Title: Looking for guidance on whether I have a chance in small claims with awful roommate (MA)

Question: Sorry in advance for the length of this. Im extremely upset and stressed over the situation and it’s a muddy situation and would like to get some clarity if I have any shot of success in small claims or civil court. My boyfriend (Tom) had a lease with a random guy. The random guy decided to bail to go live with his boyfriend over the summer, leaving my boyfriend in a real bind since the lease is until September and he couldn’t afford to pay the entire rent on his own. His best friend (we can call him Chris) and his girlfriend (Sarah) were amazing and moved across the country to take the roommate who bailed’s place. The landlord was informed and they signed the lease and everything was fine. A few weeks into Chris and Sarah living there, they expressed how lonely they were since they moved so far away from where they’re from to be there for Tom. They asked if mutual friends of theirs and Tom (Edward and Diana) could move in with them as well. Tom expressed a lot of hesitation to me, stating that Edward was unreliable and a flake and he was really uncomfortable with the situation. Chris spoke to Edward who promised he would stay for the remainder of the lease, would pay $600 in rent each month for the use of the den area of the apartment as his and Diana’s room, and that if given a job at Tom and Chris’s place of work he would not leave out of the blue and bail. Tom eventually agreed and they moved in in mid November. However, Toms landlord provided them a notice that she could not accept rent from more than 3 people in the unit, so Edward decided to pay Tom who would then give a lump sum rent payment to Toms landlord (essentially Tom was acting like Edwards landlord). Very soon after Edward and Diana moved across country to live in the apartment, Sarah cheated on Chris and moved out. At this point, Tom, Chris, and Edward were the only three paying rent in the apartment (as Diana does not work and Edward financially supports both of them). Edward and Diana spent every night at the apartment (aside from a holiday visit to family) and set up a room in their den complete with a mattress that they slept on each night. Edward paid Tom the $600 rent by the 5th of each month as promised. Many texts were exchanged with them referring to it as “home”. At the start of the new year, Tom asked Edward Chris and Diana if they would be comfortable with me moving in, as I already spent a lot of time there. They all agreed to it and I moved in and began paying rent to Tom. Things were fine at first but Edward quickly became very antagonistic towards me. Assuming plates left covered in grease were mine (until his girlfriend would inform him they were hers) and acting passive aggressive towards me. After about a week of this I asked for a roommate meeting and we all sat down to discuss the tension between many of us and Edward. 3 big conclusions came from this discussion, the first being that Chris and Edward would try a trial period starting the next month of switching rooms (since Edward and his girlfriend needed the space and Chris had the bigger room). The second was that if they chose to leave they would give a months notice so the rest of us wouldn’t be scrambling to cover their portion of the rent. And the third being we needed more clear communication (something initially Edward refused because he was “too busy to deal with that”. There are texts to show the first statement but no texts showing the second, however there were 5 of us in the room when it was said. The situation ended up escalating a few days later during which Edward and I had a large argument in the kitchen. He was getting in my face and egging Tom on to fight him so I told him to get out and go back to his area of the apartment. He told me and Tom to go back to our “troll cave” of a room. On my way up the stairs he shouted that he was moving out and would not pay the February rent due within the next week. He has not given any written notice on the matter. Since this occurred I have been searching landlord tenant laws in Massachusetts trying to figure out if we have any remedy here for having to scramble last minute and dip into our savings to cover his share of the February rent. From what I have seen, because he had an oral agreement with Tom to pay him rent of the 5th of each month, paid that rent, and because he spent every night in that space, and had mail delivered to the apartment in his name, he established a tenancy at will. And because of that he owes 30 days notice. He is claiming that he was merely “visiting” with no intent to live there, and that even if he had lived there there was no contract or lease and that toms landlord had stated she would only take rent from three people and that when I moved in in early January I was clearly the third person (I am also not on the lease and only stated paying rent in January to Tom through Venmo). I am a barred attorney (in a different state with pretty much no experience in LT law) who chose to pursue an alternate career path but have maintained my license, so I figured my best course of action was to write a demand letter since I vaguely remembered how and send it certified mail to them. They had verbally affirmed their intent to move out on the 5th so I had planned to mail it to the apartment but I never got the chance because yesterday Chris informed me that they were trying to sneak out and leave for good while Tom and I were at work. I was off work early yesterday so I went and confronted them. I notified them that I was filing a claim in small claims court and that I would need their new address to properly serve them. Edward refused to give me an address to serve him, stated I would never get a dime and that he would rather go to jail, and publicly insulted me a bunch. He tried to accuse me or harassment so I immediately turned around to walk away because I’ve seen enough phone videos posted on the internet to know how that goes. As I was walking away he pulled out his phone like he was recording, and on the street outside of Tom and Chris’s place of work, where I know people, shouted that I was a racist. I turned around for a brief second (stupid of me I know) and basically told him to get lost, he then shouted loudly that I had just called him the N word. I have never used that word in my life and would never treat someone differently for the color of their skin ever. I immediately had a panic attack thinking he had filmed an interaction where he falsely claimed I used the n word, and knowing that many people on the street heard him say these false statements. It wasn’t until Chris, who was standing next to him, told me he hadn’t actually hit record, that I was able to calm down somewhat. I’m sorry because I know this is quite long, but my two questions are (1) was it a tenancy at will and did he owe 30 days notice despite his arguments that he was just a guest and that I caused him to not be able to inhabit the apartment by telling him to get out (of the kitchen - a part when he recounts me saying get out that he loves to leave out even though two people standing right there heard it) and by his assessment making it a “hostile environment” (basically by asking him to tell me if he thinks a dish is mine so I can wash it if it is, and by me opening the refrigerator to grab a yogurt on my way to work and basically making any amount of sound which he now claims was me slamming things (it wasn’t - I was using them as I normally would..) and (2) do I have any shot at a civil action for slander for him shouting in front of people I know that I’m a racist and used the N word when neither of those things are true and both would be extremely damaging to my reputation? This situation is causing me extreme amount of anxiety not only at having to scramble to cover the cost of him bailing but at being treated so horribly when I have been nothing but kind to both Diana and Edward (helped out with food when Diana would ask for stuff of mine because $ was tight, brought them to my family holidays so they wouldn’t be alone and got them Christmas presents because I knew money was tight for them and wanted them to feel welcome)

Answer: OP- No one is going to read your wall of text. You need to remove the personal conjecture (about 75% of what you wrote) and add in paragraph breaks if you want to get help.


Title: Forced to buy material by University

Question:
I am currently in a 6 part University course.  Part of the curriculum involves doing online labs.  The labs are of little value and there are free versions available online.  We are also forced to pay for test vouchers for each course.  It was a final exam that was provided by a third party that was not an academic organization.  None of this was told to us upfront and changed mid term.

All the the "required" material was bundled into one $400 "smart pack" per term (two terms).  The smart pack included three test vouchers, three course guides, and lab access.  Most of the students quickly realized, after the first term, that the "smart pack" was of little value and stopped buying the them.  Also all of the material was available else where for free or at a large discount.

We have since received the following message.  (Keep in mind, all the material is available to us elsewhere)

"This course incorporates (Company Name) Official Curriculum content to help maximize your opportunity to learn these concepts and master their application in a wide variety of situations. This combination of readings, exercises, labs, and other materials has been chosen to help you achieve your learning goals here in this class and beyond.

Each of these required materials is licensed to a single user.  This license is nontransferable, and as such, “previously-used,” “rented,” “shared” or “borrowed” materials may place the student in violation of this license.  This is why each student must purchase their own individual copy of the materials, to then gain an individual license for their use.

ALL ... students must purchase and use the required course materials listed below.  There are no acceptable substitutes for the required materials. These materials provide individual student access to required course activities, such as the online labs and exams. Enrolled students will be sent a link to (University) (Course Name) Bookstore site, and will find all required and suggested supplemental materials for purchase via that site.  Special (Course Name) discounts apply – and are only available through this link.

Students who do not purchase these materials and thereby possess an individual license to use them will not be able to participate in these activities, and will receive zero points as a result. This will lead to failing the class as a whole.

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS can be purchased in an (Course Name) Term 2 Learning Pack Bundle which includes materials for XXX 430 and XXX 432. This includes the (Corporation) Official Course student guides, the lab vouchers, and exam vouchers.Use the link below to purchase these materials at a substantial discount from retail prices.
SUBMIT A COPY OF YOUR PURCHASE RECEIPT as an attachment, in order to fulfill this requirement.

Failure to do so will result in your Lab activities and your Exams all being scored at zero points, which will likely lead to failing this course as a whole."

Is is legal for them to force us to produce a receipt and to fail us for not producing the receipt?

EDIT 1
The classroom is in California

Answer:
 Of course it is.  Overpaying for learning materials is part of the university experience.

If you have a problem with it, when the course is over and they pass out the course evaluation forms, have everyone in your cohort complain about the cost of the bundled course materials.  If this doesn't satisfy you personally, after your grade has been registered, go see the program head or department chair and voice your complaint.  You are after all their customer.


Title: I work from home. Is it fair to be told to clock out while I travel to the office?

Question:
Hello all. I work in a call center and due to the whole COVID-19 thing our office has pushed everyone out as a remote operator. I have a laptop they provided and I work my regular hours from home.

I’ve recently run into a few IT issues and have to return to the office to get it checked out and fixed. I’ve had friends tell me that when they go they are told to clock out and to clock back in once they arrive at the office, which for most is less than a 30-40 minute drive. I’m not sure if this counts as traveling to a different worksite and I should be compensated for my drive time.

I also have heard of other folks having issues with their work provided computers and while trying to troubleshoot and figure it out, they’ll be told to clock out since they are not taking calls despite trying to fix the company’s property and essentially doing something productive for work. If I ever ran into this issue myself, should I refuse to clock out?

I live in Georgia.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 A good case can be made this is your commute. This isn't a hill to die on.

Legal advice: Probably don't have to pay you.

Life Advice: Don't push it.


Title: [NC] Was staying with friend, stuff ended up being stolen.

Question:
My fiance and I were homeless so we asked my cousins ex wife if we could stay with her for a few days. It ended up being around 5 or so days. We looked after her kids and paid her electric bill, cleaned up, bought some things for the house, etc. Well today, 7/6/16 she supposedly put all of our stuff outside her apartment while we were at work and didn't tell us after she had locked us out the night before. Our almost new Xbox One and a flatscreen TV weren't there when I left work early to go pick it up. She states it had been outside for a few hours but this is after $200 went missing from my car after she was the only one left alone in the car and the only other person in my car that day. She denies theft, but what legal action can I take to either get my Xbox and TV back or be paid the amount they were worth? Is there anything I can do?? She has been going back and forth to different parts of the state with her drug addict girlfriend and if they pawned it I don't know if it will ever be found again. There were other things missing but it was small stuff like pillows, blankets, etc.

EDIT: Grammar and more background.
TLDR: Bitch left my stuff outside without telling me and things went missing/may or may not have been stolen by her. What can I do legally?

Answer: If you have the serial numbers of the electronics that were stolen, report them. often pawn shops check those numbers to make sure things they are buying aren't stolen. Otherwise, I'm not sure, because IANAL. Answer #2: Also, if you can get her to admit in some way that she left your things outside, without cause, eg in a text message, you might be able to use that as proof in small claims court.


Title: (CA) Facebook / Texts considered binding for a sale?

Question:
I have a "friend" that bought a phone off of me over a year ago (I believe statute of limitations for small claims in CA is 2 years). There's evidence on Facebook where I'm offering the phone and he says he'll take it, and I have tons and tons of texts where we go back and forth about paying me (but of course he never does).

Can I use the FB post and my texts as the "contract" and proof in small claims?

Edit: I did a reverse search on his phone number and apparently he's ripped other people off and someone made a site detailing their dealings with him too. This is gonna be bad.

Answer:
 Yes, it can be "evidence" in court.

Whether it is "enough evidence" is an entirely separate question.Answer #2: Did he ever take possession of the phone?


Title: Workplace food thief

Question:
There was a discussion about employees meals being taken or disappearing at work. Discussing this let us to joke about putting something really spicy or very unpleasant (such as a laxative, nothing poisonous) to eat in a sandwich to catch the thief. Someone mentioned the food thief could take legal action against you for how you prepared your own food. Is this true and to what extent can you get away with tampering your own food? Does writing your name on your food items or lunch box change liability in any way?

I'm located in Fort Worth, TX. This isn't something I'm contemplating, it was merely a hypothetical discussion. However, i work in a place with mostly guys who like to play jokes on each other and this isn't something outside of the realm of possibility.

Answer:
 The food thief can take action against the owner of the food, and the owner of the food can also face disciplinary action from the employer.

Things like laxatives are most definitely illegal.  Things like super spicy curries are more towing the line.Answer #2: If you're known to eat hot food and the person has a bad day eating your sirachi and pain curry? No.

If you make an ex lax sandwich? That's setting a booby trap.


Title: Landlord towed my car in less than 24 hours of moving in. Do I have a case?

Question:
Salt Lake City, Utah: My girlfriend and I moved into a place that we are renting. The landlord is very involved in upkeep of her residences and lives close by to check in often.

I used my parent's large car to help with moving and parked in my parking space. The car that I parked and used to move furniture was not disclosed on our lease as vehicles we would be using. During the first night after moving in, my landlord had it towed at 4:00 am while I was sleeping in my unit. I had to front $250 to pick it up from a private impound lot after learning it had been towed in the early morning. There are signs around the area that say restricted and resident parking.

When I asked her about the situation, she said she tried to physically check on all of the units to see if anyone was available, and after no response, had it towed. I tried to compromise and see if she would help pay for the fees, but she refused citing it was my mistake. My landlord is very difficult to talk to, and I could not get a word in without her beginning to cite she includes a lawyer on all of her communication to tenants and arguing that the my car parked in my spot was not dicslosed in the lease.

In terms of parking, she had communicated that parking would be something the tenants would have to figure out ourselves. She has cited that there have been break in attempts at the units before, and is involved in keeping a keen eye out for suspicious activities and vehicles. Besides my girlfriend and I, all of the tenants are out of town at the moment, so there was no one to coordinate with. In her email, she had not disclosed she would ever tow vehicles.

Are there any new tenant laws that are able to protect me in a situation like this?

Thank you for your help.

Tl;dr- on first move in day, landlord had my car towed from resident parking that has restricted parking signs. Car towed was not on my lease agreement, but I have access to park there.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 The others are correct. But by the sounds of it you're going to have a landlord that will screw you on every little mistake. Be prepared. Answer #2: To be clear:

Lease says you have to register a car.

You registered a car.

You parked a different car than the one you registered over night.

Is that right?Answer #3: I'm curious.  You surely explained using a large vehicle to facilitate moving.  Further, what if you had a rental car cuzyour personal vehicle was in the shop?  There are limits to restricting tenant's use and enjoyment of their property.  I would call around - not a lawyer necessarily - but housing depts, and read Utahs landlord/tenant statutes.  It won't be an obvious section, but I'm sure you could find something that supports your position.

If you do, send a letter, cite the statute, give a deadline to reimburse.  And look for a new place as soon as your lease is up.  There are reasonable landlords out there.Answer #4: Hmm. This isn't as simple as it would appear on its face. Here in California you could  [smack the crap](http://napafairhousing.org/landlordtenantstatutes_assets/Towing%20CAA%2010%2006.pdf) out of your landlord over this.

However, if there's any clear code for this in Utah, I can't find it.

http://www.utahlegalservices.org/public/self-help-webpages/utah-renters-handbook may be worth a read for the future; if this is how your lease is starting, you can expect trouble with your landlord in the future, and knowing your rights / responsibilities in advance can save you large piles of money.


Title: [Ontario, Canada] My boss asked people to come in on the weekend for free to help with organization. Is that allowed?

Question:
Hello,

So this is probably a really simple question that could be answered with a Google search, but I can't figure out my search terms.

Anyway, pretty straightforward (I think) situation: I work for a small distributor/manufacturer in Ontario and we very recently moved to a new space in addition to expanding into a large second line of products that we're stocking. The result of this is our warehouse is a huge mess. It's something we've been chipping away at when things slow down a little bit, but for the most part we're too busy to spend any real time organizing everything. Things are so disorganized that it's starting to affect our ability to fulfill orders on time.

So recently at a meeting my boss asked if people would be willing to come in on a weekend, on their own time, to help with organization. Everybody said no. We'll probably have to hire temps or something to do it. I brought this up to my friends as a joke, saying what a waste it was to have just joined a gym when I could spend days moving boxes for free. One of my friends told me he's pretty sure it's illegal for my boss to ask people to work for free since, normally, that would be something that someone (us, or temps, or whoever) would be paid to do. I told him that it's entirely a voluntary thing and nobody is required to do it (nor was anyone punished for refusing), but he insisted that *even asking* is illegal. I asked why, he said he didn't know but was pretty sure, and then we went on watching the hockey game.

Now, what I want to know is, is this strictly true? Like I guess there could be some implied compulsion in that anyone who volunteers could win favour with my boss, etc., and someone could argue that they felt they didn't actually have a choice. But is it actually illegal for someone in management to ask for people to volunteer to help with something like moving boxes on their weekends? Could my boss get in serious trouble for this if someone wanted to make something of it? I have zero interest in bringing the hammer down on him for this personally. This is partially for curiosity, but also if it's actually a serious thing to let him know not to do that again in the future.

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 There's the issue that performing labour for free devalues your labour, making it easier for your boss to lever cheap or free work out of you and your colleagues in the future. I'd refuse on that basis alone: fuck you, my time and work have value, you need to pay me for them.

Unfortunately, the situation in Ontario is not as clear-cut as it is in the United States. Ontario employers can _sometimes_ legally use volunteer work, whereas American employers must fall into a very small number of categories. [This article](http://lawofwork.ca/?p=8317) covers some good case law. Odds are good that if the work you're "volunteering" to do would commonly be considered work for which payment would normally be expected, then you could compel payment after the fact through the Ministry or through the courts, but that's time-consuming at best and expensive if you have to sue.

It's not illegal to ask. Your employer _may_ owe you wages even if you nominally volunteered your time for free. You should not do free work for your employer's benefit on the vague expectation of some un-stated favour in the future.Answer #2: Did your boss actually say volunteer for free? Or just asked for volunteers? There's a big difference. You see people ask all the time for volunteers to work weekends when it's outside the normal work schedule but that doesn't mean they aren't getting paid. They do the same thing for stat holidays. It's better to ask for volunteers and still pay them because it prevents them from having to pick people and force them to do it.

Of course if you boss said hey need some volunteers to work for free that certainly changes things.


Title: [California] Just moved into an apartment, am being harassed by a neighbor, no response from management.

Question:
I'm a single mom with a young child who has just relocated to a city far from my hometown, hours away from any family. I recently (2 weeks ago) signed a 6mo lease with a property management company after finding a clean, updated apartment in a complex located in an "upscale" neighborhood. I will admit that I was in a rush to find housing, so I didn't get a chance to fully vet the property management company or apartment complex.

I had a package delivered to my door yesterday. While on a break at work, I received a strange phone call from a woman asking my name and address, and if I am home or lived alone. I asked how she found my phone number, and she told me she got it off the package at my front door. I tried to ask more questions, but could not understand her well and she abruptly ended the phone call.

When I returned from work, my package was there, and indeed had my number on the label. Inside my apartment, my power had been turned off. This could be unrelated, but I'm still making a note of it since it had been turned off from the main breaker, and the breaker box inside my apartment was not working. Emergency power company person comes out, power comes back on. I go to bed.

At 4:45am I wake up to pounding on my floor, or the downstair's neighbor's ceiling. I then see my phone start to ring, and it's the number that called me earlier. I do not answer. I stay up because I can hear talking and noise from the apartment below, and I'm honestly pretty freaked out at this point. I eventually fall asleep, check my phone again and the same number had called again, at 6:30am.

The next day, at around 11am, I hear knocking on my door. I look out the peep-hole to see a woman without shoes, with wild hair, and it is clearly the person who called me yesterday and during the night. She seems to be a drug user, or mentally ill. I do not answer the door. I ask what she wants through the door. She asks me questions that do not make sense, such as if I know someone named Richard, and that she's his girlfriend now, and she needs me to open the door to talk about something important. I tell her I do not know what she's talking about. She leaves, goes downstairs, and I can see her clearly through my window now, so I took a photo of her.
About 15 minutes later she comes back, asking more incoherent questions through the door. She says she is hearing screaming from my apartment. There was no screaming, my child was quietly watching TV as I was getting ready for work. I tell her I will call the police, but I am unsure if she heard me. I said that I have a husband who will be home soon. She left again.

At this point, I'm afraid to leave my apartment to go to work. But I see her get in a car and leave, so I was able to leave. When I returned, she wasn't home. Tonight, I can see that her car is back and can hear her at home now, and I'm afraid of what will happen next.

I sent all of the above events in a similar message to the property manager and included the photo. I did not receive a response. Apparently, I chose a terrible property management company with many poor reviews and lawsuits. My property manager only emails, and will not answer phone calls.

I turn to /r/legaladvice because I'm in a situation that feels very unsafe and I'd like to remain anonymous, and also to ask:

What are my rights now, as a tenant? What can I do to protect myself and child? If I call the police, what exactly do I tell them and what kind of report do I make? Is there anything else I should be documenting? If I feel truly unsafe and the situation continues, is there any way I can get out of the lease legally?

Thank you in advance. I'm sleep deprived, so I apologize for any mistakes. I hope this is the right place to ask for this advice. I will update this thread if anything happens tonight.

Answer: You call the police. The property management cannot change that she is crazy. They cannot evict her because she scared you. So if she comes to your door ask her to leave and not return. If she does, call the police.


Title: convicted of a misdemeanour/relocation please help!

Question:
i was convicted of a misdemeanour (criminal trespassing-2 years ago) and put on one year supervised probation. i was scheduled for a payment review but i didn't show up which made them issue a bench warrant.
i was wondering if i never appear for my warrant would it affect my chances if i tried to relocate to a new country?

(KS)

Answer: The other country may not allow you in.


Title: [WI] I’m on the final track to joining the US Army, but just got a subpoena in the mail regarding some family legal issues. Can I fight this?

Question:
After a few weeks of wrestling with hospitals across state lines for documents and digging up references and studying for my Picat which I excelled at. Got my ship out date for Oct. 15th, and today I got a subpoena for early January through February. Obviously they aren’t going to ship me back across the country during my basic and IAT so I’d have to delay my entry until next fucking March.

How can I fight this? They also misspelled my last name so (for example, not my real name) it’s supposed to be spelt ‘Hensley’ but it’s spelt ‘Henslye’. Could I pretend to not notice it because there’s no one here with that name?

I have half a mind full of horrible words I’d call her and the other half is wanting to text her and tell her how much I despise her guts. But I know that’s a bad idea.

Answer: Ask your recruiter. He may have experience if it happened before, or he may know someone that can provide you more advice/information.


Title: I sent sex toys to an underage girl

Question: she asked for them so i bought them on an online retailer. Is there any way i could get in trouble for this? I realize that I shouldn't have done this. She lives in Arizona. I live in the US.

Answer:
 Oh boy. Saudi Arabia, as I'm sure you know, is governed by Shariah. You can expect to be executed by beheading in the public square. If you're lucky.

If you're unlucky, death by stoning.


Title: I cut off the security tag on my power box and flipped my power back on. Can I get in trouble? If so, what kind?

Question: To be clear, I paid the balance I owed already and the company is supposed to be on their way to reconnect. I have fridges/freezers of melting food and twin girls who I need to microwave food for so I got sick of waiting around and just snipped the tag on the power box and turned it back on. Bad move???

Answer:
 Bad move, but understandable one. It's not your property, you don't have a right to do that. Answer #2: This annoyed the heck out of me the one and only time I went through it. My ex-husband took the bill money to the bar and I only found out when the power went out.

The company said they needed to come out to turn it on.

I thought that sounded stupid, but they explained that if I had left a pot on the stove (turned on) it could catch fire if they turned the power on and nobody was home.

But... when the power goes out in a storm, they turn it back on as soon as possible and do not require an appointment with every customer who lost power.

WTF!

I don't know what the repercussions would be for doing it yourself, but the REASON they insist on coming out is their potential liability.


Title: Wal-Mart order GONE BAD

Question:
(This is in Bronx, NY)

So long story short:

Two days ago, I decided I've had enough with my bathroom drains being clogged all the time from hair. So I decided it would be best to order 2 HairClog remover bottles-- and a speaker-- at Walmart because of their online 2 day shipping.

Joy came to me when the box arrived.  However, when I opened the package, there was this black liquid all over the damaged box.

 I didn't think much of it (as I didn't know what it was at the time) but when I went to remove the plastic from over the product, my hands immediately started to burn with one of the most painful sensations I have ever had in my entire life. As I ran to the bathroom I had to was my hands for 10 minutes just to tone the sensation down. After I finished, I began to look around the outside of the box for clues on what it was that cuased this.

Upon doing so, I discovered there was a 'Caution Lithium Ion' sign as you can see in the image attatched. There were also small drops and puddles of another liquid on the base of the box. So I put two and two together, I discovered Lithium Ion & Sulfuric Acid was all over the box.

Lithium Ion was the black liquid that was initially all over the box. And the sulfuric acid was from the hair clog remover that also leaked onto the box. But thats not all. White paint was all over the speaker box and this greasy substance was all over the speaker as well. This burn was one of the most painful things I have ever felt and I am just wondering what I should do about this because this is not okay. The products dont really mean much to me at this point, but the thought that they would put my safety in jeopardy really does! If I could get some advice on what to do that would be great. Thank you all!

Photo of Box: http://imgur.com/gallery/s4e8U

Answer: Call poison control, go to doctor, contact corporate, get gift card (maybe).


Title: What are the laws regarding the use of a helicopter to evade police?

Question:
To give a hypothetical scenario, we'll drum up a helicopter pilot, a few cops, and Joe, who just committed a felony.

Joe, in the process of commiting said felony, flees police. He drives by an air field which has a helicopter that's just starting it's rotors up. Joe drives to the helicopter, hops in, and seconds later the police pull up as the helicopter takes off.

I'm interested in CA/Federal law with these specific questions;
- What crime did Joe commit by using a helicopter to evade police?
- If the helicopter pilot was a "getaway driver" for Joe, what crime or crimes did the pilot commit?
-- Bonus: What would the police response be to a "rogue" helicopter (containing wanted persons, ignoring air traffic control commands) in flight?

Answer:
 If you stay out of sight for around 30 seconds or so all your wanted stars disappear and you get-off scot freeAnswer #2: If Joe hijacks the helicopter, then he's probably guilty of new crimes related to air piracy, kidnapping, theft, etc.

If the pilot is involved, then the pilot becomes a co-conspirator in any crimes that Joe has committed, as well as assisting with the escape and evading.

They may or may not have needed to file a flight plan and stick to it- deviating from that could bring new charges.

And most obviously, if you fly an aircraft too close to somewhere it should not be, there is a real risk that it's going to get shot down by the military in a post-911 society.Answer #3: I would imagine the pilot would have reasonable doubt under some conditions.

I heard no sirens- there's a loud engine above me and I'm wearing headphones.  I saw no police cars.  I was facing away from the police and watching my flight path and the air around me and not behind me.

If it's a large police organization, they may have a helicopter give chase.

If that's not available, they'd likely notify other agencies to watch for it to land elsewhere.

If it's a stolen helicopter, I suppose they could land it in a sparsely populated area, set fire to it, then escape in a car stashed there.

For all your fictional and/or criminal planning needs /r/legaladviceofftopic !


Title: Woman reported me to the FBI for rape/murder threats. What can I do?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Please stop [posting this thread](https://m.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4vqz0j/being_watched_by_the_fbi_reddit_admins_are/) over and over.  We have already answered you.  You are overreacting and clearly need non-legal professional help.

In addition, you should stay off Reddit since you only come here to melt down and fight.


Title: Can the CEO of a private company remain a private figure instead of becoming a public one?

Question:
Would it be possible for the CEO of a private company to remain a private figure in the eyes of the law if he/she didn't seek out publicity or make public appearances etc..

Thanks.

USA - MA

Answer:
 I. . . yes? Case in point, I am a very private person, and the CEO of my company.

Is there some specific thing you're wondering, because this is a bit vague.


Title: Why was Pippa Middleton able to get a UK court to ban the release of her stolen photos but stolen photos of celebrities in the US like Scarlett Johansson still get released to the public?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: UK laws are different than US laws.


Title: DUI military base

Question: Charged with dui, reckless driving general, and refusal in Virginia. My command is telling me all charges will be dropped if I go forward with NJP under military law. So all my civilian charges are dismissed and I face military punishment. Do this sound reasonable and possible?

Answer:
 The civilian charges UCMJ processes are completely separate; the only person who can drop the civilian charges is the civilian prosecutor.

You need to speak with your JAG officer.


Title: Florida: Severely injured by Miami Airport wheelchair contractors but nobody will take case because International terminal.

Question:
In April the MIA wheelchair contractor injured me severely, pushing me forward down a steep section of jetway ripping my erector muscle (permanent even with medicail help). American Airlines and the contractor made reports (although AA staff warned me the contractor usually didn't and would "lose" it if I requested copies). Several witnesses in MIA, captain himself eventually allowed me to fly versus calling ambulance because it was an emergency travel, but assigned crewmember to check on me every 20 mins.... they promised to write a statement if asked but AA requires a lawyer ask. I have statements from two people at destination who helped carry me outside and drove me to my address because I was that badly hurt.

The injury was bad enough I was bedridden, paying for medical, and my returned delayed several weeks. Insurance didn't cover the interruption or medical, and certainly nobody is looking at the lifelong treatment requirements.

Of course when I returned in July the contractor smashed me up again, different body part and during the trip from the terminal to the baggage area... where at last I found a supervisor to make the person stop and let me off - fortunately by then I could use a cane, but then spent an extra week bedridden from using a cane to get from baggage to rental.

It turns out this company's "training" is that staff watch a short video and then go straight to work... like these injuries are Wheelchair 101 and they can't even get that right. Also the wheelchairs and the way they're used prevent the disabled person - assuming the person could - from grabbing the brakes. The language barrier is also a problem e.g. the second time the staffer had no English and I didn't know her language.

This company is notorious for hurting disabled people and other Florida airports have banned them. Disabled people are a vulnerable population, usually travel compounds the confusion of what to do when this company injures someone, add time and language problems and it's a recipe they use that to their advantage.

Recently I had to go through there again and AA ensured I was taken by cart. However, again on the jetway I had to use my cane to stop the wheelchair because the guy was pushing me forwards down a steep jetway. Obviously the accident report from April either didn't happen or didn't sink in.

I've been trying to find a lawyer ever since April but, although everyone involved is American and there's a pattern/history for me and that other airports have banned them over, each lawyer I approach says they don't do cases from the International terminal because of international law.

One lawyer said I have 4 years to make a claim but I'm sure from what AA said and the recurring issues that there is little to no documentation aside from my keeping my ticket stubs and the AA staff/crew (who see so many people they probably already forgot me) and my witnesses.

Please let me know what to do - I'm especially confused why international terminal rules would interfere when all parties are American - but I need contingency so is that maybe a nice way or saying no?

Thanks for your time, have a good weekend!

Answer:
 Let me be honest.  This has nothing to do with the "international terminal" because US law applies there.  Either the lawyers you've seen feel your case isn't as good as you think it is, is too small to bother with, or they don't want to take it or you on for some other reason.  Perhaps among them is that with your various injuries compounding each other, it's going to be very difficult to prove causation.

You can keep looking for a lawyer -- offering to pay by the hour might help.  Or you can try small claims.


Title: Can an employer (with over 15 employees) demand documentation of an ADHD diagnosis of an employee in order to remain employed?

Question:
My employers held a meeting with me to discuss late timesheets/reports. I admitted fault for those things and they said if items were turned in late again I could be fired. A week later, they sent me a “contract” to sign stating what we had talked about and the consequences. At the bottom they also said I needed to have my doctor send over documentation of my ADHD diagnosis.  If I didn’t sign and comply with the contract I would be fired. I verbally disclosed this diagnosis a few times but never wrote it on my application and I have been employed with the company for 7 years.

I am wondering if it is legal for them to demand documentation or to fire me for not providing it.

Answer: If you are using the ADHD diagnosis as a reason you need accommodation, or a reason you turned these things in late and should not be held responsible, then yes. They can and should request a doctors note verification.


Title: Landlord will hold me responsible for rent unless a new tenant replaces me (IN)

Question: I'm on a month-to-month, and I share a house with a roommate. Roommate's girlfriend plans to move in to replace me, but won't sign the paperwork because she doesn't have money to pay rent. I gave my 30 day's notice, but my landlord said I'm responsible for rent unless/until my replacement signs the paperwork because both Roommate and I are on the lease and Roommate is staying. Am I really responsible for rent after the 30 days are up?

Answer:
 I think the landlord *would* be right if this was a year long lease and you were trying to leave before the end of it.

However since we are dealing with a month to month lease you are not trying to leave before the end of it. You are staying to the end of your current lease (30 days) and choosing not to renew it. A month to month is just a month long lease that automatically renews each month. I don't see how it could be renewed without all parties consenting to it.

If it requires both of you to end the lease then your roommate could hold you to it indefinitely. If that is the case then 20 years from now you could still be held to the original lease. I have a hard time imagining any Judge enforcing that.

Make sure that you give your landlord proper notice and keep a copy for yourself (I would send it certified mail return receipt required). That way if 2 years from now your roommate and girlfriend stop paying rent you can show that you gave proper notice to not renew the lease.


Title: Family member is selling a tv show based on my idea

Question:
A couple of months ago I had an idea for a comedy show. My cousin is in film so we began working together. After a couple of writing room sessions with some friends I quickly felt like I was being pushed out of my own project and it was turning from a comedy to a drama. So I shut the writing room down and took my idea back. Present day; I learned that he continued to work on it and even in talks to sell the pilot script to a production company. All I have are witnesses that it was my idea from the writers room and some texts of me and him talking about it where he writes that it is my idea. Is there anyway I can stop him from selling my idea?
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 Ideas are not copyrightable. If he still is using any of your actual written contribution from when you were a part of the project, then send him a cease and desist with and offer to license your copyright for a sum. These would have to concrete contributions. Dialogue, set design etc. Not general ideas. Not brainstorming or even a written list of plot points. The only thing you have copyright on is your fixed creative work. Each of those words is important and particular. Fixed meaning written, recorded, or illustrated in a tangible form. Creative means it has to artistic, not a budget or list of settings or props to be used. Work means it has to be something that stands on its own as complete. Like a scene, or an sketch of the proposed set.

It is highly unlikely you have much here unless they are still using large pieces of the work that you did earlier. You absolutely do not own the “idea.” It wasn’t stolen from you in a legal sense, whatever it feels like. Copyright law protects actual realized work not raw creativity.


Title: In an ideal world, how would we punish people who use their phones while driving?

Question: [removed]

Answer: Self driving cars. This is the answer to distracted drivers, drunk drivers, and drivers with poor reaction times (you know, human ones).


Title: [Urgent] A close friend with mental illness just text me and said he was going to kill himself. He won't tell me where he is because he knows I'm going to send help. What do I do?

Question: Tennessee. I'm typing this as fast as I can so I'm sorry if it comes out jumbled.  This friend has attempted suicide in the past and is going through a very rough time.  He just text me to tell me he's going to kill himself.  He also said he was going to turn his phone off in a minute.  He refuses to tell me where he is because he knows I'll send help.  All I know is that he's not as his house.  He could be anywhere.  I'm trying to talk him out of it as much as I can but it doesn't look good.  What can I do about this?  Less importantly, could anything happen to me because I was the last person to speak to him?  Do I have a legal obligation to contact emergency services ASAP since he told me even though I have no idea where he is?  Thank you for any help you can give.

Answer:
 Call 911 and tell them whats happening.Answer #2: Just give 911 your best guess of his location, and his cell number. They won't expect you to track him down yourself. Answer #3: 911 can locate the phone with the assistance of the carrier very quickly in a time sensitive situation. Call 911.Answer #4: Call emergency services, see if they can get a trace on his phone.

> Do I have a legal obligation to contact emergency services

Not to my knowledge.


Title: [Alaska] Using a friend's dumpster

Question: A random woman in the complex my friend lives in walked out and either took pictures or video of me using the dumpster to throw away a couple cups and random papers while he and his girlfriend walked down to my car for dinner. How fucked am I?

Answer: If everyone other than that woman is sane, you're fine.


Title: [LA] How can I, a stay at home mom, get a divorce from my husband? We have a child together and he is the sole provider, but I believe I would win custody.

Question:
Sorry if this is a lot of info, I’m just trying to be thorough.

I am 25 he is 27 and our son is almost 2. We just signed a lease on a new apartment and he is the sole provider. Our only car is in his name, but our apartment has both our names on it. He handles all finances and paperwork, so I don’t know to what extent my name is on the apartment.

His family is riddled with issues. Depression, bipolar, psychosis, schizophrenia, addiction, anger, anxiety, and alcohol use. They all also have health issues. The majority of them are medically obese and they all have back issues from an accident that happened when he was younger. They can’t hold anything more than 10lbs, which is much more than my 2 year old son weighs. A few of them smoke, too. His dad makes somewhere around $50,000/year.

My family is “clean” except my mom had some postpartum depression when my youngest sibling was born, and she has some anxiety issues that her doctor think is caused by too much coffee. They have a room set up with a bed and a crib for whenever we come over and if there’s any flooding/hurricanes, we can just drop everything and go there and there’s a fully stocked room for my son and I. They are more prepared for a baby than I am. And they have a much better financial situation than my in-laws (+$150,000/year).

My plan is to move in with my parents and get a job/go to school (husband won’t let me go to school, it’s been a dream of mine to be an engineer) my mom and sister would help watch my son.

My dad is a very prominent figure in our city and can help me with some legal stuff, but he’s also very “do it yourself” type of guy. Like, he doesn’t call plumbers because he can do it himself. So he’s going to want me to do the majority of the leg work, but he’ll make sure I’m doing it right.

My son is an average baby, no special needs or anything.

My husband has anger issues and is very controlling. Only recently was I “allowed” to get a Facebook because of business reasons, but an old guy I knew friend requested me and now he’s trying to get me to delete Facebook again.

If he got custody of my son he would move in with his family, putting my son in an extremely dangerous situation.

What do I do here? What’s my first step? How do I make sure I get my son? I’ve never dealt with something like this before.

Thank you

Answer:
 You should get an attorney.  If your dad wants to help you get an attorney.  Great.  But that should be the extent of his assistance.  (Unless he IS an attorney)

You just signed a lease.  I am not sure why you would assume that he would move in with his family.  Why wouldn't he just remain in the apartment, in which case the mental health of his family is less relevant.

Absent extraordinary circumstances, the courts tend to favor custody arrangements in which both parents are as much a part of the child's life as possible.Answer #2: OP. Clearly you are trying to bad mouth your current husband's family. Stop making wild judgments, from my view it looks like you might be planning to go to court and just tell the judge that he is incompetent of having custody because of, "HIS FAMILY". Remember its not about his family who's taking care of the child, it is your husband as far as the court sees the matter.

As always contact a family law attorney and get ready for a expensive long enduring custody battle. Just be aware that money plays a big role when it comes to the custody process.


Title: Sister bought loom for 1500 but listing says 2000. Now guys wants his 500

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Saying that they will work something out later sure makes it sound like they didn't agree on $1500. It sounds like he agreed to accept a down payment, with the expectation that he would get the rest later. Is that accurate?

Edit: fat thumbs.


Title: Paying the price for an empty perfume bottle

Question: The other day I was on a job at a department store and I stopped to check out the different perfume scents for the wife for our anniversary. There was one bottle that was empty, but I truly loved the smell, but there was no way of spraying a scent stick to take home, so I took the empty bottle. I figured that since the bottle was empty, no harm - no foul. Went home, wife hated the scent so I tossed the bottle out. A few days later I received a phone call asking about the bottle. I didn't deny taking it. After all, it was just an empty bottle and thought nothing of it. However, I was told that it was stealing and that I have to pay for the item or else lose my job. I never thought the empty bottles was actually stealing since they toss the empties right into the garbage without a second thought so I just figured since they are tossing it out anyway, it shouldn't hurt. Well, it did. Here's my question, is paying full price for a empty bottle justified? or was I made an example of?

Answer: Regardless if it was empty, it’s considered stealing by your employer, you could have asked before taking it. Paying full price is justified.


Title: CA: Is it considered tortuous interference to report open warrant for assault to an employer (Uber)?

Question:
I was assaulted by someone, and he dodged the open warrant by leaving the state. The warrant is for misdemeanor assault of a female.

He is now working in California as an Uber driver.  He worked for them before the assault so I assume he passed his background check with them before the warrant was issued.

I'm worried about his female passengers.  Is it legal to report this to Uber?

Answer:
 FYI Uber isn't the employer of the drivers; they're contractors. Uber isn't likely to do anything, really. It's doubtful they'd drop them unless something of their criminal record excludes their eligibility; but a warrant isn't a conviction and may not matter at all.

Calling the police would be much more effective.


Title: My image on thousands of products? What do I do?

Question:
I put an image that I took on the image buying websites (Shutterstock, Dreamstime, and Fotolia) and today I found one of my pictures on a product at the store. What legal rights, if any, so I have in this situation? Can companies and websites buy my picture for as little as 25 cents and then mass print them on products? What can I do?
I'm in the USA.

Answer:
 When you put an image on those sites, you are granting them a license to resell your image. So long as the manufacturer has paid the photo site's fee, they are free to use the image in any way granted by the license. For example, here is Shutterstock's:

http://www.shutterstock.com/licensing.mhtml

>2\. Shutterstock hereby grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide, perpetual, right to use, modify, and reproduce Images in the following ways, subject to the limitations set forth herein and in Part II hereof:
>b. In print media, digital media, product packaging and software including magazines, newspapers, books (including print-on-demand books), e-books, advertising collateral, letterhead, business cards, product labels, CD and DVD cover art, applications (including mobile "apps"), and opt-in e-mail marketing, provided that no Image is reproduced more than two hundred fifty thousand (250,000) times in the aggregate, and that the Images cannot be readily unincorporated from such digital media or software;

Unless the manufacturer is making more than 250k items, in which case they'll require an "enhanced license", and again, they paid the fee, then what they're doing is perfectly legal.

Presumably, Shutterstock or whoever sold the photo will be sending you a portion of the fee.


Title: [MI] Can I ask a 16 year old out over HotorNot

Question: I've been talking to a 20 year old for some time on HotorNot (it's a dating app like tinder). Just yesterday she told me she was 16 and while I know our relationship would be legal in Michigan, I'm nervous that if I were to ask her out I would be in violation of an electronic medium law I'm unaware of.

Answer:
 You could, but it's creepy. You're 22, she's 16.

You haven't exchanged any nude photos, have you?  This sounds suspiciously like the start of a well-known scam.Answer #2: How old are you ?   Are you also in Michigan ?

It's entirely possible that your underage paramour is in fact a scammer or a cop.   In fact, most of these stories we see here have already progressed to the "her dad found out and called me and wants money or he'll go to the police".

It's equally possible she's lying about being 16, making you on the edge of becoming a sex offender.

Can you "ask her out" ?  Sure.   Asking someone out isn't sexual conduct.

But from a Federal level (and all interactions over the Internet are Federal) and for any travel across state borders, the age of consent is a hard 18.    Folks have gone to prison for meeting up with their teenage consorts in Michigan when they reside in Indiana.


Title: Detained on my own property for being suspicious

Question:
Hutto, TX (suburb of Austin)

This happened a couple of days ago and stuck in my craw. I was driving home approximately 10 am. Pulled into my driveway, a police car pulls along the curb blocking me in my driveway.

Cop leans out " Do you live here?"

"Yes, why?"

"I saw you pulled over on the side of the road looking at your phone and ran your plates. You're car is registered in another city." I pulled over to the side of a residential street to answer my phone for a call I was waiting for.

"Yes, I moved here a few months ago and the car's new. Wait, are you allowed to run my plates for no reason?" I'm a former MP. I know civilian and military is different, but for us this would be fishing and was explicitly not allowed.

At this point the officer turned on his lights, got out of his car, asked for my id, and told me I was being detained. He took my id, went back to his car, I assume ran me for warrants, then basically gave me the speech from A Few Good Men. "You may not like it, but I'm here protecting the community and you're suspicious etc..." I'm early-40s, a HS bio teacher, and look like it. Since then I've seen the same officer standing next to teens sitting on the sidewalk and in one case with a teen in cuffs, all in the middle of the day. I'm concerned he's basically just hassling people.

My question is, can I actually be detained on my own property for looking suspicious a mile ago? If I was suspicious on the side of the street shouldn't he have just stopped then? Was I required to hand over id at this point? To be clear this was a city cop, not and HOA security guard.

Answer:
 As far as running your plates, yes they can. Police in my town have cameras on the from of their vehicles that takes a picture of a plate and runs it. They will drive through parking lots running all the tags in the lot. If one pops up that lets say the owner has a suspended license they will wait till you drive off in the car and stop you.Answer #2: > can I actually be detained on my own property for looking suspicious a mile ago?

You can be detained at any time, anywhere, if the police have proper suspicion that you've committed or are committing a crime.

We can't guess whether they had that here.  The officer's statement isn't binding, nor does the officer have to explain himself to you.Answer #3: You can be questioned. You can ask if you can leave or if you are being detained. If they say you cannot leave you have to stay. If you believe their  behavior was inappropriate you can file a complaint after the fact. Being suspicious is not a crime but it  may be enough for an officer to stop you and ask some questions. You always have a right to refuse to answer, though in some states you would have to identify yourself when asked.


Title: Ex-girlfriend has possession of all my stuff; won't let me in to former apartment to get it.

Question:
Details:
Girlfriend and I signed leased together in 12/2014.
We broke up on 1/26/2015.
About 85% of all items in apartment are mine.
She kicked me out and refused to let me take a step inside the apartment.
She gave me a suitcase, some blankets, and a pillow.
I was made to frantically search for a new apartment: I found one, but they needed verification that I was not on the other lease.
The next day (1/27) she and I went into the leasing office, she re-signed the lease entirely under her name, and I was able to terminate my liability to the lease entirely.
Now I have a new place, but I have access to nothing.  I asked her if I can stop by twice: 1) to get essentials; 2) to move all the big stuff.
She says it is okay, but that I need to tell her what I want, and that she will leave it outside.
Whenever I ask her to do this, she keeps pushing the date and time back saying it's a bad time.
I'm worried, now that I'm off the lease legally, that she has legal grounds to keep me from ever getting my things.
???
Please Help!

Answer:
 your stuff is still your stuff. she has to return it. she can't sell it or throw it away or anything.

Sue her for access/compensation. she'll fold.

ideally, you'd have a lawyer send her a 'demand letter' requesting return of all property and probably proposing a scheduled meeting for the handoff.

you could try asking the police to escort you. but since you're off the lease, they might not.


Title: Handicapped 34f denied wheelchair at hospital twice. Fell several times in their parking lot, broken foot and possible hip.

Question:
Oh boy....
 I fell and injured myself at home a few weeks ago; I fractured my wrist and was treated at my PCPs office 4 days after the fall. I was experiencing some aching pains in my chest which were likely related to the fall, but at that time the doctor wasn't overly concerned. By the next day, the pain had gotten worse so I contacted an on call nurse at my doctors office who suggested I go to an emergency room, just to rule out any major injury. So that night, I went to this little 24hr medical center in my town. I have a 14 month old and didnt want to drag her out, and the ER was a few blocks away. So my husband helped me to the car and I drove myself in. Once I got there I realized I forgot my cane at home, so I cautiously walked into the hospital and asked the receptionist for a wheelchair right away. She paged the nurse to bring me back for an exam and as she was pulling out a wheelchair for me, the nurse told her not to, and that I didnt need it. The nurse walked away too fast for me to tell her I was unsteady on my feet, and that I needed assistance.
I was given an xray of my chest, and was brought back to the ER department. The same nurse poked her head in the room and said "no broken bones. You're all set to go." I asked again for a wheelchair out to my car. She pushed the door open, very hard, and stated if I walked in, I can walk out. Wow.
I started out to my car, and as I was making my way up the walkway my boot got caught on one of the cement pavers, forcing me to fall hard on my fractured wrist. I continued to fall 4 more times and just couldn't catch my balance. I was screaming for someone to help me. I had to take my boots and splint off, and use them to stack on top of each other so I could get some leverage and stay on my feet long enough to get in my car.
 A few days later I went to OHSU where they took xrays showing I have several fractures in my foot that were not there when images were taken at my primary care doctors office on Friday, 12/11. I've also been having severe pain in my back, hip, and groin area so my doctor is working on getting an MRI scheduled ASAP.
I want nurse Ratchet to lose her job, period. The receptionist who checked me in is a witness to this woman refusing the wheelchair. I've been waiting for a customer service survey so I can let them know what happened but the more I think about it, this isn't right. Do I have a legal case here, though? Any advice is super appreciated.

Answer:
 You need a med mal attorney asap, medical liability and malpractice are complex so call a few and do your internet  research on them.

If what you say here contains all the facts do this asap. Do NOT fill out anything from them, review them, speak to them, or otherwise forewarn them you are getting a lawyer. Answer #2: I bet your town has a problem with pill-chasers... Or youve been flagged as one yourself.


Title: Repossessing car from family member?

Question:
Earlier this summer I bought someone in my wife's family a used car. We made an agreement on repayment that included a clause that if this family member was late 90 days or more I could do with the car as I wished since the title is in my name.

Fast forward half a year and the payments my wife has been helping her family member make had been going into a savings account with both my wife's name and my name on it.  This money was earmarked to pay our property taxes due early 2019, along with other money added to the savings to cover said taxes.

My wife and I are now going through a divorce and my wife cleaned out our savings account for legal fees, including those payments made "to" me.  What I'm wondering is since those payments have been effectively taken back by the person(s) paying if I have any legal grounds to repossess the car since it's effectively in no-payment status now.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 No, you made a decision to put those payments into your wife's savings account. They were paid.

Moving forward, if they don't pay the full payment to you, you can move forward with repossessing the vehicle.


Title: Time to seek legal help?

Question:
Hey, I have a question for Reddit. I own a Surface Pro and last week my fiance was sleeping on the couch and he accidentally managed to unplug my surface and sit on the magnetic rectangle part of the charger.
The next morning I found a burn in the shape of the charger on his right buttcheek. I'm not talking a blister or anything, it was a crater on his ass. Parts of it were green and other parts were black with char marks surrounding it. We went to the emergency room. We were told he got second degree burns from the charger. It looks much worse than more people would think a second degree burn could.
Anyway, like I said. Giant crater, green, black, char marks, horrible. I already called Microsoft and they have escalated our case... do I need to talk to a lawyer? I am not going to be satisfied if they offer me a new charger or something like that. I am looking for more compensation than that. What do I need to do here?

Thanks to the individuals how have helped me out on this, I appreciate it. A lot of negative blow back, but there were a few who understood I was just looking for my options. Thank you.

Answer:
 >do I need to talk to a lawyer? I am not going to be satisfied if they offer me a new charger or something like that. I am looking for more compensation than that. What do I need to do here?

Realign your expectations.

Your problem is essentially that they did not babyproof this item. Unfortunately, it is not a baby toy and your fiance is not a baby....

He should not have been sleeping on the charger or the Surface pro. This is not the intended use of the items. It is also an obvious consequence of misusing the item.

Check the owner's manual, it might list not sleeping in contact with the charger in a similar place to where people are warned not to run knives along their skin in the warnings included when you buy a set of knives....

If your fiance had fallen asleep and dropped his cigarette burning himself, would you sue?

That being said, feel free to contact a lawyer. I may be wrong. Or, they may send you some money to end a nuisance suit.

Or, in describing your desire to sue over this people might repeatedly laugh at you for blaming this on the makers of Surface Pro and not your idiotic fiance(or intellectually gifted fiance who acted like an idiot).Answer #2: What compensation do you believe you're owed here? It's not really their fault that electricity causes burns.


Title: NYPD car tailed me for 5 mins and gave me 6 fines altogether...

Question:
Hello everyone hope to receive some help here. I was riding with my scooter in Brooklyn and I get pulled over by NYPD. He tells me I'm riding between lanes and he has cameras in the car and has been following me. Ok I say to myself, I'll get the fine since they are on the hunt for motorcycle in ny with the freaking riding between lanes. After 30 mins he gives me 6 fines, 4 fines for the "riding between lanes" and 2 fines for "pavement marking violation" . I mean I get the message, you want to give me 2 different fines ok, but why would you destroy me that way ? That's almost $1k in fines for a stupid scooter. Why wouldn't he just pull me over right away and give me one?  I appreciate any kind of advice to fight this in court because I dont want to pay all this money
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Advice: stop driving in between lanes.  It's dangerous to you and everyone else on the road.


Title: How do preemptive pardons work?

Question:
Hi there, I'm not a lawyer, but curious about the news that Donald Trump is considering preemptively pardoning several staffers.
Source: [https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/03/trump-considers-more-pardons-442727](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/03/trump-considers-more-pardons-442727)

As a "layman"  I have a few questions about how this process works:

1. Have preemptive pardons ever been done before?
2. Do they require a specific set of charges, or are they blanket?
3. Does the scope of the pardon only cover crimes in the past? (probably a stupid question, but idk anymore)
4. Would this pardon be able to be challenged legally by prosecutors if federal indictments are pending but not released?
5. If someone is being investigated for breaking federal law, and is preemptively pardoned, can state prosecutors raise charges if state law was also broken, since no trial or conviction has occurred?

Answer: 2> Nixon was pardoned for ' for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.' without enumerating what those offenses might be.


Title: We are a (501-C3) Anime con that had to delay until 2021, a vendor is threatening suit over a refund that we cant give. Can anyone offer opinions? Advice?

Question:
Hello r/LegalAdvice

We are a smaller anime convention that gets about 4K\~ attendees per year, and are entirely run by volunteers.  From the board of directors, the president, all the way down to the volunteer who comes in for one day to monitor the viewing room, we are an entirely volunteer force.  Any profit from the year before us goes into paying off the rest of that year, and then pre-paying for as much as we can for the next year.  This includes the contract with our venue, programs, website upkeep, any little expense that goes into planning a medium-ish sized event.  One of the attractions at the event is our Exhibitor Hall, where attendees can go to buy art, figures, wall scrolls, and general nerdy memorabilia.   For this, I write the contract, outline the space, review portfolio submissions, vet outside vendors and companies for sponsorship, and run the annual charity auction.

Because of Covid-19 we have made a difficult decision to postpone our event until the summer of 2021.  This event was approved by our host city, and was made with the general safety of our crew and attendees in mind.  Con plague is real, if you ever go to one, wash your hands.  Anyways, I was sending emails to all of the artists and vendors who have registered for the 2020 year, paid their table fees (some have fees upwards of 2 grand USD) and letting them know our plan.  We have told them that any tables purchased for 2020 have automatically been locked in as approved and paid for when our event resumes.  Anyone who would like is welcome to privately sell their table to another vendor as long as we are able to get that vendors information.  A long time vendor emailed be back that this was not an acceptable response and hinted at taking "legal action" if we do not offer them a refund immediately.

Our contract for vendors specifically states in the Refund Policy that any refund cannot be given out until that years event has concluded.

I am not sure what the legal outcome of this possibly is. The convention plain and simple does not have the 2K odd dollars to issue this vendor a refund.  Its all tied up into other contracts, and none of the members of the staff are exactly able to shell one out since we are also tied up with Covid money problems, on top of the fact that most of us are college students doing this as a way to give back to our community.  The only other thing I could think of would be selling off convention assets, but most of the things we own (IE TVs and systems for the video game room, AV equipment, etc) are all personal items from the staff.  If we were brought to court, between lawyer fees and having to break contracts with the other facilities that we are tied to (that might also result in other fees for the convention) our event would likely cease to exist for forever, putting a lot of us in trouble financially.

Basically, what I am asking is that... is there a way for the vendor to actually sue us and win?  I would love to refund them if I could, they have been a business relationship with us for a long time (10+ years) but we simply dont have the money.  And if we issue them a refund, it creates a domino effect to the tune of about 20 grand.  I am not a lawyer by any stretch of the imagination, like, I have an art degree for goodness sakes. Any advice?  Opinions?  If it helps at all, we are a registered 501-C3 nonprofit organization with a contract with the vendors that says refunds cant be given until our event is over.  We havent "cancelled", just postponed. Please help.

Answer: Don't suppose your contacts have a Force Majeure/Act of God clause?


Title: Speeding ticket advice

Question:
I have a quick question.

I was pulled over this morning for doing 80 in a 60.

I do not agree with that because my cruise control was on 65 the entire time.

He wasn’t even parked doing radar. He was driving on the opposite side of the highway.

He then turned around and pulled me over.

Maybe another car was going 80 but I surely wasn’t.

I’ve had speeding tickets before and I usually agreed with them.  but this one I 100% was not speeding.

Is it worth it fight it? I don’t want to waste money on a lawyer or anything either.

Can I just walk in  and tell the judge I truly believe I wasn’t speeding or is that just a waste of time?

Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 We need to know where this ticket was issued in order to really help, but you don't need a lawyer to appeal a speeding ticket. I'd just Google "[state] traffic ticket appeal" and go from there.Answer #2: Speed limit was 60
Cruise control set to 65
You said you 100% weren’t speeding

You 100% were speeding, the question becomes what were you cited for? If the officer gave you a citation for exceeding the posted limit it is fair. If the officer gave you something along the lines of reckless driving that’s worth challenging.

You can hire a traffic attorney to sort this out on your behalf no matter what the citation is for


Title: Can an employer make you come in and do desk work if you have a doctors note for an injury? [NC]

Question: Im in North Carolina and have a doctors note to be out for a week with a leg injury, is my employer legally allowed to make me come in and work at a desk or any kind of non-manual labor or even fire me?

Answer:
 If you have worked at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, you may qualify for FMLA. That would give you protected time off.

If you do not qualify, yes they can give you alternate work and fire you for not coming in.Answer #2: Did you injure your leg at work? Do you have enough sick time to cover the week? Have you worked there more or less full time for a year?


Title: Is it legal to train a barback/busser at 5.00$ without tips. (X-Advice)

Question:
I just started a job bussing/barbacking at a corp bar found all over the nation. They are telling me I have to do 3 full shifts. Before I can solo, the thing is I'm getting paid 5.00/hr and I dont get tipped. I can't see this being legal, it seems they would have to pay minimum wage for training duration, right? State of Michigan
Over the age of 21
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 No. If you're not getting tipshare, they must pay you minimum wage for all hours worked. They can't claim tip credit if you're not pulling at least minimum wage.

You can file a complaint here: http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-11407_59886-107123--,00.html


Title: On month to month via text msg - Landlord says I owe them for half of Nov., no 30 day notice

Question: So, here is my situation. I live in Atlanta, GA and I am moving out of my apartment where I have a had a month to month lease for the last two years and before that I had a one year lease. After the one year lease was up, I texted my landlord asking about a month to month lease and they said yes but it would be an extra $75 a month. That was that and the checks kept showing up but for an extra $75. Nothing was signed and they even confirmed by text (which I still have) that there was no lease in place. "I was on a month to month." I told them today that I will be moving out and will not pay for November's rent as I will be out of my apartment by that point. (weekend of 10/25) They responded by saying that they needed a 30 notice and I need to pay $400 or half of November's rent because I didn't give them a 30 notice. Can they do this?

Answer: yes, you still need to give notice even if you're on a month-to-month.


Title: What charges may OJ Simpson face if the recently found knife is linked to the murder?

Question:
Curious to know this and didn't know of a subreddit to post this in, so I decided to post it here.

In the US, I beleive you cannot be prosecuted under the same charge. So with that in mind, if the knife turns out to have been used by OJ to kill his wife, is there a chance he will go to jail but under a different charge? Will he still get away with murder, if he did commit the crime?

Thanks in advanced

Answer: No. This is the 7th post on this since noon. Use the search function.


Title: Internet Service Provider won't accept my request to cancel [ON, Canada]

Question:
Hi All,

&#x200B;

Sorry in advance for the long rant...

I am currently subscribed to an internet service with "ABC company" (don't want to start flaming them). The service is month to month. I have only been with them for 1 month. Their installation costs have been pretty steep, almost $300. The service I subscribe to is bonding DSL. This is where I can get 2 separate DSL lines that are merged together to get 2x the speed of one line. 2 x 6 Mbps lines (I live in rural area, that's all I get).

&#x200B;

Anyway, since the start of the service, I haven't received the advertised speeds. In real life, I am suppose to get around 11 Mbps / 1.3 Mbps. (12Mpbs / 1.6Mbps advertised). But its ranged from 2-10 Mbps / 0.5-1.2 Mbps. It's never actually been 11Mbps/1.3Mbps. I either have good upload, but bad download, or good download, but bad upload. As of right now, both are terrible. (2.6Mbps / 0.5)

&#x200B;

I have called to get this resolved for the FULL month straight. I work from home, so internet is very important to me and I have time to stay at home and check my internet speeds. Everyday I call to get it resolved, and most days I cannot even get to customer service. The times I do get to them, they say they will resolve it, change a few settings, then it starts working. Then a few hours later, we get issues again.

&#x200B;

Today was my last straw, I decided it was more than enough to cancel. This morning I called straight for 6 hours to finally get a hold of customer service, and they said I can't cancel. They say since they are a reseller, and there's an "open Bell" ticket, they can't cancel my service. I basically said this was BS and said they could cancel the service ticket with Bell and then cancel my service... no luck. I was yelling at this guy for more than an hour straight to get my service cancelled and he still wouldn't let me. I e-mailed them to cancel, but I don't have proof of this because they don't advertise a customer support e-mail address.  It's done in a form.

So I am wondering, what can I do here? My month for renewal comes up Nov 18th, and I am deciding not to pay. I am wondering if they have claims to my non service payment if I wanted to cancel already. Also, is it possible to get some of the service installation costs back as well? This has been a huge nightmare...

Note: In the meantime I am stuck with them for internet... When I call a new provider, they say I need to cancel my current provider in order to go with them. I feel like my internet service is being held hostage.

&#x200B;

TL/DR: ISP has been giving me bad service since the beginning. I am trying to cancel my service, but they won't let me. They are going to charge for another month Nov 18, but I don't want to have their service. I am deciding not to pay, what are the legal repercussions.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Answer: I find that BS that you cant cancel. I think the consumer protection act gives you the right to cancel within 30 days. In Ontario anyways. Try complaining to the CRTC as well as thalenia's post.


Title: How to protect personal property from evil ex-landlord

Question:
My friend's ex-landlord is truly an evil person. After she rented from him, she found out about his violent criminal past and that now he has found a legal way to steal from the poorest of people by becoming a slumlord. Long story short, she rented an apartment from him for a year. When she left, he trashed his own apartment, took pictures, and sued her for a large sum of money. She did not damage the apartment at all, but she could not afford legal help, so she fell apart in the mediation and gave in to him, thinking it would get him off her back. It didn't.

Because she can't pay him the hundreds of dollars he demanded each month in the settlement (which he knew), he got a judgment against her. He can't garnish her, because most of her money comes from a disability check and she makes less than 30x minimum wage at her part-time job. He can come after her personal property, though, as little as she has. She lost almost everything in a divorce a few years back, except for a few pieces of family heirloom furniture and her household items and other things precious to her. She has nothing of value but those antiques, and that is what he wants to come after. Her entire nuclear family is dead now, and that's all she has left of them.

I read that there is some way that she can transfer ownership of her property to her child, who is of age, and protect it from being sold. Does anyone know how that is done? She live in FL and they have very low limits of protection, around $5,000, for personal property.

This man is so evil, he has told people that he will take everything she owns and sell it at a yard sale and sue her for what he doesn't recover, because he isn't going to let her get away with costing him money. Of course, the people he said that to are afraid to come to court and testify on her behalf, and unless she can prove retaliation, she's screwed.

I'm worried about her. She is suicidal over this and right now, her friends are sort of watching over her 24/7 because we are afraid of what she will do. She's said she will start a bonfire and burn all her possessions before she lets him have a thing. What can we do?

TIA for any help you can give us.

Answer:
 The circumstances that resulted in this judgement are no longer relevant. As far as the law is concerned, she owes him the money. She needs to consult with a lawyer about the best way to protect her property, as simply giving the furniture to her son could put her in a world of additional legal trouble, to say nothing of setting it on fire. (She really, really, really shouldn't do that.) It *might* be possible to, say, sell the furniture for a fair price and then give the landlord that money, but she NEEDS to talk to a lawyer to make sure that 1) whatever she does, she does it legally so as not to cause any more problems for herself and 2) she does enough to actually protect the items she wants to protect. Just going off and selling it would be a bad idea.

If the landlord takes her things and sells them, then, yes, she will still owe him the amount that he didn't collect. There are limits to this (he can't sell everything to his buddy for a nickel and say she now owes him the judgement amount minus $0.05) but it's not retaliation. It's just how this works.

The good news, though, is that even if she still owes the landlord a ton of money after he takes what he can take, it won't make him suddenly able to take money or property that he isn't able to take now. However, when she's talking to that lawyer about how to keep the landlord from getting her furniture, she should also discuss whether it would be to her advantage to file for bankruptcy, as once a debt is discharged in bankruptcy, it can no longer be collected on.


Title: Insurance Company Made Me Sell My House

Question:
Hi, all. I wanted to get r/legaladvice’s opinion on whether I have any sort of legal recourse for this catastrophe. There are a lot of crazy details in this story, but I’m going to try to only include the most pertinent facts.

Backstory: My stepdad murdered my mom in 2011 and after a few years and some help from local law enforcement I was granted ownership of the family home. Being a budding entrepreneur, I fixed the place up a bit and became a landlord.

The Situation: Fast-forward to October of 2016, my tenant reports that the dishwasher has broken down and soaked the kitchen floor. An inspection revealed that there was water damage to the floor and subfloor. I called my insurance company and they said they’d cover it. They determine that not only the kitchen floor and subfloor needed to be replaced, but the kitchen cabinets as well.

Okay, sounds fine. I have enough experience with construction to recognize this as a three-week job maximum, and my tenant is cool with staying (and paying rent) during the construction. I breathe a sigh of relief, as property management issues are rarely so easily dealt with. I was a fool to let my guard down.

The insurance company sends their contractor to deal with the situation and I think all is well, until I start getting calls from my tenant (a former general contractor) telling me that they are doing shoddy work. It turns out he has had several conversations with the project manager about this and their relationship has become somewhat hostile as a result, but they promised to do better.

Okay, sure. Every project has ups and downs, right?

Over the next few months my tenant witnesses more shoddy work (they measured the kitchen three separate times, with lasers, and still cut the cabinets so they didn’t fit) and the crew consistently shows up in the morning for work but just chills in the front yard until the project manager shows up in the early afternoon. The contractor would schedule times to come over frequently, every few days or so, but rarely made those appointments and were no-shows for weeks at a time. I complained to the insurance company and they assured me that all of their contractors were held to the highest standards, and if the contractor was really capable of doing what we claimed (inconceivable!) they wouldn’t have been hired in the first place. I asked to have a new contractor assigned to my project and they admitted that they only had one contractor that serviced my area. Great.

I contacted a local independent insurance adjustor who commiserated with me, saying that this contractor was pulling stuff like this all over the area, and they were getting away with it because people were either too passive or too broke to fight back.

I insisted this was the case to my insurance company, and they sent out an adjuster of their own to assess the work. Their guy of course said that the contractor had done everything they said they had and were in the clear, despite the project having been ongoing for nearly a year at that point.

I told the insurance company that I would like to fire the current contractor and find my own to finish the job. They said sure, as long as I signed papers saying that the current contractor had done all the work they said they did. Out of desperation, I signed.

I started taking bids, and every contractor I spoke to confirmed that this job should have taken less than a month. Not only that, but much of the work the old contractor had done would have to be redone. It wasn’t long until I found contractors willing to take the job.

Then the insurance company asked for an itemized budget, which my first contractor could not provide in their desired level of detail so they refused to pay. I found a second contractor that used the same budget software as the insurance company and they told me that the only way I was going to get them to pay was to hire a company that used that software. The second contractor provided a budget to the insurance company, but when the budget included work that needed to be redone they said that they would not pay for construction they had already paid for. I couldn’t dispute this because I signed a document stating that their contractor had done the work. Fuck.

Finally, my tenant started paying a contractor to do the work and we agreed that he would take the cost out of his rent payments. I was okay financially at the time but I was about to lose my job and shortly thereafter the mortgage payments became untenable. I had equity and wanted to refinance that year anyway, but my mortgage broker said that any refinance would have to wait until after construction. I ended up selling the house to my tenant in August of 2018, to the shame and disappointment of everyone in my family.

I am fully resigned to having no recourse here. The only reason I post this now is because I just found out that the insurance company has been charging me every month for the property’s coverage a full 8 months after the sale. They agreed to refund me, but I’m angry about it all just the same.

So, what do you all think? Is there anything I should do about this other than take the loss and move on?

Answer: That sounds frustrating but the headline doesn’t seem true – you sold the house because you needed to, Not because of the insurance company


Title: [MA] Child says he was contacted by adult male online

Question:
(Sorry repost, I messed up the first time)
Hi guys,

My friend’s son, 5 yrs old, has apparently been contacted by an adult male while playing on his tablet. He asked for and was given photos and info.

My friend contacted the town PD last night and was basically dismissed. They didn’t take a report or take the tablet. A relative contacted a detective he knows, but haven’t heard back yet.

She has her convo with her son recorded. I understand kids have imagination and there’s all sorts of issues with interviewing them, but at the very least it should be looked in to before they say it is or is not real. It’s an odd story for him to make up out of nowhere.

Any suggestions on who else to contact to escalate so someone will actually look into it? I told her not to use the tablet any further, and to contact the local DA. The guy said he’s from another state, but my friend is still understandably nervous about what kind of info he may have on her son.

Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 If you want a better response, find the nearest ICAC task force and contact them.

Edit: Downvote away.  What could a cop assigned to a computer crimes task force possibly know about how to get something done here?


Title: Under 21 speeding ticket going 38 over, can't get licence suspended.

Answer:
 >What's my best move to minimalize my penalty?

http://foreignlegion.info/joining/Answer #2: > can't get licence suspended.

I will never understand people who say this. You should have thought about that before going 93mph.

Answer #3: You need to retain an attorney because you most certainly **can** have your license suspended.


Title: Is there any way to get a legal photo ID on the same day?

Question: My boyfriend's driver's license expired earlier this week. He already requested a renewed one, but it hasn't arrived yet. Is there any way to a legal California photo ID TODAY? We were planning to get into an age-restricted event tonight, but it doesn't seem feasible at this point.  He doesn't have a Real ID or a passport... Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Answer: You can go to a DMV and receive a provisional license that should be good for 30 days until they mail you a real one.


Title: Why Can't I Quit You? [New York]

Question:
I'm posting this on behalf of my MIL [CA] who owned a business many years ago in California which closed several years ago.
***
On the 15th of December 2017, she was served with a Summon's To Appear (without a date), from the company she had leased the Point of Sale system. This came as quite a shock to her because she had cancelled the service within days of receiving the product due to the product and software not functioning at all, failure of the company to fix their product and/or software, and the inability to process a single transaction. She both called to cancel and faxed them a letter to cancel her service. She went back to check her original contract and found sections where it stated that **she was not permitted to cancel** and sections where it stated how **she could go about cancelling her service**.

The Summons says that if she doesn't respond that she will lose by default and they'll be awarded the amount they're requesting plus legal costs. ($5,100+)
***
Now, my MIL is not the wealthiest person and can't afford a last minute plane ticket out to New York, luckily I live on the East Coast and I'm available to appear on her behalf (given that's an option).

This company currently is being pursued by the New York Attorney General for this exact issue:

>The lawsuit alleges that [THE COMPANY] and its subsidiaries knowingly deceived thousands of business owners into buying overpriced equipment and then abused the judicial system by filing suit in New York to collect on overdue lease payments.

She also contacted the Attorney General and is listed as part of their lawsuit.
***
How does she need to respond to this document? Does she need to do so in person? Can I go on her behalf?

Answer: You cannot appear.  She needs a lawyer to appear or she will wind up owing about $10k.


Title: [IN] My high school rapist is becoming a police officer...

Question: Hello, so as the title says, I was raped in high school. This man also sexually harassed me and a friend over Skype, aka just whipped his dick out while we were all on skype, but as a freshman/8th grader, we didn't think anything of it other than "ew!!!". I knew he was interested in becoming an officer, and had gone to those police-run trainings for interested kids to get them excited about joining a force someday (I'm not sure what you'd call this? Junior Academy or something? Anyway..). I recently found out he is actually pursuing this and is currently in school for it and doing basically everything to become an officer. This worries me greatly. I have struggled because of him, and although I have moved on and have forgiven him, deep down I know this is wrong. Someone who has raped should not be in a position like this. Now, I don't want to ruin his life, and I don't want to make myself out to be the bad guy, but what do you all suggest I do here? I don't want to sit idly by and possibly allow sexual harassment to happen again, but I lack evidence as this was well over 5 years ago. I don't think I'll be taken seriously with no evidence, and it's my word against his. And his word would probably be taken more seriously for a multitude of reasons. I just don't feel right sitting back and allowing this to happen you know? Thank you all in advance.

Answer:
 The statute of limitations in Indiana for rape is 5 years unless new evidence or a confession arises which adds 5 years.

Most likely your legal cause of action has expired, and I'm sorry.Answer #2: If he's applying ro departments, you can certainly call the person doing his background investigation and tell them your story.

What the outcome of that will be no one can say.Answer #3: Firstly I am very sorry and whatever you decide to do is totally your choice and supportive of that. Like many are saying here, you can contact the agency he's applying to, you can even probably file a police report even though they probably won't be able to prosecute, however, he can slap you back with a defamation lawsuit, and basically it would be your word against his, and because it's something from five years ago, a judge or jury might believe him over you in a defamation suit. If he is very smart his line of attack will be "if this were true, she would have reported it five years ago."

They may also believe you, and truth is a defense to defamation.

But you know, basically, it may open you up to more grief, and it would be wrong not to let you know that.

Defamation is not an easy case in America, but if you cost somebody a job they just might take a crack at it.


Title: Recently injured at friends house, what do I do?

Question:
Hello,

I was recently injured at a friends house and lost complete vision in one eye. There are allot of medical bills, and was wondering if I could get their home owners insurance to help pay in anyway?

The incident was a gust of wind blowing a patio umbrella into my eye. I am very close to them and do not want to financially hurt them in any way.

Any advice?

Answer: Yes, you can file a claim with their insurance, but beware it may sour your friendship.