Title: (AK, USA) How do I protect my rental income from being factored into my husband’s income for child support he pays to his ex wife?

Question: I am the sole owner of property from which I make rental income, and I have owned it since before my marriage. My husband and I filed a joint tax return last year, and it occurred to me that he might have to submit our taxes to the state child support services for a review at some point in the future (I believe this only happens if he or she requests it). What do I do to ensure there is no confusion about who the rental income belongs to? A CPA I consulted said to put my name on the tax schedule addressing rental income, and include a copy of the deed and a cover letter that explains the situation if it should ever arise. I am worried that’s not enough. I am aware we can file taxes separately, but I’m just curious if there is any other avenue I can take, or if anyone has any insight into the situation.

Answer:
 Can you file married filing separately? I know there are tax advantages to filing jointly, but it might be beneficial to check both ways of filing.Answer #2: If you wish to keep your income and assets separate from your husbands, you need to do so. This includes filing separate tax returns moving forward.

From my experience (Which is incredibly, incredibly limited) when a review is requested for support, they look at paystubs, and if he indicates that is his only means of income, they won't look further.


Title: [CA] Mom’s death ruled a homicide from injuries sustained while a ward of the state

Question:
This is in Los Angeles, California My mother died recently. She had been getting MRIs and scans because of neurological issues when she died. I found her in her apartment.

The cause of death was ruled a homicide because she sustained injuries leading to her death when she was a child, at the hands of a foster parent. The foster parent inflicted multiple concussions (on a 9 - 12 year old) which led to brain scaring, which lead to seizures, which led to her death.

A detective is in touch with me. He has stated that he has been assigned to my moms homicide case. He wanted to know if I knew the names of my moms old foster parents. I didn’t, but I gave him everything I did know.

Since this has been ruled a homicide and it has been established it’s from injuries sustained during her time as a ward of the state, is California liable?

I’m angry as hell and I want someone held accountable for my moms life being cut so short. Thank you.

Answer:
 My condolences for your loss.  I know this is a tough time for you.

There's a small chance someone who worked your mom's case is still alive.  It's a virtual certainty that they will not be alive by the time the case is closed.

You should start preparing yourself for the fact that no person is going to face any further consequences for what happened over 50 years ago, because again those people are all dead or will be soon.

You may be able to get a lawyer to pursue a case against the state, but unless you have actual damages it's unlikely to be worth the hassle or the expense.

Answer #2: The state of california itself?  No.

The foster parents, definitely.  Possibly other individuals within the foster care system, depending on the facts in the case.

Don't muck this up for the detective by trying to play Batman.  I know you're upset, but let the justice department do its job before you take matters into your own hands.


Title: [CA] Getting Sued Because Insurance Says Car is a Total Loss

Question:
A month ago, I hit a guy's parked car. We called insurance and filed a claim; we both have Progressive, so only one agent handles the claim. The agent told me an adjuster valued the damages at $4400, though the other guy wanted an additional $625 for suspension repairs. The agent said they would offer him the $4400.

Fast forward to yesterday: the other guy calls me, tells me that when they sent an adjuster to value the suspension damage, she deemed his car a total loss at $2500. (He drives a ae86 hachiroku: a 1986 totoya corolla gts.) He said he's hiring a lawyer, and will send me the total bill of the repairs. He called friday night and I can't get in touch with my insurance agent til Monday.

If I get taken to small claims court, won't I lose? The insurance company has already determined me to be 100% at fault. That was never in question.
Shouldn't he be suing progressive for not estimating the value of the car/damage correctly?

Answer:
 If you're taken to court, notify your insurance company and they will provide a defense for you. This is what insurance is for.Answer #2: If you are sued, notify your insurance company.

You pay them precisely for occasions like this.

Stop worrying about it.  If you are served, respond and notify your insurance.  Also post this on r/insurance.


Title: [CO]Child Proof laws, we sell marijuana goods, they need to be in a child proof container, is there such thing as a 4 second rule?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 [This site](http://www.chpa.org/CRP.aspx) has some good information. 4 seconds is way too short. The testing period appears to be defined as 5 minutes (10 minutes total). I don't understand all the terminology used in the regulations, but the links on that page guiding you there has all the information you'll ever need.Answer #2: In life, when someone makes a statement, it is incumbent upon that person to prove the statement.  This is doubly true for dumb statements.

Ask this woman to cite a source, or shut it.
Answer #3: I would sure hope that isn't the rule because maybe its just me but I def let my kid out of my sight for more then 4 seconds at a time


Title: Need help prosecuting dangerous driver (Canada)

Question:
Today while driving home from work i noticed somebody driving faster than the posted speed limit of 110 KM/H (69 MPH) in the left lane. So i moved my vehicle into the left lane so to slow him down to a more reasonable speed. He then passed me on the left using the shoulder going easily 20 KM/H over the limit and cut me off when returning to the left lane while giving me the finger. I followed him to his exit and managed to get a video of his license plate and face. How do i go forward with this? Can i just call the police directly?
Any help is appreciated.

Location is Canada.

Answer:
 >So i moved my vehicle into the left lane so to slow him down to a more reasonable speed

Not legal, but life advice- Please don't do this.Answer #2: >So i moved my vehicle into the left lane so to slow him down to a more reasonable speed.

Driving while performing a stunt, obstructing traffic, left lane driver not passing. Keep going.

>I followed him to his exit and managed to get a video of his license plate and face.

Driver using mobile device.

>Can i just call the police directly?

Sure, tell them all about the laws you broke. That should go well.

Answer #3: Incredibly dangerous and irresponsible thing to do to escalate something that wasn't any of your business. You could have caused an accident. You're worse than the speeder.


Title: Another tenant threatened me with a gun.

Question:
Hello

(Throwaway account for privacy reasons)

I live in a high rise apartment building in Detroit, MI. Approximately 3 weeks ago, another tenant threatened me with a gun after he perceived that I was following his car to closely in the parking lot (which I dont think I was). Although he didn't present a gun, he did say things like "I should blow your brains out", "I know where you live", and "You'll see me soon". This interaction took place in the lobby and the elevator of the apartment building

I called the police right away and gave the report number to the property manager. I have not heard from her since. What are my rights in this case? Can I break my lease as I don't feel safe anymore in my apartment? Can I withhold rent until the other tenant is evicted? I've tried calling her to see what steps she has taken but all calls have been ignored.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Your rights are to file a police report, and possibly to seek a restraining order.

Your landlord does not have any liability for another tenant's behaviour, or any legal obligation to evict another tenant to protect you. You don't have cause to break your lease without fault over this.


Title: I made a humilating video of myself

Question:
I made a humiliating video of myself and people now want to upload it on youtube.

What can i do, the person who i sent the video says he has copy rights to it but he wont show me proof.

Answer: Are you leaving out a part of this where you recorded yourself doing something sexual in nature and are now being blackmailed for money?


Title: Person won't stop harassing me over text

Question:
Hey guys I'm posting this on behalf of a friend who went on a date with a guy and he ended up turning into a low key stalker. What comes up next are her words. Im posting from Ireland.

I went on a date with this guy I met online but I didn't really like him. I told him I'd rather be friends, ever since then he's just not leaving me alone and it's going on about 6 months.
I blocked him on facebook, snapchat, whatsapp and blocked his number. He got a new number, made a new snapchat, Facebook and whatsapp. One night I was out with my friend at 2am in McDonald's, the following day he asked did I enjoy my McDonald's. I didn't have my phone that night so there's no way he'd of known. He sends me unsolicited pictures of down there on snapchat, sends me messages detailing what he'd do to me if we were having sex and asks me randomly if I'm horny. He's sent me photos of my niece and nephew that I put up on Facebook (which he shouldn't be to see since I've blocked him) tell me they're so cute, which is weird since they're 1 and 2.5yrs. He does so much creepy stuff, the last too messages I have are "see you soon..." and "hope you're wearing something sexy" I never even reply to him!
 I've gone to the police about him and they told me they spoke to him about talking to me but he still does it. I can't really afford to go down the legal route so what can I do?
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: Block, ignore, document.  NEVER respond or let on in any way that you are receiving any of the attempted contacts.  If the guy doesn't lose interest and go away after several months, and especially if he escalates to physical threats, then seek legal action.


Title: [CA] What happens if you don't pay bail bondsman back the 10%?

Question:
So assuming you show up, go to court, whatever you need to do - but you stop making payments on the money owed to the bail bond company.

If you stop before your court dates/punishment has settled, they can pull the bail back right? If you stop after, they can sue you but can you get put in jail?

If you're literally dirt broke and can not afford the loan (yes it should not have been taken) then what happens? I've even heard small payments of $5 a month are better than nothing?
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer: They would take you to court and get a judgement against you and garnish your wages until the debt is paid off. They are very aggressive and proactive with pursuing debt owed to them.


Title: (Iowa) Manager won't allow employees to use the bathroom

Question:
My son works at a grocery store where they apparently had some sort of issues with employees in the bathroom, so the manager has decided that they cannot use it under any circumstances while they are in uniform/on the clock.

Is this legal?

Answer:
 From the [OSHA FAQ](https://www.osha.gov/OSHA_FAQs.html):

> OSHA's Sanitation standard requires that employers make toilet facilities available so that employees can use them when they need to. The employer may not impose unreasonable restrictions on employee use of the facilities.

What constitutes an "unreasonable restriction" is obviously something the lawyers can advise on better than I, but going on the information you've provided so far, that sounds like a potentially serious problem for the manager and the store.

Is this store part of a chain? If so, it could be worth contacting someone over the manager's head, because I can't imagine they'll be thrilled to hear about this if they've got any sense. Alternately/additionally, [here's the information for OSHA in Iowa](https://www.osha.gov/oshdir/ia.html); at the very least, you can contact them for more information, not to mention filing a complaint.

**EDIT:** Ah, someone else beat me to the OSHA recommendation! Consider me as seconding it, then.Answer #2: So who is the "Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work" sign directed to?


Title: [Hypothetical] Who is responsible for the damages?

Question:
LocationBot: USA

I was cruising along Imgur and ran across some "Home Inspection Stories" and ran across this gem (1 Image):

http://imgur.com/5mbLbHM

and wondered, who would be responsible for the direct damages, the builder/installer, or the inspector?

Answer:
 There's no reason they couldn't both be.

The builder/installer is likely liable.

Inspector liability may depend on jurisdiction.  The *amount* of liability is also important to what you're wondering though.  Many home inspection contracts have a limitation of liability clause that says max damages are the cost of the inspection.

So if you're out $25k due in part to a negligent home inspection you only paid $600 for, it's not much consolation to say the home inspector is liable if that liability is capped at $600.


Title: Florida: Lawn care included in lease, but no lawn care is being done.

Question: As the title says, I just moved into a new house the beginning of October. I agreed to pay an additional $300/month for lawn and pool maintenance since I travel a lot for work and can't maintain those things regularly. However, I haven't noticed a single thing done in terms of lawn maintenance. He regularly maintains the pool, and nothing else. When I spoke with my landlord regarding what is included with the maintenance he assured me that the raking of leaves and overall maintenance would be included even during the year when grass growth is minimal. My property has an abundance of trees and my lawn is completely cover in leaves( possible slipping hazard for my young kids?) My only concern is the lease itself does not elaborate on what is included in the lawn maintenance. I would like to handle this situation delicately since I am on good terms with my landlord, and would like to keep it that way. I also want the work done that I'm paying for. How can I effectively get my landlord to uphold his end of the lease without being a dick, and what could be the limitations of the agreed upon maintenance work?

Answer: The pool guy and the lawn guy could be 2 different people, its possible the LL doesn't even know the lawn people have not been there.  Just mention it , "Hey the lawn people haven't been out at all , the yard is covered in leaves when will they be coming?"


Title: Los Angeles Parking Enforcement (AKA The Worst People On Earth)

Question: So some friends at work were ticketed for parking in a handicap space which is in a gated private parking lot. If someone disabled needed to park here (Which is never the case) we would be notified and simply move the vehicle. But this one big ol fat parking enforcement decided he would be adventurous and while the gate was open for about 30 seconds after someone entered he trespassed on our companys private property to give both people parking in the handicap spots a 400 dollar ticket! Now I'm sure our company will pay for the ticket but still something doesn't feel right about this situation. Thoughts?

Answer:
 If someone needed to park there to access the building, how do you expect them to alert the people that are currently parked there that they need to?

This is very much the way things should work.  It’s really simple, fucking park in handicapped spots if you don’t need to.Answer #2: It is perfectly legal for them to ticket vehicles parked on handicap parking on private property. There's a real easy fix, don't park in a handicap spot if you don't have a placard and the person it's for in the vehicle.Answer #3: Nope.  Disabled spaces can be enforced on private property at any time.  They are for those with placards, period.

You're lucky you got the parking ticket and not the infraction, which is $900.


Title: Former sugar daddy threatening to sue sugar baby, and is demanding gifts back.

Question:
An acquaintance of mine (24F) has been in a "friend only" aka sugar baby relationship with man (80M) over the past 4 months. There was no contracts or legal exchanges. No sex was involved. She gave him companionship, he gave her gifts. He bought her many gifts including a 25K vehicle (registered free and clear in her name), jewelry, clothes, laptop, etc. The relationship is now over. The gifter (man) is now demanding all the gifts back and threatening to sue.

She had evidence of him stalking and harassing her over the last 2 months. She did offer to give gifts back to him via text, however that was her compensation for her time. She is also a minority that barely speaks English.

What can she do?
Does she need to give him back the gifts?
Does she need an attorney?

TLDR: Former sugar daddy threatening to sue sugar baby and is demanding gift back.

Answer:
 > What can she do?

She can ignore him. She can seek relief for the stalking and other unwanted contacted. She can await to be sued.

> Does she need to give him back the gifts?

No.

> Does she need an attorney?

If sued, an attorney is usually the way to go.


Title: (CA, USA) I got reported to the IRS for tax fraud because I didn't report my gains from Bitcoin.

Question:
I told my friend that I did't report the gains on my Bitcoin on my taxes this year because in order to do so I would have to pay $60 for the premium edition of turbo tax and I didn't want to spend that money. I only made $476 in bitcoin and $540 in Ethereum gains so I figured it's not worth the IRS's time to go after me. She freaked out and ended up telling her husband who hates me and he told her parent's who then told their relative who is an accountant. They told him my name, address and birthdate and I assume he is going to report me to the IRS for tax fraud/evasion.

Should I be worried? I plan on filing an amendment to my taxes to report my bitcoin and ethereum gains. If I file an amendment and report my gains can the IRS go after me for tax fraud because initially I intentionally didn't pay them in the first place?

Answer:
 You're a speck of dust to the IRS. Just file a correct return and pay what you owe.Answer #2: You might have a penalty to pay, but the amount in Federal Taxes you will owe from this should be in the neighborhood of $250 if your total income was between 30 and 90k.

But just because you file an amended return does not mean that they'll think "fraud."  Lots and lots and lots of people do that.


Title: In the wake of Weinstein, Spacey, and C.K., why are agencies dropping their clients before any type of trial?

Question: Hi all, this is not a personal question. It's just out of curiosity. In the wake of recent sexual scandals such as Weinstein, Spacey, and now C.K, I have this question: why do agencies and companies sever ties with these men before they even see a court date? I mean sure: it can't be good an agent when your client is accused of sexual assault. But what happens if any of these claims are false? Are these men S.O.L? Spacey has lost ALL of his acting gigs, and looks like he's been blacklisted. Sure, it definitely looks like he's guilty. But let's just pretend for a second it's all false. Would those agencies pick him up again? I'm just confused about why these organizations are so quick to buy in to the public cry of outrage. It's definitely not an "innocent until proven guilty" approach.

Answer:
 Innocent until proven guilty is only for the courts.

Businesses are not required to hold to that standard and are free to terminate their relationships with people. Obviously in some of these cases there is going to be a contract that contains the terms of the contract being broken.

And yes, it is entirely possible for people to recover from poor public relations. See Robert Downey Jr for a good example. Others have faced large criticism and been unphased (Woody Allen) etcAnswer #2: The simple answer of "why" is that its in their best interest to do so. The companies do not want to be associated with people accused of such serious misconduct, because other clients and other companies won't want to do business with them otherwise.


Title: Taken against my will and charged $1200 at the hospital. Any help?

Question:
So here's the story.

About three weeks ago I had a rough day at school, (ADHD without treatment is a pain) and I decided to leave the school and sit outside the main doors (still on school property) just to get a beather, when my principal called the police. The police arrive and (me and my mother have made it very clear that I am immigrating, and can't pay for **any** healthcare, including the $1000 dollar nights at the mental health outpatient) I was outside when the police showed up, they handcuffed me and took me to the hospital near where I live, throughout the car ride I was explaining the situation to the officer, who didn't respond.

Now the bill is with the good ol' collection agency, and if it doesn't get payed off I'm screwed. (damaged credit score for 7 years means no car, loans, finances, nada)

Any help?

Answer:
 What state are you in and how long ago did this happen? Do you have any insurance? If not, it may make sense to call the hospital's business department, thank them for the kindness and care, and explain that you are in a vulnerable position where you cannot afford to pay for the treatment you were given. It is possible they will waive some or all of the bill. If that doesn't work, ask to settle for far less than what is owed with the collections department. Do **not** just ignore this, since that will not make things better.

I suspect there is an enormous amount of relevant data you're omitting that led to an arrest/forced transportation to a hospital, but that's neither here nor there.


Title: Questions on Nepotistic Practices at a 501(3)(c) Non-profit

Question:
This may not be a technically legal question, but I think it's worth posting here. I work for a national non-profit research organization that is 501(c)(3) certified in Delaware. We are located in midtown Manhattan. We have a large board of directors who are all impressive people in our field, some are fairly famous nationally. Here's the situation that I am curious about:

Although our board and CEO are major players in our field of research, our COO/CFO is not -- he's a by-the-numbers manager but a good guy and pleasant to work with. However, the COO/CFO runs all daily operations for the company and oversees all hiring decisions. When I started at the organization about 10 years ago, the COO/CFO had recently hired a new Controller, who was a close friend of his for many years. The Controller was not very experienced and there were a lot of financial mishaps initially, but now that's all fixed and fine. However --

Three years ago, he hired another close friend of his -- an out of work lawyer -- to be our General Counsel. We do not have a need for a full time lawyer, we're fairly small and our legal concerns are pretty infrequent. Until this hire, we had an outsourced model of legal counsel. We faced about 20 hours a month of billable hours for legal work. I honestly didnt care much about this unnecessary  hire, because my salary is fair and I honestly didn't care about a wasteful hire because it wasn't affecting me. Yet, things have recently changed. The General Counsel has had a bit of a personal crisis and stopped coming into work about four months ago. He's not working from home either -- he's just collecting a paycheck (there's been no discussion of a leave of absence or anything -- he's just checked out and nothing is being done). At the same time, the company has lost a few contracts/grants -- and money has gotten tight. The General Counsel makes the third highest salary at the org (behind the CEO and COO/CFO). We've had to start taking benefits cuts (our retirement benefits took a hit recently) and there's been a salary freeze. Simultaneously, the Controller (the other nepotistic hire) has made some huge mistakes with accounting. One of our directors filed a complaint against the Controller with the board. There has been constant buzz about both the General Counsel and Controller needing to be fired. The finances here are fairly transparent -- their salaries would make up for the lost contracts and some. Even accounting for the replacement hours we'd have to pay for outsourcing their work.

As of last week, we found out that a much larger organization is interested in merging with us. They are located in the midwest and we don't know what this means for retention or whether or not there will be requests for staff to move out of NYC. We've already been told that the General Counsel and Controller will both be replaced due to the larger company having streamlined payroll and legal departments. I have since found out that they are both (Controller and GA) being offered huge "golden parachute" packages from the larger company. This is now becoming a little obvious to everyone: The COO/CFO is worried about his friends' job security. The staff wants them both fired for a mix of not working (General Counsel) and for incompetence (Controller). To protect his friends (and get a package for himself), he has orchestrated a large merger to pay out his social circle.

My question is (I know this is all fair in capitalism. If this were a private company and our CFO/COO were the owner, I'd have no gripes and life is life): Since we are a national nonprofit with a board of directors, and an explicit altruistic mission -- is there anything fishy about this payout setup? The rest of the staff, who do all the work and have built our reputation from the ground up, are now in flux. We may be laid off, we may have to move, etc. Meanwhile, it all seems like a shady deal to help some questionable, overpaid hires ride off into the sunset while the board is none the wiser to the nepotism (it's always been a little under wraps how close the Controller/CFO/GA are outside of work, but they've been friends for 30 years).

I'm guessing there's nothing to be done -- but any thoughts would be great. Thanks!

Answer: Nepotism is not illegal. The CEO of the non-profit is accountable to the board (if any).


Title: (FL) I'm being accused of stalking someone I barely know.

Question:
I'm a community college student, I have(well,had)a slight crush on a guy in my math class. He sits to the left-front near the door, I sit in the back-middle section nowhere near him. I'll admit that I do stare at him.

I tried to talk to him once but he brushed me off, I don't even know the guys name.

On Friday he approached me and told me that if I don't stop stalking him(what?) that he'll call the police and he's also looking into getting a restraining order against me.

First of all what the hell? Staring isn't stalking right? Will I get arrested? Can he get a restraining order against me because I looked at him a lot? How can I go to school if he does get it?

Answer:
 > Staring isn't stalking right?

No.

> Will I actget arrested?

Unless there's more to this story that you aren't telling, no.

> Can he get a restraining order against me because I looked at him a lot?

Unless there's more to this story that you aren't telling, no.

> How can I go to school if he does get it?

Idk. Sorry. Someone else knows the answer I'm sure.Answer #2: Chill out, stop starring at the guy, and ignore him.  Post back if he actually tries to take any legal actions against you.Answer #3: Temporary restraining orders are sometimes easy to get, so it's *possible* you might get served with one. If you are, get a lawyer and fight it because you don't want a permanent restraining order on your record.


Title: Clicked on Child porn blog. I've reported it to the site and filed a report online with cybertip could I still get in trouble, NY if it matters for this.

Question:
It was a fucking tumblr. I can't fucking believe that there are people who rape little girls and fucking collate their images and put it on a fucking tumblr with a header about how its 'natural to feel those urges' what the fuck is wrong with people. These were fucking EXPLICIT pictures of children. i sent a report to the site and to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, but i'm worried that i might get flagged and lose my laptop because i opened the blog. i deleted it from my search history yeah i know but it makes me feel better. Is there anywhere else i can report it/anything i should do to make it clear that I'm not a complete fucking sicko like the monster who posted this. idk if this is too graphic or anything Mods please tell me
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: if you randomly stumbled upon it I doubt you'd get in trouble. If you did literally search for it on Tumblr out of curiousity, I'm not sure how that would be looked at. Answer #2: You automatically protect yourself when you report it. You won't get into trouble simply by stumbling upon it... only if you neglect to report it and get caught. Then you'd be in the red. That's how the law works.Answer #3: NAL: If you're shaken up about it, I'd suggest talking to a professional. What you saw could be traumatic, and it would only be natural.


Title: (SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL) My upstairs neighbor might be having sex while consciously being watched by their children. Or worse.

Question:
Here's the thing: my neighbor is a single mother of two kids. She likes to fuck. Loudly. A lot. That's not much of a issue for me, but I've always wondered how she managed to hide her sex habits from their two kids, while - like my apartment - there is only one bedroom. "The children's father" was my guess.

But this night, something weirder happened. As she's loudly fucking as usual, I started to listen to some awkward laughter, like two kids laughing in a weird and anxious way. And after that the sex noises ceased for a moment while someone spoke, and then just came back, just like the infant laughter for about like 2 minutes.

So I'm thinking that my neighbor might be having sex while consciously being watched by their children. Or something even worse. I know that it might've been some kids from another apartment, but what if it was not and her children are being abused? I really want to know what legal measures I can take to avoid this from happening again. Edit: formatting.

Answer:
 IANAL but I bet you'd be hard-pressed to find someone privvy with Brazilian Criminal Law in this sub.

I think people stoofing THAT loudly could merit phoning the police about a noise complaint (permitting there is a Brazilian equivalent) so do that next time you hear the kids and stoof noises. Even if the noise doesn't bother you, at least you'll know the police were there and poked their head in the door.

Side note, you could also see if your local PD just will do a straight-up wellness check to see if theres anything suspicious going on or if you fear for the well-being of the kids. Of course all of this is contingent on whether or not the kids voices were from the same apartment.

DO NOT go snooping around or starting your own investigation youll aggravate people, do something potentially illegal and it is literally what the police are for.

EDIT: Formatting


Title: Friend got into a car accident that was NOT his fault, all claims from the other driver were denied, but he keeps receiving letters now demanding he pay or will be arrested

Question:
Illinois residents, accident happened in Ohio.
My friend, let's call him Bob, was driving on the freeway when a car sideswippped him in. Both he and the other driver claim that they did not leave their lane. There is a police report that he recieved, stating neither driver was at fault, because they essentially "met in the middle" and neither went over the lane line. Neither Bob, nor the other driver, recieved a claim for accident. Neither car was very damaged, the other driver had their mirror knocked, but nothing significant and Bob's paint didn't even scratch. (also backed up by police report)

The other driver was irate and was cussing Bob and the police officer out, dispite the accident being no one's fault. He insists the accident is Bob's fault because his "lane assist technology" would never allow an accident like this to be his fault.

Now, Bob keeps getting letters in the mail from a lawyer representing the other driver, from their insurance company, stating that because Bobs insurance company denied their claim against the other driver, that Bob is now responsible for a $3000+ payment for "property damage" or he will be arrested.

I told him call up an attorney first thing in the morning, but does the other driver actually have a case against him? Or is it all bs? How can I make sure he's not arrested for property damage that he is not at fault for?

Answer: He should call his insurance. They will provide an attorney for him.


Title: Parents charging rent at 17?

Question: So I'm 17, and my parents are telling me that I have to pay rent stating next month, it will be about 250 a month. All my friends are telling me it is not legal but they swear that it is. I also have to start buying basically everything I need aside from food. I live in salt lake city, Utah. Any advice on legalities of this?

Answer:
 Would you rather they just took your money away entirely until you turn 18?

It's illegal for them to kick you out, so your "rent" has no real teeth (yet), but your parents can control your access to your own property until you're an adult. If they want to structure that as rent payments, I don't think you have many options for stopping them. Your parents also have to feed you even if you don't pay for your food, again until you turn 18.

Good luck with your house hunt and move.


Title: Debit info was stolen and used to make purchases. Afraid I'm going to get charged with fraud.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Call the stores, tell them about it, and arrange for the items to be shipped back.


Title: Is it legal to only search men's bags?

Question: So almost every time I go to a movie theater I get asked to leave my bag at guest services or searched. I do often cary food or water from home, but that shouldn't matter. I go into theaters with my mom and she is never asked to do the same with her purse. I also see other women doing the same. My question is whether it's legal for movie theaters to only search or put away men's bag?

Answer:
 > I do often cary food or water from home

I would venture you're being suspicious or possibly a smell is emanating from your bag. It is legal to only ask to check your bag and no one else's. Best guess is men don't typically carry bags around, and it's common knowledge people like to bring in outside food/drink to movies. If I worked in a move theater and saw a man with a bag, I would search it every time. What else might a man carry in a bag to a theater?


Title: [NC] Car dealership won't give me my second car key

Question:
I bought a new car about a month ago. They made a mistake, and only had one key (with remote lock/unlock) available. They lost the other one, or something like that.

The salesman gave me a "We Owe" sheet that showed that the dealership owes me the key. I've contacted them many times, and each time I get a response like: "It's almost ready", or "It was shipped" or ...

I want my key, and don't want to have pay the $330 they claim it would cost to replace a lost key.

What do I do?

Answer: Send them a demand letter. If they fail to comply, sue for the cost of having a second key made.


Title: Ex Partner Accusing Me of being inappropriate with my child.

Question: Hi, I am going through a seperation with my ex partner. We have a child together. We stilll live together and I am currently in the process of moving out and theres a lot of ugliness going around. In an argument about an hour ago she is now accusing me of being inappropriate with my daughter on one occasion. Its not true, nothing of the sort ever happened.. She says that I was sitting in my chair, swinging my 4 year old daughter by the arms and her head was going too close to my pelvic area and that when she walked out of the room I jumped. I dont recall this interaction at all and even if it did happen there was nothing perverted about it. She knows that I would never do anything like this so I cannot even imagine her motivation. I honestly just dont know what she is capable of. She states that she has a history of family abuse and that she should be able to speak out on the issue if she thinks she sees something, which I am completely in agreement with. The problem is Im scared that she may use something like this in a future custody battle. I feel like I need to go on record saying I contest her accusation? I told my brother and he said maybe talk to police or lawyer. Im pretty frantic at the moment so if I left anything out let me know, what kind of recourse do I have to protect myself.

Answer:
 Document the threat, and document that it occurred during an argument. Write down right now everything you can remember about the accusation and about the context in which it was uttered (aka the argument surrounding it).  Date this record.

Retain an attorney ASAP.  Do not talk to the police about this, even if they come asking.  ONLY discuss this matter with your attorney going forward.


Title: My SO got a letter from an attorney

Question:
(USA)

He received a letter from an attorney (i verified it is a legit firm and not a scam)

The letter indicates that a relative of his died in 2014 and a genealogy history was done to find the living relative as she had no immediate family. My questions:

1) if it is a mass amount of debt, would he become responsible for it?

2) would a firm do the genealogy search for debt or if there was money in the estate so that they could get paid?

Any advice I can give to him prior to calling the firm would be helpful.

Thank you

Answer:
 You don't inherit debt.

He may have money coming to him.Answer #2: It sounds like hes going to be getting some inheritance. I doubt he would be responsible for the debt. Answer #3: Debt isn't inherited. Where people trip up is that the deceased's estate pays for the deceased's debt so people can lose "the family home" (meaning, the dead person's house is sold to pay the dead person's debts)

But that just reduces your inheritance, it doesn't end up costing you anything

Similarly, if you *are* due anything, the cost of them finding you is paid out of the estate, so them asking for expenses up front would be a red flag. But if this is a scam, it would be of the "prove who you are (so we can steal you identity)" kind, I suspectAnswer #4: I don't doubt your research skills but perhaps you should take a second look at the letter. I got a similar letter recently about a dead relative with a huge inheritance..It was undoubtedly fake - I searched inheritance scam and saw many similarly worded letters. (It was actually a linked in message followed by an email). Anyways that's my 2 cents


Title: [NH] I'm a dumb kid who needs help fighting off a speeding ticket.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >I know I should ask for like calibration testing things and such, but what other things should I do?

Assuming the police officer involved isn't totally incompetent, they will be very familiar with this tactic and amply prepared to counter it.

>The officer lost sight of me once I turned the corner.

>The Zip Code on the ticket is off by 1 digit.

>The cop was sitting on the end of the guardrail with his lights completely off.

None of these things is a valid basis to contest a ticket.

>I know, in retrospect I should have pulled into that side road and turned of my engine, but again, im a dumbass kid.

If that's your takeaway about what you should have done differently, you might be more of a dumbass than you realize.Answer #2: 1. Doesn't matter.

2. Clerical errors are not grounds to overturn a ticket.

3. Doesn't matter.

From the information you have given, it sounds to me like you were actually going the speed alleged. My advice is to pay the ticket and learn from this experience. Answer #3: None of things you’ve pointed out will invalidate your ticket. Losing sight of you for a second doesn’t matter, your car has a license plate for a reason. Clerical errors don’t invalidate a ticket. Police don’t have to have their lights on when parked.

If you really want to try to fight this ticket, hire a traffic attorney.


Title: Employer is baring me from coming to work, hasn't fired me, and won't tell me why. Unsure if this is legal & unsure what my options are. [US-CA]

Question:
I work as a culinary director at an assisted living facility. I got a new regional director about a month ago, we will call him Dave. Dave was gone this week for a corporate training so we had a temp director filling in. We will call him John.

John had previously been our temp director at the beginning of the year during this time two things happened. 1.  I found out I was shorted some holiday pay and reached out to payroll to get my back pay. Payroll said I was out of luck because John hadn't completed the paperwork in time. John & I got into an argument over this and he said he won't help me get the backpay. I got an email from payroll acknowledging that yes they owed me money but no they would not pay me since John missed the deadline. I have been working with an employment attorney about going about getting my back pay. The second thing that happened with John was one day I took the day off for a doctors appointment. I took the day off well in advance, got it approved, and ensure I had coverage. When I came to work the next day John asked me for a doctors note. I told him I didn't get once since it wasn't standard protocol and that my doctors appointment got cancelled last minute because the office was flooded. He harassed me for a week about this note & even went so far as to go to HR about it & HR said he can't do anything since I was using pto it didnt matter the reason why. He went away & we got Dave.

All that was background because John was filling in for Dave. When I showed up to work last Monday I wasn't feeling well. I have diabetes and have been having liver issues so I looked fatigued. John came into my kitchen as I was giving my staff a morning meeting and said "you look like shit, go home." I was unsure if a temp director had the ability to do that but since I wasn't feeling well and didn't want to fight I left. He called me later that day and said not to come in tomorrow that him or HR would reach out to me. I asked him why I wasn't allowed to come in & he didn't respond just said don't come in. I sent him a follow up email, CCd Dave & our regional HR rep. I recapped our convo & asked why I wasn't allowed to come in to work, when I would be allowed to come back & how I should complete my timecard. I also included a note from my doctor that stated my illness was a complication from my diabetes and I was not contagious so there was no risk of me getting my coworkers or the anyone else sick. This email got no response from anyone.

I didn't hear from John on Tuesday so I showed up to work on Wednesday. A couple hours into my shift John walked into the kitchen and said I couldn't come back to work till Sunday or I talked to HR. We don't have an onsite HR rep & he refused to provide me with any contact information for who in HR he was talking to. When I left I again sent the same email as before and got no response.

I came back to work on Sunday since no one had reached out to me. When I got into work I started working and my real boss Dave was back. He called me into my office and ordered me to sit down. He called our business manager into the office as well. She is not an HR rep but handles all the accounting for the building. He said he wanted her there as a witness & she even stated she didn't know why she was there. He told me I couldn't come back to work till someone from HR spoke with me but since it's Sunday there was no one I could speak to. I asked him what it was regarding and why I wasn't allowed to work, he said he couldn't tell me. I asked him if I was fired or being suspended and again he said he can't answer my questions. I asked him about my pay & filling out my time card and he didn't answer.

This morning I received an email from Dave that just said not to come in and either him or someone from HR would reach out to me. Again I asked all the same questions and it is almost 3pm and I don't have a response from him or HR. I reached out to my lawyer this morning but have not heard back. I am convinced I am being fired. My girlfriend thinks they have no case to fire me but they are trying to get me to quit.

My questions are:
Is this legal?
What recourse do I have?
What questions should I be asking or how else should I document this?
Any other general advice on how to proceed, I am feeling very anxious.

Answer:
 If your employer has told you not to come in, you've been fired. Apply for unemployment and start looking for a new job, and state the date you were first refused work as your termination date.

Unless you're unionized, or unless your contract controls termination, or unless you work in a job with specific regulation, you're at will by default, and your employer can fire you for nearly any reason at all.


Title: (FL) A man is using pictures of my husbands motorcycle accident, claiming it was him and he's trying to get donations.

Question:
We called police but they said it was a civil matter.

In January my husband had a motorcycle accident, he's fine but the bike was totaled because it happened on a major road,pictures were all over the local news and Facebook pages.

Just this week a man has started a go fund and a Facebook page asking for donations claiming that it was his accident and he needs help with medical bills. He even has pictures of my husbands injuries(from a local news page). He's not using my husbands name just the picture of the accident and injuries.

Is there anything we can do? Thats fraud right?

Answer: Did you report it to go fund me? Answer #2: Did you mention to the police that the guy is taking donations? That's fraud and I would think they'd be interested in it. Answer #3: The moderators at /r/assistance  (and similar subs) deal with disgusting scum like this too frequently. People fabricate a gofundme campaign using some part of someone else's tragedy, then post their "story" on that subreddit with a link to their fundraiser, just to exploit the kindness of strangers for cash. It happens often enough that I imagine they would have a few suggestions on how to get the attention of GFM. You may want to post there and ask if they have any ideas. (Page for my sister /r/rhubey who mods there.)


Title: Employer threatening to fire me for taking too one to heal - Fairmont West Virginia

Question:
I work for a company in WV and just a few minutes ago the owner came in asking "do I need to switch careers? Your taking to long to heal and I don't have time for that don't expect unemployment I don't do that that's for low life's"

What happened was I severely sprained my ankle jumping off the rear bumper of a truck. According to the lead safety guy 3 point contact is required for dismounting anything does that make it my fault?

So I need to know what are my rights? What can I do if I'm fired? Can I sue? Will I be able to file for unemployment or even possibly disability? If I lose this job I'M SOL and you'll see me posting to r/assistance

Answer:
 >does that make it my fault?

I'm not sure about WV, but typically fault is not relevant in a Worker's Comp case. All that matters is whether you were injured on the job.

Sounds to me like you should speak with a WC attorney in your area.


Title: [Texas] Contents of co-owned safe deposit box following the death of an owner.

Question:
My father has put me as a co-owner of a security box he has at his local bank. He's also named me executor of his will, which he insists on keeping in the security box. He keeps a lot of cash in the box, which he says will all be mine in the event of his death, but before that day comes I'd like to know what my legal rights and responsibilities are to that cash.

I'm fairly certain that the contents are not specified in the will and I have a sibling with whom my father has had a falling out. I'm not sure what my father is leaving to my sibling, but if it is anything, it will be substantially less than what he is leaving me. Will I be required to disclose the contents of the box, or since I'm a co-owner or will I be free to do with them as I see fit?

I don't know the exact amount in the box, and it keeps changing depending on what he puts in or takes out, but it's currently around 100 grand. If the cash contents are not specified in the will, will taxes need to be paid on them?

I'm just trying to get all my ducks in a row before the inevitable happens, so any advice on how I should go about handling this as executor would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Ok answers first, advice later. Anything that is not clearly distributed in a will has a *chance* at going to your sibling. As for taxes on the money in the safe deposit box, you will probably have to pay the appropriate tax as if you inherited the money.

Now for advice. If you are talking about $100 grand in cash I would get a lawyer to dig deeper into the specifics of how everything will be divided out. It will be a significant help to you and cost **significantly** less than $100,000. Also I would encourage your father to include everything he owns in his will and clearly distribute it as he sees fit. Leaving a random $100 grand in a box wont make anyone's life easier


Title: Getting interviewed for a “sexual assault” five years after a consensual hookup.

Question: Today I got a call from the sheriffs office saying that he wanted to interview me cause my name was connected to an alleged sexual assault in 2013. This hookup was a consensual hookup where me (male) and two male friends hooked up with a female and now five years later she is saying well I’m not sure but something along the lines of sexual assault to the Sheriffs office. Do I need a lawyer or am I fine just telling the truth? This chick has laid a false pregnancy on someone I know so I’m not sure if she is mentally unstable or what but will I be fine just telling the officers the truth?

Answer:
 Yes you need a lawyer. You are being accused of a crime. Dont go admit to it to the police. Not without an attorney who can help you stay out of jailAnswer #2: You are not talking to the cops or anyone else who is not your lawyer, your spouse, or your priest/pastor/rabbi/cleric.

Even this post is too much, because you stipulate to the fact that you and the accuser did have sexual contact at the date and time alleged, and if this was in a dark room with a bright spotlight and 6 hours of interrogation from a couple guys who have 40 years experience each, you'll be confessing to shooting kennedy.

Technically you don't have to spend money on a lawyer yet, you do have to decline to go in for interrogation or answer any questions.

Call the desk number late tonight and leave a voice mail so you don't get pried for more info while calling to cancel.  "Hi this is OP,  sorry I can't come in to discuss anything  without first obtaining g legal counsel"

 Start doing a few free consults so you know who you will call if they show up with a warrant to arrest you.

If that happens then double don't talk to the cops

The cops aren't the bad guys, but they think you are a really bad guy and so they need more information to show probable cause for an arrest or to help get the DA get beyond a reasonable doubt for the jury. Answer #3: You need a lawyer.  DO NOT TALK TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE without a lawyer present.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  Answer #4: Absolutely do not speak to the police. Get a lawyer.


Title: [TX] Do I have an obligation to disclose any issues with neighbors when selling my home?

Question:
I have a pending contract on the sale of my home and scheduled to close this coming week. We discovered our neighbors installed a hot tub in the side yard between our homes last Thursday. This appears to be a violation of HOA rules on several points, namely a rule prohibiting hot tubs or spas in a side yard. The hot tub is directly visible outside a bedroom window and I am concerned how this might impact the buyers once they find out.

Do we have a legal obligation to disclose? And what recourse would we have if this affects the buyers?

Answer: A legal obligation to disclose what exactly? That the neighbors may be in violation of HOA rules? If you think that the unauthorized installation of a hot tub will affect your ability to sell your house, report the neighbors to the HOA and let them deal with it.


Title: Landlord is a tool. Doesn't make him wrong.

Question:
Hi. I paid rent on a Florida home for more than four years.  With 5 months left on my final lease - I wrote a letter giving 60-days notice of vacating.  With 3 months left on my final lease, I left. The house was in perfect condition - I left it just as it was when I moved in; clean, no holes in walls, fresh paint, etc.
The landlord still has my last-months rent deposit, and a security deposit for $3800 - which is less than the $4750 in monthly rent.
Today I got a letter from the landlord asking for $5000 to settle the lease, and threatening to sue if I don't pay. There was also a mention of my having to pay his legal fees and court costs.

To be honest, by the letter of the lease, I don't think I have much right to leave without paying.  The 60-days notice was more of a courtesy than an actual "OUT" by the terms of the lease.
My question is - how exposed am I?  The last two lease payments minus a returned security deposit come to $5700.  The guy lives in Venuzuela and I think it's 50-50 that he's bluffing about suing me.  Am I responsible for court costs and legal fees?  And how much would that typically be?

Answer:
 > My question is - how exposed am I?

Very. It seems to me that you are in the wrong here.

> Am I responsible for court costs and legal fees?

If he includes them in the suit, yes.

> And how much would that typically be?

Depends on the state/county, but it looks like it's around $300Answer #2: Unless there was some clause in your lease allowing you to leave early with 60 days notice, you are on the hook for the $5700. Your landlord is cutting you a break with the $5k deal.


Title: My best friend goes to court tomorrow for a rape charge. I believe he is innocent. What are his chances of being off the hook?

Question:
Before I begin, I will be stating what I have heard from both my friend and his mother. Names will not be said but he will be known as BF (best friend), his mother as BFM (best friend's mum) and the girl as G (Girl, as I have negative feelings towards her so Girl it is). And I live in Australia, so the laws are most likely different to the States.

Two years ago BF got into a relationship with G. They were together for a short time and had decided to have some sex. They couldn't go to their houses as they were 17 and their parents wouldn't allow it in their houses. So they did what any horny teens did and went out into the bush and did it. The next day, BF was getting messages from G about how great last night was, how she wanted it again etc... Somewhere a few days after they got into a fight and broke up, and one week from the sex G had reported him for rape. BF told me G never said she was uncomfortable or unsafe so he just kept going. BF has messages on an old iPhone from G stating that she liked it, but the police confiscated it as evidence and then subsequently 'lost it'. Now, BF has been one of my closest friends since I was around 7-8. He wasn't the most behaved in school but he has never been in trouble with police before this event. He has been with a LOT of women, but I have met quite a few and they were usually just one night stands or a non-serious relationship that lasted only three weeks, and most were really nice. Now, from a lot of people I know, I have heard and seen that G is rather skanky and often gets on Snapchat with other guys etc... BF has been in a relationship for the past 9 months with a very nice woman, and she is becoming one of my best friends as well. She has two kids and comes from a past relationship where she was sexually and physically abused by her ex, and she is well aware that BF is going throught this rape charge but she told me she feels safe when around him. BFM has gotten BF the best solicitor, lawyer and barrister from the city that you can currently get (we live in a coastal town) and I'm not sure how much that affect things but I hope it does for the better. I just worry for him because for him to do that stuff to a woman would be waaaay out of character for him. Another thing I will mention is that G's friend decided to testify against BF but has now decided to pull out of the case, which she cannot due to our laws. She was not present during the sex. This all happened two years ago, and had been pushed back to this August, and then again to tomorrow. Bf has been diagnosed with clinical depression due to the court case and almost refuses to leave the house. BF prefers to play videogames all day instead. And BF has also requested that if they wish to DNA test him to go ahead but he did have sex with G so i'm not sure if this has relevance.

Can someone with knowledge please help me understand this. It has really been taking affect to me as well as I can't handle the idea of one of my closest friends going to jail for (I believe) up to 14 years for something he may not have done.  It is her word vs. his word. Any other information will be given to the best of my ability.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 I particularly like your victim blaming.

This is why we have courts. Outcomes are impossible to predict. Answer #2: >but the police confiscated it as evidence and then subsequently 'lost it'.

Where did you obtain this information? Did you best friend tell you that the police lost his phone or did this information come up in open court from the police?


Title: (MN, USA) Apartment is a wreck since moving in, problems haven't been fixed. Possible water damage, and mold. Landlord won't respond to messages.

Question:
Hey /r/legaladvice, I'm just a stupid kid and I don't know what my rights are and I'm in a sticky situation because of my own dumb not-thinking-at-the-time and trusting people. I really feel like an idiot. I moved into an apartment in April with my girlfriend. Before moving in we noticed a couple of problems and pointed them out, also the apartment was filthy, and all of the kitchen appliances were pulled away from the wall. We were told that they would be fixed and the apartment cleaned before we moved in. We gave notice multiple (3 or 4) times that we would be moving in April 3rd. We move in April 3rd...nothing was changed, cleaned, fixed... He said "I didn't realize you were moving in today!"

We go through the apartment to check and see if anything we wanted fixed was fixed. Nothing was. The landlord gave us some paperwork where we could write down all our complaints and things that needed to be fixed, things that were broken etc when we moved in. Well we filled the whole page up. He apologized a lot and insisted he didn't know we were moving in today so that's why nothing was fixed but he would fix everything within the month. So we signed the lease because I'm an idiot, and also we were about to be homeless if we didn't move within a week. Our options were running thin so we signed the lease. And when my back was turned he ran off with that paper so I couldn't get a copy with our signatures and date on it, of course.

So over the months of living in it we noticed even more unacceptable things about our apartment, and since moving in he's addressed a total of 3 things. He cleaned the apartment while we were in it, unclogged the bathroom sink, and pushed the kitchen appliances back into place.

List of problems in the apartment:

* Broken shower/bath unit: Turning on hot and cold water at the same time makes the showerhead leak.
* Broken security latch
* Broken windows (only a couple of them open out of the 14 windows in the apartment)
* He turned off the heat in 45 degree weather. I think there's a law in MN that says you can't do this but I'm not sure. Heat is included in the rent but he shut it off so he doesn't have to pay for it.
* Unpredictable hot water, it only works in the shower and anywhere else it takes up to 5 mins for the water to heat up
* Evidence of water damage the past couple of weeks; brown cracks have started appearing in the ceiling, as well as weird brown/orange speckles all over. The walls are "wrinkling", like when you get a piece of paper wet and it dries wavy? We left a water glass out overnight and woke up to it covered in speckled black and white mold. I'm having a severe allergic reaction in the house for the past couple of weeks, it just keeps getting worse and worse. By reaction I mean eyes getting red and irritated, after an hour of exposure they swell shut almost entirely. And it HURTS. Can;t stop sneezing and struggle to breathe. Sinuses constantly draining, this probably doesn't count as a health issue but I have a hard time eating because it just grosses me out to swallow a pool of snot with my food.

We have attempted to contact the landlord several times. He always does one of three things: 1) says he will work on it "soon", ignores us. 2) asks for pictures/proof, we send them and he ignores us. 3) he just flat out ignores us.

We don't have the money to hire our own mold specialist to come in and tell us what we have. We can't afford to break our lease. We can't find another apartment in our price range either. We don't have renter's insurance and at this point I think we are too late to invest in that but I'm not sure how it works. Are we completely and royally fucked? Do we just have to live with this and sucks to be us? I'm really scared that if we file a complaint with the city that we will get evicted somehow.

**Edit:** Oh I forgot to add to the post but I have been documenting everything, since I messed up by signing the lease I have been trying to be smarter and so I have kept my hands on all evidence I possibly can.

**Edit 2:** I sent him a picture of the mold growing in the water glass that was left out overnight. He said there was nothing they could do about it, I need to purchase an air purifier.

Answer:
 As for the renter's insurance- please get it. You are right, it won't cover any damages to the apartment (mostly because it covers belongings and not the dwelling because you don't own it), but let's play devil's advocate here.

Grumpy landlord continues to ignore you and you have to take legal action. He comes in and "accidently" damages your belongings, or they go missing. It won't be easy to prove that he did it and you will be out whatever is damaged. Even if he leaves a note saying "I did this, FU"... do you think he is going to be forthcoming with his insurance (assuming he doesn't self-insure) to pay for your stuff?? Then you will need a lawyer to fight for that as well.

Protect your property before you are hurting even more.

As for the legal side, IANAL but document, document and for good measure document. Times and dates you called. Letters mailed. Promises made. Any doctors that will back up your health issues. You can never have too much documentation.


Title: Lawyers of Reddit, I could really use some Immigration/Marriage/Civil/Military legal advice right now

Question:
Hi and thanks for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it :)

I’m a Canadian citizen and I've been married to a US citizen for a few years. We never applied for a green card for me because I had a very good job in Canada and we did not see the need for it.  Spouse decided he wanted to join the military so he went back to US but I couldn't leave my job (we both live near the border so we are only 2 hours away from each other).
The distance has taken its toll and we are having serious issues. He’s pretty much ignoring me right now. I quit my job in Canada and I now have the opportunity to work from home (from anywhere actually), so I am considering staying in the US in order to try and work things out/save the marriage. Thing is, he hasn't answered any of my messages in a while and I don’t feel like calling his base to look for him.

Here is my dilemma: In order for me to live here and establish myself, I would prefer to get a green card (in case I need to get a car, rent an apartment, buy a house, etc.) but he needs to fill out the paperwork; is there any way I could get this done without him?
As a non-citizen or resident, can I still get military spousal support?

If he continues ignoring me, I will have to get a divorce. In this case, can I sue him for the money he owes me (I gave him a lot of money to pay his bills and I have never gotten anything from him)
Ideally, I want to try and work things out, but I am afraid it’s beyond repair if he thinks it’s ok to ignore all my messages for 2 months while not ignoring his friends. He has done something similar in the past as well. I know I played a big part in this by having prioritized my career at the beginning, but I did it for us to have money and I have done my best to see him as much as possible. He can’t just abandon me and leave me hanging like this when I have tried so hard to make things right. In order to save the marriage, I would need to stay here in the US and become a permanent resident, which I don’t think I can do without his help.

I really don’t know what to do.

Answer:
 God, I hate writing this.

You have a relationship problem, not a legal problem. You need to figure out if there's anything worth saving **before** you spend your time and money trying to get citizenship.

I'm sorry to say this, but two months without contact is abandonment, plain and simple. Unless your husband is involved in some deep cover overseas black ops, he should have been able to contact you.


Title: Car will be towed for expired tags.

Question:
I got a sticker on my car that says it is illegally parked due to the expired tags and will be towed on Monday (4 days from now). The car has a broken starter and has been parked in my apartment complex parking lot. I don't have the money to fix the starter at the moment, so I don't have insurance on it and I don't have the tags up to date, since I haven't been driving it. I don't have the money to get insurance on it and get the tags renewed before Monday because rent is due in 8 days. At this point I see two options:

Find someone willing to tow it somewhere else (parents house or friends house...) to buy me some time to get the tags renewed.

Pay rent a week late and get charged a $75 late fee, but get the tags done now.

Is there another option I'm missing? Thank you for any help.

Location: Lexington KY

Answer: Sounds like you cannot afford the car. Sell it.


Title: Did the U.S. Supreme Court create or enforce a statute of repose of 7 years on any product? Meaning, a lifetime warranty is now only 7 years?

Answer:
 The Supreme Court does not "create statues".  The legislature does that.

The Supreme Court can nullify or clarify existing laws and regulations.  I don't find anywhere where they've limited the length of a contract or warranty to seven years.


Title: (GA) Prosecuting for sexual abuse [F-16]

Question:
First post here, so apologies for any mistakes. My girlfriend was separated from her parents (mom and step dad) at a young age because her step dad had been physically abusing her. There were bruises on her body. She has lived with her grandparents ever since.

What she didn't tell the court is that she had also been sexually abused by him. He had manipulated and scared her to the point where she was scared and thought no one would believe her. She has only told me about this and no one else.

Fast forward to last night. She had been visiting her mom (they hang out occasionally). She had gotten pretty drunk and her mom had accidentally given her two Xanax bars. She went to bed and I guess passed out.

Her ex step dad is still hooking up with her mom. She didn't know this. She woke up in the night and thought that her mom and sister were sleeping in the same bed when she looked towards her mom's room.

She woke up in the morning without her bra on. When she went outside to speak to her mom, she saw him. He made some disgusting comments about wishing him a happy Father's Day. He also made a comment about not wanting to see her walking around in her bra and shorts. He called her by her childhood nickname and toucher her lower back whilst she was walking out of the house, angry and upset.

She also has a big purple/blue bruise on her chest (on her boob). She cannot remember anything that happened last night. She doesn't know what he could've done when he took off her bra. She was on her period, if that matters.

She is hesitant on seeking any legal persecution because she doesn't want others to know. She's 16 and in Georgia.
She also doesn't think she has evidence to be believed. She thinks it would simply be her words and against his.

What can we do in this situation?
Can she stay anonymous throughout the trail/in court etc?
Will her case be good enough based on what I've mentioned?
Can the bruises be evidence? Can any DNA testing help?

This entire event has turned our world upside down. I have another post (post history) which has a more emotional side to all this.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 > Fast forward to last night. She had been visiting her mom (they hang out occasionally). She had gotten pretty drunk and her mom had accidentally given her two Xanax bars. She went to bed and I guess passed out.

Accident, my left foot. Her mother drugged her so that her father could abuse her again. Nobody gives their kid two bars of a highly-controlled medication, with alcohol, "by accident." (Edit: from your post history, it's very unlikely her mother mistook Xanax for pain medication, either.)

If she's willing, she should take herself directly to the police and make a report. Now, if possible, or first thing in the morning. She may want to get a rape kit done, as well^(1), and may want to go to her doctor and get tested for STDs and pregnancy if there's any chance at all she could have been raped while unconscious.

One thing that might be worth checking is whether her police department has a dedicated sex crimes unit, or a victim's advocate she can speak to.

I wouldn't worry too hard about evidence. First, it's not her job as the victim to prove the crime. Second, even if they ultimately can't prove sexual assault, her mother provided alcohol and controlled substances, which may be enough for charges in its own right. The bruise, combined with waking up braless, may well be enough for the police to pursue sexual assault charges, too.

-----

^(1) This isn't the thread for discussions about rape kit backlogs. _I know._ There isn't really a better option.


Title: Did I buy a car Or is it not official can I still back out

Question: Yesterday I went into a dealership decided on a car went to do the paperwork agreed to do a $5,000 down payment but I didn't have the money right then he mentioned a promissory note for how long I had to give him the 5,000 but he forgot and I never signed it ended up leaving the new car at the dealership the next day I decide I want to back out of the deal but in Utah there is no cooling off period  later in the day their finance office contacted me saying that my bank declined to finance the deal and the finance guy sent me an email with the promissory note wanting me to sign it and saying that we could Finance it through another company since the financing fell through did the deal technically fall through can I just walk away

Answer: impressive one sentence post.  think youre off the hook.


Title: Received traffic summons in the mail without ever having been pulled over.

Question:
I came home from work one day back in August 2014 to a handwritten envelope wrinkled and folded with no return address in the mail. To my surprise inside was a traffic summons for a seat belt violation for a driver and passenger. All my correct information was present on the ticket for myself and my car. The only problem is I've never been pulled over in that city of Rhode Island in my entire life. I went to the station the day I got it and the officer behind the counter was surprised I received it in the mail. He gave me the information of the officer that allegedly pulled me over. The next morning I called the number and spoke to the officer and explained the situation, he then told me that it may not have been me but it was definitely my car that he stopped. I'm hesitant to even let my 50 year old mother drive my car, and not to mention I put my seat belt on before I even back out of the driveway. The officer told me to go to the first summons date and plead not guilty, then find out who was driving my car and bring them to the trial date. After my first appearance I went to the clerks office to get my trial date I was shown the original ticket with "my" signature on it and it was nowhere close, it also looked like fairly fresh ink. The trial date was Dec18^th, 2014 I explained to the judge under oath that I have never been pulled over in this city in my life, and after some back and forth with the cop who basically said “it’s been so long I can’t remember who I pulled over” the ticket was dismissed due to lack of burden of proof. It still weighs on me pretty heavily knowing that either someone has an ID in my name and is ballsy enough to show it to a cop and have it be believable, or this cop made up a bogus ticket saying he pulled me over and sent it to me himself. My question is should I pursue this further. I mostly just want to figure out what happened but being able to sue for being the target of a fake ticket would be nice also.

I’m confident that my identity wasn't stolen, I've been monitoring it very closely. Aside from someone having a fake ID in my name, I see no evidence of identity theft.

I am sure nobody I know stole my car. The only people that have ever driven my car are my mother and myself. She has her own vehicle and she always asks me before she takes it if my brother is using hers.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > My question is should I pursue this further

There's really nothing to pursue.  You can try to pull the original police reports, if you haven't already, to see precisely what happened during the stop.

Realistically, unless you have specific evidence that the officer made it up, I wouldn't go making accusations.  And if someone else does have your ID, only that officer could identify them and he apparently didn't make enough specific notations to mention it.  If I were you I'd drop it for now.


Title: Girlfriend feels entitled to all assets

Question:
This is for my friend who is having a huge meltdown and panic attack.

Him and his girlfriend moved in together recently, and ever since, she has been really abusive. She threatens to kick him out all the time, forbids him to see his friends, and even when he does nothing wrong she will find a reason to be pissed off. She feels entitled to all their property and thinks she can just “kick him out” on a whim.

By the way, their house, car and bank account is under both their names (although he paid for 90% of it). She is very confident that if they went to court she will get at least half his assets despite her not contributing much, and he fears it will turn out the same.

They aren’t married and don’t have kids, have only been living together for 3 months or so. And, you can clearly see who pays for what on both of their bank statements. All she does is buy clothes, makeup, accessories, ect - while he pays all the bills.

There is clear evidence on their bank statements that out of the $80,000 or so, she has only contributed around $5000, yet she feels so entitled that she’s always threatening to kick him out with nothing. She basically manipulated him into buying a house for them and now wants to break up and take his shit.

My friend is hesitant to get a lawyer, cause they will end up taking even more of his money.

I just want to know: is it really that much of a woman’s world right now? Can she actually get away with this or is she just overconfident?

(Australia, VIC)

Answer:
 It has nothing to do with gender.

Your friend should search the Vic Law Society for free or cheap referrals to solicitors who are family law specialists, for advice. Answer #2: Tell your friend to close his bank account and reopen one in just his name. He can do that without a signature from her. Answer #3: Most of the people here aren't super familiar with Australian law but...

 > is it really that much of a woman’s world right now?

It doesn't really have to do with being a man or a woman. At the end of the day regardless of who the two parties are, if two parties are both named as owners then they both have some claim to things.

 > Can she actually get away with this or is she just overconfident?

There's really no way for us to know. At the end of the day though, they're joint owners and unless they work something out it'll have to be solved through the courts. Assuming the 85k figure is just for the house, I wouldn't consider 6 figures (after the car and bank account are factored in) to be do it yourself territory. He should definitely at least consult with a lawyer about how to handle this.Answer #4: Its better to spend money on a lawyer and benefit from it instead of living with an abuser who steals and takes advantage of you.


Title: Stepfather committed suicide; is my mother (his wife) liable for all of his debts?

Question: Stepfather recently committed suicide and my sister and I are currently going through all documentation to determine what to do next. So far we have found about 8K in credit card debts on accounts my mother was not attached to and we are concerned that she will need to pay these back.

Answer:
 If they are married and in a community property state, she may be liable for the debt.  Otherwise, his estate is responsible for his debt.  If he had any assets, they may be liquidated to pay off the debt.

Sorry for your loss.


Title: Being blackmailed and extorted for money

Question:
Ok. First off yes. I was stupid. I know many will have their opinions but for now I really just need some help.

This started off as some role play online. There is a fetish known as consensual blackmail where I signed a contract agreeing to be give some picture and info and then do some things relating to various kinks. This was all supposed to be non-financial.

Again. Yes. I know it was stupid but it happens more than you think. I also know the contracts are not truly legal or enforceable.

Very quickly they started to request money. I paid some and the numbers got bigger. These transactions were done by amazon and iTunes gift cards then bitcoin.

Eventually I thought we came to an agreement and I paid them off for $2000.

All communication was done via kik and a couple of emails.

The next day I received a text message. Maybe the same person maybe someone new. Threatening to show pictures to my wife, my daughters and others. Even showing screen shots of my daughters Facebook pages.

The requirement was 5000. I agreed to pay 2500 and they said they would stop. This was paid in bitcoin.

I then blocked the number.

Now today I have received another group of texts from a new number. 2500 again. I did not pay and blocked the number. This was followed by a new text from another number threatening me with exposure if I didn’t pay. I have blocked that number too.

I have asked all my family to be wary of any random messages and to lock the privacy on their Facebook but I doubt it is enough.

Regardless of how this started, this is blackmail and extortion for money. This is illegal.

I have no doubt they are using vpns and fake numbers and profiles. Also I know bitcoin is basically made for this as it is hard to trace.

I need to know my options. Can the police help?  Can anyone track or trace this?   I am scared and have given up a large sum of money already.

Please don’t judge. Please just help. I live in the US. No idea now where they are.

Answer: As you've found out, paying blackmailers will only motovate them to ask for more money. You can nake a police report, but don't expect anything to come of it, they are likely overseas.


Title: AL/FL - Gave 2 week notice, but was fired while setting up computer for next engineer.

Question:
I work(ed) part time for a small startup company as the sole robotics engineer for the past 4 years. I signed no NDA, acceptable use policies, signed and equipment hand-receipts, or computer/equipment agreements because the company has none. My part time status worked well for me because I was a graduate student for the majority of that time.

In the past year, I've found employment full time in a different field and was unable to juggle the responsibilities of the two jobs. Since the small company was unable to pay to employ me full time, I decided to end that chapter with the company and put in my two week's notice. This is after several long conversations with the owner about having too many irons in the fire and that I would be permanently leaving in all likely hood.

The primary computer I was using was my personal computer. After two years, that computer was outdated and needed replacing. I purchased the second computer myself as well, but the company later offered to reimburse me for its purchase with the understanding that I would also be using it as my personal computer.

I live a couple hours away from the office, and was able to do the majority of my work remotely. At my home, I had the computer, but also several pieces of hardware fully purchased by the company that I worked with. My schedule is such that today was the last day I would be able to travel down to the home office for the next month to drop off all the equipment in anticipation of giving my two week notice.

In the next two weeks, I had planned on offering remote support for existing robots in the field and being generally on call while no longer doing any active development. Since I had to return all of my equipment, including the laptop before I left, I began getting things in order for the next engineer.

The laptop was running a bit slow and bogged down with all of my personal documents including my PhD research. I removed all of the personal documents, but was still having issues, so I returned it to factory settings and reinstalled the OS.

I backed up all of the software, documentation, and proprietary information for the company. The owner has the install disks and the license keys for the commercial off the shelf tools used in the software development, which I did not have access to. The original plan was to turn in the laptop to the home office, have the owner install all the necessary tools, then remote into it from my location and set it up before I left for the next engineer with the owner putting in the needed license keys that I had no access to.

Well, when I sent in my two weeks notice and turned in the equipment, he immediately fired me out of emotional response. All of my work for the company is backed up in the cloud and ready to be pushed to the laptop, which I could do remotely. He has full access to all of the documents, but now I have heard from current employees that he is threatening to go to a lawyer claiming corporate espionage. Here is the email I sent right after he told me not to bother with my two week notice:

"Company Owner,

I did not anticipate you terminating my employment immediately. Today was the only day I had available to travel down and return company equipment before the end of my two weeks. I still needed to remote into the laptop and optimize the package with the latest code and installs. I am still willing to do so, and it would greatly benefit the next engineer you bring on to not have to sort through the all of the code, though they should be able to do so.

All Company related and proprietary software, documentation, and package builds can be found here:

CLOUD ADDRESS

Let me know if you are unable to access it, or if you find anything missing. If you notice any hardware that is unaccounted for, send me a list and I'll double check to make sure nothing got left behind.

Despite my immediate termination, I will be available for the next two weeks to assist in getting a new engineer up to speed, but they should have everything they need.

 I won't be keeping anything that is proprietary to company nor use the software or code that was developed under company's banner.

Best Wishes,

Employee"

He hasn't told me directly that he is considering going to a lawyer, and he has not responded to my email, but even the threat has me nervous. I've reformatted my computer before and reinstalled my platform, so this isn't something new. He has access to everything I've developed for them since the beginning of the company and nothing is missing (about 4GB of compressed data on the cloud). Even though I have used the word proprietary, nothing is patented.

Is this something I should be worried about, or is he just having an emotional reaction?

Edited for spacing.

Answer:
 Provide a TL;DR

>Despite my immediate termination, I will be available for the next two weeks to assist in getting a new engineer up to speed, but they should have everything they need.

I would advise you do not do this. You have been fired, do nothing with that company anymore. I would even go as far to say that the more you get involved with this company the more likely you are to receive a lawsuit.

For now don't worry about anything until the actual lawsuit comes in, maybe have an attorneys number handy. Answer #2: There is nothing you should do and nothing you should be worried about.

You're an at-will employee, meaning you can be fired at any time for almost any reason. "Employee says they are quitting in two weeks" is certainly a great reason to fire them.

You've also made it clear you want to take proper steps to leave the company in a good place.

If the owner continues to be unreasonable it is better not to communicate other than to make sure your last pay is deposited.


Title: Pre-shift and after-shift rights.

Question:
Hello. I'm a crew person for a McDonald's in Louisiana. There has always been a policy that states that no employee should have their cell phone on their person during any shift. However, recently, the owners have stated that no employee should have their cell phone on their person while in the building before clocking in or after clocking out for their shifts. It's also been stated that all employees must stay in the crew room before and after their shifts, whether or not they are in uniform. As far as I know, there is nothing in the policy about the previous mentioned statements from the owners.
Can our employer force us to sit in a certain place before or after our shifts? Can they ban cell phone usage before or after shifts?

Answer: Not legal advice, but most likely they're trying to avoid the impression of having employees not working while customers wait.  If a customer walks in and sees someone in a uniform on their cell phone, they'll likely assume the employees are too lazy to help them, especially if they have to wait.


Title: Can I do anything about a friend with extremely bad road rage?

Question:
Location is Texas, if that matters.

Ok, I tried to find a post about this but couldn’t find anything, so bear with me.

So I’ve been friends with said person for a couple of years now, driving with her a couple of times and hearing stories of her road rage.

She tailgates people like no other, riding the car in front by about a yard.

She ALWAYS goes about 10 over the speed limit, and if there’s someone going exactly the speed limit, she will ride them until there is enough room for her to move into the other lane and continue this at the next car.

She always flips people off and honks when people are just following the law going the speed limit.

She tells me the way she is going to die is by getting shot from road rage.

She knows it’s not funny, but says it’s necessary because others should not be on the road.

What she does is extremely dangerous while driving. I know there’s a lot of drivers who do this, but I just don’t want it to get to the point where she actually does get shot.

This kind of sounds like a joke about the stereotype of women being bad drivers, but it’s really not. I guess I just feel bad.

I’ve told her many times she needs to calm down and drive with a sense of intelligence, but she ignores me and continues to drive reckless.

If anyone has advice on anything to tell her so she doesn’t end up in jail or dead, I’d greatly appreciate it.

EDIT: she now lives in a different state for school

Answer: I mean, it sounds like she isn't going to listen to anything you say.  If your goal is simply to avoid death and jail (but don't mind her getting tickets and whatnot) you can head down to her local police station and have a conversation with them.


Title: (MA) Pet deposit.

Question:
I already know the section of the law that states that a landlord may not charge for more than:

-first

-last

-security deposit not more than 1months rent

-what it costs to change the locks

However, I'm going to see my potentially new apt tomorrow, and the landlord has requested a $50 pet deposit. I have printed out the relevant statute, but will be taking the pet deposit, and if needed, will submit it and fight it after.

My question is: Does a federal housing authority have a different rule? The HUD final rule says that it defers to state law in this instance, yet when I go to Boston Housing Authority website (not where I'm going but they have everything online and where I'm going does not), it appears Boston federal also is charging a "non-refundable pet fee".  I'm convinced this is illegal.

My plan is to produce the law that I printed, and if there is any pushback, submit the deposit, and find legal aid and get it back.

Any advice? I have read all the pet deposit posts I could find in here, the ones for Mass, anyway. Much obliged.

Answer:
 I'm confused, did the landlord say the pet deposit was non-refundable? If they didn't say non-refundable, you need to ask them directly, not just assume it is.

Be warned that going into an apartment search begging for a legal fight will not entice any landlord to rent to you. If I had a tenant come to look at a property with stacks of legal documents printed out about what they're entitled to as a "gotcha", they would not get a call back.


Title: A friend of mine died. I was one of the last people to see him. As far as I know, foul play is not suspected. Is it normal for a detective to want to talk to me?

Question: I am in the US.

Answer: The detective's job is to find out what happened to your friend.  If you were the last person to see him, it's perfectly normal that they'd want to speak to you to find out if he seemed "normal", whether he had any plans to meet someone, whatever.  However, this sub tends to advise people never to speak to the cops without a lawyer present.  So caveat emptor.


Title: When selling a car do I remove the license plates?

Question: im selling my car to a coworker and i was just going to sign over the title and he give me cash at work. the car is not running atm (he knows) because of the battery, fan belt, and alternator are out. i have been told to take the license plates off to make sure when he drives it, my name doesnt come up. is this correct?

Answer: Yes the plates should be registered to you. I know there is more you need to do, depending in the state, but make sure you take your plates!


Title: (AR) Can I divorce my husband while pregnant by another man?

Question:
I left my husband in May and was saving up for a divorce. I've had a boyfriend these past 2 months and recently found out I'm pregnant. I have heard that I legally cannot divorce my husband until the child is born because, supposedly according to AR law, any child I'm pregnant with is presumed to be the husband's until a DNA test proves otherwise.

Is there any truth to this? I was really hoping to be divorced from my husband before my child is born.

Answer:
 Assuming you're serious about getting a divorce, you would need to retain the services of a lawyer. Go do that now.Answer #2: Yes, it is true. Arkansas is one of a few states that doesn't allow a divorce to be finalized while the wife is pregnant.  The good news is that the divorce decree can help you resolve some of the paternity issues by having you and husband both acknowledge the child isn't his. Then you and boyfriend can move forward with establishing his legal paternity.

Edit to add that just because you cant finalize the divorce doesnt mean you cant file it and get the ball rolling. you should talk to an attorney. Disestablishing paternity is not DIY


Title: NY - bought a car and dealer is saying cash deposit is missing

Question:
I bought a new car Monday and received financing through my bank. Part of the deal for the vehicle was i would put down $1500 cash, in addition to the check for the vehicle. I make the payments, we sign the papers, I get the keys, and I take the car home.

Today, I received a call from the dealership stating they never received the $1500 cash, and that I owe them $1500. I just looked through my documents and there is not a specific receipt for it, only for the check. It was in an envelope below the check and above thee lien release for the vehicle I was trading in, and they're saying that I should have brought it to the attention of the business manager that it was there.

How do I proceed? Am I out another $1500 cause either it fell out of the stack and I didn't realize it or because someone there pocketed it? I'm not accusing them of being shady (though it feels like a scam), it's a reputable and large new car dealership, but I don't think I should have to pay another $1500....I'm just lost what do I do?

Answer: Always use either a personal check or cashiers check, cash is too easy to misplace. But to answer the question, unless they come up with it you're pretty much out the cash. Answer #2: Ask if the dealership has cameras that might have caught you handing the cash over to the representative.


Title: Medical "reasonable accommodations"

Question:
I have recently had a few "unplanned absences" and my work is not happy. I do not see these as stopping and would like to ask for the opportunity to work from home on the rare occasion I would otherwise not be able to go to work.

How do I go about the process requesting "reasonable accommodations" due to medical issues? Thanks!

Edit: I know I qualify, I just would rather not discuss it here.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 You can ask for working from home as a reasonable accommodation for future events.

Obviously they don’t have to agree that particular accommodation is reasonable. In many situations an employer would offer intermittent unpaid leave as the accommodation.Answer #2: Do you qualify for FMLA? That's probably your best option.


Title: [CO] Party at fault got insurance immediately after a car accident and filed a claim. Claim was denied due to timing.

Question:
My father got in a car accident a little over a month ago. The lady was clearly at fault and admitted to it though I don’t know the exact details of what happened. She begged my father not to call the police because she didn’t have insurance. She then called her previous insurer, renewed her insurance, and they immediately emailed her a new insurance card. She hung up called them again and filed a claim admitting she was at fault, however she told them the accident happened over 2 hours after it had actually occurred. She gave the claim info to my father.

Obviously they immediately denied the claim. My dad lost her phone number (and she refused to answer when called previously). We have her drivers license, however she said she doesn’t live at the address listed anymore. We also have pictures from the scene of the accident. The car was assessed to have $3000 in damages.

We’re not really sure where to go from here (our insurance doesn’t cover it) and it’s too late to file a police report in order to seek restitution. I would love any advice regarding next steps with the information.

Answer: Your dad can sue her.


Title: [MA] Apparently Massachusetts has common law marriages? How do I protect myself?

Question: So I'm in a relationship with a guy who has a ridiculous amount of debt (mostly private and public student loans). We've been living together for almost 10 yrs now, and we haven't gotten married because of it. But apparently Massachusetts has common law marriages? Does that mean that they can come after my assets too? Is there any way I can protect myself? It's not a big deal right now because I don't have any assets, but I plan on graduating soon and hopefully making some.

Answer:
 If you don't hold yourself out as married, and don't tell people you're married, you're not married.

Answer #2: Massachusetts does not allow for common law marriages to be contracted within the state. They only recognize common law marriages contracted in places where it *is* legal (which is just a handful of states). If you've spent that time together in Massachusetts, you have nothing to worry about. Also, you can't be "tricked" into becoming common-law married. Both parties have to agree to marry and hold themselves out to the community as married persons.