

You can talk to your neighbors, if they say “no”, I didn’t feed your dog, case closed, nothing for you to pursue other than speculation.

Mistakes happen. Your dog mistakenly ate chicken bones and that’s pretty much it.


Title: [Middle Tennessee] Car accident while driving truck for small local moving/delivery company. A year later, I have been served a summons and complaint that says other party is suing me for 250K. Not sure where to start, help!

Question:
On Monday, a county sheriff knocked on my door and served me the papers. This will be my first time interacting with the legal system and I don't want to do something wrong and end up owing some dude money for the rest of my life. At the same time I don't really have the money to hire a legal team although I could borrow the money from family if I had to.

**Is there any merit to this suit? What about Respondeat Superior? Is my personal insurance at the time relevant? Do I need a good lawyer and if so how much should I be prepared to pay and where can I find the right one?**

I might have made the accident synopsis a little wordy trying to include all the details.

**ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS**: While turning left out of an apartment complex driveway onto a main road, the front of my truck nicked the other parties mini-van on the passenger side (pictures here http://imgur.com/a/Vw6pb). The plaintiffs minivan fishtailed into the other lane coming to a stop about 20 meters up the road having spun 180 degrees. I ran out to make sure everyone was all right but when I got to the car, I could see the husband (driver) comforting his wife (front right passenger) who was in shock after the right side airbag deployed; He says "I don't want to see your fucking face" so I respectfully go back to my truck, thankful that there are no blatant life threatening injuries, and proceeded to call my boss and the police and wait.
	Policeman shows up, asks for my license/registration/insurance and tells me to sit tight while he deals with the other party. After 30 minutes, my boss/owner shows up and says to let him handle it. by this time an ambulance has arrived and loaded up the lady on a stretcher. The other party leaves in their jangled up minivan (after driving by and giving me the finger.) Policeman gives me my license back and boss tell me to finish the job as damage to our vehicle was minimal and we have a truck full of customers furniture.
	Although I wen't on to do one or two more jobs for the owner in the coming weeks (not as a driver). I was not asked to come back but wasn't necessarily fired. About a week after the accident, I got a call from our companies agent at progressive and gave him my statement: the other party was going too fast and the blindspot created by a thick pine tree prevented me from seeing them until it was too late (see pictures). He said ok, not to worry about it and he would follow up with me later. I never heard another thing about the accident

Until Monday, when I was served a summons and complaint naming me defendant along with the company and owner. The husband and wife are the plaintiffs and are seeking 250K in damages.

I've never gone through kind of thing before; however, both my parents went to law school and have told me not to freak out too much although this isn't their area of expertise.

I've tried getting in contact with my previous boss and getting information like the claim number and name of the Progressive agent who handled the accident but he doesn't seem too interested in dealing with it. He claims "Don't bring that thing to me, I haven't heard anything about it, that was a long time ago, I've moved on" which is effing asinine.

I recorded the phone conversation with the Progressive agent but can't seem to find the audio file. I have started documenting everything in an online notebook but don't have much information as I was pretty much left in the dark after the crash and wen't on my way. I called in to the local precent to inquire about the police report which was very short and basically stated the details of the accident with no citation or fault established.

My questions is, **is there any merit to holding me personally responsible? Do I need a lawyer? If so, where can I find the right one and how much should I expect this to cost me? What about *Respondeat Superior*?**

I have about 3 and a half weeks to file my response... Also, I am a working student with pretty much zero net worth and over 10K in student loans I am paying off so as my dad said "You can't bleed a dry stone."

Any advice is appreciated and I will be glad to give more information. Will check on this post nightly and update. Thanks guys.

Answer:
 Haha I guess your old boss hasn't been served with his papers yet if he "hasn't heard anything about it". Did you actually tell him he was named in the lawsuit? You'd think he would be pretty interested to hear about that little detail. Contact the insurance company covering the work truck and tell them you've been served with a lawsuit. They can figure out the information about the claim number etc.Answer #2: Call progressive insurance, tell them your name and they'll have a record of the incident somewhere in their system.  There is a 90+% chance that they knew this was coming because their adjuster has been in negotiations with the Plaintiff's attorney for some time.

I am an attorney, not in Tenn, and not yours.  SOP is that the plaintiff's lawyer will try and get a pre-litigation settlement from the insurance agency.  Very rarely, if ever, do they sue first without writing a demand letter to the insurer to see if they'll pay.  That way the lawyer can save money on filing fees.

They will most likely be expecting your call. Send a copy to your old boss as well, and you might be required under the terms of your personal policy to notify your personal insurance also.


Title: GA-I was raped but I don't know if I have enough evidence

Question:
I was raped by my roommate back in December, it's taken some time but I'm finally ready to go to the police. However, I'm afraid that I don't have enough evidence. My rapist was my roommate and friend, I have a massive amount of texts between him and I where he confesses to everything and he also confessed to our other two roommates before they kicked him out. That's all the proof I have, I didn't go to the doctor and I have no witnesses. Would that be enough to go to the cops with? Also, I assume they'd want to look at my phone,  how much of my phone would they have legal access to? My phone clearly shows that I smoke weed, even if I delete everything would they be able to look at the things I have deleted?

I can't go on knowing that he isn't being punished for what he did to me but I also don't want to get charged with drug possession..please help!!

Answer: Stop worrying about evidence. Collecting evidence is not your job. Report it to the police with whatever you have. There may be a rape crisis center or women's center that can help you through the process and with counseling.  You don't have to give them your phone. You can take print screens of the texts and print them.


Title: Airport curbside parking citation.. how can I beat it? I feel I am not at fault.

Question: I was picking up a friend from Phoenix Sky Harbor and I pulled up to the curbside while my friend was walking up to my car the parking lady told me I couldn't wait there like 30 seconds after I pulled up, so I pulled forward about 100 feet and my friend had to walk even further now and as he got in and we drove away I saw her taking a picture of my license plate. I never left my car unattended. About 30 days later I got a notice in the mail saying I owe $72 for a parking violation. It says if I choose to plead not guilty, wait for a summons and appeal in court. I think she was being a bitch but then again I am not sure of the curbside laws. I know it says unattended vehicles will be cited and towed but I was in my car and my friend was like 30 feet away! Any advice is really appreciated.

Answer: You can't wait there. You have to be actively loading or unloading.


Title: I'm blew the whistle on my employer to to a Federal agency concerning fraud and possible theft. I received a subpoena to give testimony to investigators next week? Do I need an attorney?

Question:
I recently blew the whistle to a Federal agency about possible illegal activities of my employer. I contacted the Feds as soon as I had solid evidence of what was occurring and obtained enough evidence. I sent in the tip to the agency online and was contacted within days of submitting the tip. It seems they are taking my allegations very seriously and moving swiftly to avoid additional harm to victims.

 I just received a subpoena compelling me to give testimony on the record to Federal agents next week. Do I need an attorney to attend with me? I don't feel I did anything wrong and can confidently say I didn't violate any laws in my employment or while obtaining evidence, but I don't want to be trampled by government agents. My only culpability is that I worked with the company and received proceeds from the fraud in the form of a paycheck. The fraud is very well hidden and really took some digging to uncover and prove. Should I have an attorney attend with me? The agents I have been dealing with have been cordial and thankful for my cooperation. I just hope that doesn't change wile I'm giving testimony.

Any help is appreciated.

EDIT: I am located in the United States.

Answer:
 My general rule is the following:

If you have to ask whether or not you need a lawyer, you probably do. Doubly so if the word "federal" is involved.

The reality of the situation varies a bit, but I'll bet you could go find a lawyer or two to talk to for 15-20 minutes that you could explain everything to (for a fairly nominal fee) who would be glad to give you a better read of the situation. Preferably a lawyer who has dealt with the Feds before.