Title: [WA] Found a corrupt cop who inflates recorded speeds. I can catch him doing it again, but how do I accomplish _more_ than just getting the ticket thrown out?

Question:
If a speed trap town is cheating, as they often do, to increase ticket revenue, they should be exposed, right? I think I have a way to do that, but don't know how to inflict any actual legal repercussions on the parties involved.

I can catch them lying about recorded speed with a high res dash cam pointed at my dash (speedometer) and the road, but as far as I know, the most this could do is further waste my time and get the ticket thrown out. Even with blatant evidence that I'm innocent, and that the cop lied, the judge will still likely 'conclude' that I am guilty, as is *standard practice* in these speed trap towns. You should be able to pay to have a jury and judge from somewhere other than that town hear your case, but you can't for some reason (in WA). The officers and judge in that town are apparently free to be as corrupt as they want. Anyway, how would I inflict the most legal repercussions on town/officer/judge after catching this officer cheating again? Getting the ticket thrown out isn't nearly good enough.

Answer:
 Complain to your state police or state department of law enforcement.

Do not attempt to catch the cops in some kind of harebrained amateur sting.


Title: TX: First time vehicle buyer. I bought a truck and the window price at dealership was 36k. After my application got approved, the sales person came out and said I got approved and it came out to 38k. Being stupid, I thought that was for tax and title. But it was just because he raised it. I signed

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No. Sounds like you agreed to pay 38k. There's no law which says a dealership can't sell a car for over sticker.  Believe it not when the PT Cruiser first came out the sold for over sticker.

>  to what it was suppose to be??

The price of something is supposed to be whatever the buyer and seller can agree on, in this case 38k.


Title: In the US, what are some of the legal ramifications of posing as a child online to meet pedophiles, setting up to meet in order to expose them by filming it on video, and then uploading the confrontation online?

Question: I know Justin Payne does this sort thing in Canada, however I live in America and I want to catch sexual predators and expose them to the world. It seems that the police protect the predators. They're always placed in protective custody and then they release them to do the entire cycle over. What sort of legal trouble could I get if I film them and post the videos on youtube?

Answer:
 Does potentially getting murdered by a desperate pedophile count as a "legal ramification?"

Take a deep breath.

Repeat after me.  "I am not batman."

The courts don't coddle sexual predators in my experience.


Title: I think I've got debt collectors by the balls, but don't know how to inflict the most pain

Question:
In 2011 my wife and I moved out of an apartment complex in Florida and moved to Virginia. A few years later I found on my credit report that they had a debt collections company put a claim of $92 on my credit reports. I disputed the account with the three bureaus and went on my way. Fast forward to this year when we try to buy a house. I should have known this, but I didn't realize that that 1 collections account was going to cost me about $9000 over the course of my mortgage because I cannot get the best rate.

So I contact the debt collector and ask for the information they have on the debt. What they send is my lease from the apartment complex and a letter of intent to deduct from my security deposit $92 for my final water bill.

So, I send a letter to the debt collector asking them to validate the debt as I cannot see in the lease where I agreed to pay utilities to the apartment complex, nor do I see the unpaid water bill.

The week the debt collector got my letter, they removed the collections account from one of the bureaus, but not the other two.

Now I'm down to the wire needing to lock in my interest rate and my credit is still a little screwed and of the lawyers I've reached out to, none of them seem interested in my case.

One final fact that kills me is that 18 months ago, I refinanced the mortgage on a home and never even know my premium was affected by the collections.

What do I do next?

Answer:
 You don't have anybody by the balls. You have nothing. They removed it from your credit report. That doesn't prove the debt never existed, just that they decided not to pursue.  Can you show your broker that it's off your credit report?Answer #2: If none of the lawyers you've reached out to want you to pay them money, chances are you don't actually have the debt collectors by the balls.

When a debt collector doesn't respond to your validation letter, your next step is to dispute the record with the credit bureaus reporting it. It'll be removed unless the debt collector objects, which they're unlikely to do if they didn't give you validation.


Title: My mom (65yo) got injured at work, the company refuses to pay her sick leave. Advise needed

Question:
She works in a big online retailer warehouse as a packer. 2 months ago she was picking up a box from the floor when an unattentive big coworker unintentionally tripped over her and hit the flor, hurting her back and neck, it was a big hit.

She went to the hospital and they ordered full rest and physic therapy sessions, those were covered by the insurance company.

Unfortunately, the company refuses to pay for her sick leave, neither she will be allowed to work until her doctor gives her the medical discharge.

She is in a very bad financial condition and can't afford to pay her basics expenses until she starts to work again.

Is this just a regular procedure from companies in USA and she just needs to follow the rules or there is something you would recommend her?

Answer: Does she have a WC claim open? WC covers lost wages, it's not sick leave.


Title: I'm A Contractor...Finished A Remodel...Not Getting Paid. Feeling scammed, what are my options?

Question:
Hi Reddit,
I'm a licensed residential builder in the state of South Carolina, and I recently finished a remodel job at a house that will potentially be flipped by the owner. The owner hired a project manager to oversee the entire process. The project manager hired me to do all of the remodel work.

It was a six week process, and I invoiced at every stage of completion (Three stages = Invoice every Two Weeks) The invoices stated the total amount was due within 30 days. I thought this was pretty generous considering I was fronting the cost of labor & materials for my subs.

Well now all of the work has been completed, and it looks great!! All of the invoices were submitted and I was told payment was on the way. The first invoice went past-due...and I talked with the Project Manager. He tells me that payment is on the way and not to worry. The second and third invoice go past due....and now the project manager won't even answer my calls! Getting in-touch with him has been impossible...and now all of the invoices are at least 30 days late.

I'm worried the project manager has been invoicing the owner, keeping the funds, and not paying me. I've been in business for a relatively short amount of time, and this is the first time I feel like I may be getting burned.

Help me reddit....I'm a legal-newb and really don't know what my next steps should be. I contacted the owner directly today and we have a meeting setup in a couple days. I didn't tell him about the invoices over the phone because I wanted to tell him in person. Total amount for the invoices is about 20k...not something I can write-off and survive.

Any advice for a contractor-in-trouble? What should I do?

Answer: File a mechanic's lien immediately.  It appears for SC that you only have 90 days from the last day of work to give notice and file, but I could be wrong.  Find an attorney as soon as you can and get this going if you're close to the 90 days.


Title: What should I consider if I want to invest someone else's money?

Question:
[TN]+[FL]

Someone very close to me, who is quite wealthy has asked me to partner up with her to start a company. This person is mostly an inheritor and is not very well skilled.

What she has suggested is that she will fund whatever project/company/idea/stocks/etc I have in mind. So, she will basically be wiring me money and I will turn it into establishments.

The concern is, she is not from the US, she is here on a student visa. I, however, am a legal resident. And most of her money is from overseas. How much of a hassle am I looking at because of these facts?

The other question I have is, what sort of establishment am I looking to build in order to do this project. For example, can/should I buy stocks/funds/companies with money that she sends to my bank account and under my personal name? (trust between us is not an issue here)

Is it better that we create a joint company/holding and handle all business through a business bank account, lawyer, etc?

My last question is what kind of lawyer specializes in this field? Are there any firms that specialize in handling all paperwork and legal side of this endeavor?

Some of these questions might be common sense, but I don't want to gloss over simple steps.

Answer: Sounds like she's trying to launder money through you.


Title: Shared Yugioh Collection... now needs to be split up

Question:
I'm located in Iowa.

A buddy and I decided foolishly two years ago to combine our Yugioh Collections. His collection was stolen a year prior and I was just getting started out. We figured we would both benefit by having a shared collection and nothing would happen to tear up our friendship - ha!

Well, here we are two years later and the friendship has fallen apart.

The collection itself is probably worth around 3k to 4k, and I contributed at least 90% to purchasing the cards. Except for a few months they have always been in my possession or in my home.

When the friendship went sour (The friend went to jail for unrelated purposes) he asked his girlfriend to pick up 'his cards' - which at the time we deamed his cards to be in a 3-inch trading binder with all the archtypes he was building. Remember I bought the majority of the cards, his girlfriend would later pitch in to buy cards too, but for the majority of them i bought. In this binder are also some of our more expensive cards. If I would value his binder I would put it somewhere near a third of the collection value.

I went through the rest of the cards and I determined cards that I could categorically not dispute he purchased, from certain archetypes, and a box of commons he got from one of his friends. I separated those cards out and picked what I would view as being a fair 50% value of the cards. (Even though I paid for 90% of the cards).

Does he have any legal right to my portion of the collection? There was no written contract, just a verbal agreement. I can also produce bank statements showing transactions from hobbies stores where i bought the cards, he cannot.

Thanks.

Answer: You don't get to decide what is fair. He can sue you for what he thinks is his if he'd like.


Title: Agent fraudulently transferred one of my friend's property into her own name and sold the property, resigned from her firm and left overseas. Need some advice regarding a potential claim against her firm.

Question: Real estate agent had a gambling problem and was in debt. My friend who owned a number of properties was looking to sell 3 of them, however in arranging to complete the transfers, the agent transferred one of the property into her own name, resigned from her firm and left the country. Need advice for potential claim against the firm please. Friend lives in Victoria, Australia.

Answer:
 She doesn't need information from an online forum, this is skip online, skip talking to them, get a lawyer and then talk to them with the lawyer.Answer #2: The advice already given is on point. Go see a damn lawyer already.

Also, this.

https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing-and-accommodation/buying-and-selling-property/compensation-claimsAnswer #3: Probably a good thing that she transferred to her name as she is not a bona fide purchaser without notice.

GET A LAWYERAnswer #4: I find it weird that you're asking for legal advice in this case. Your friend will require a lawyer in this case because there will be a mountain of paperwork to file. It's going to be messy and expensive. The idea that someone could handle this case without a lawyer is extraordinarily unlikely.


Title: ILLINOIS. Can you kill someone in the name of self defence because they looked threatening to you?

Question:
Im doing a report and want to know whether you are able to kill someone if they looked threatening to you in the name of self defence and the reasons why this would get you out of a jail sentence in court. Please give examples.

THANKS!!

Answer:
 No one is (probably) going to do your homework for you, but in general, the answer to your question is "no."

Look up self-defense statues in Illinois. Heck, I'm feeling generous, it's Sunday, [here you go](http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K7-1).


Title: Love the house but landlord is asking for 1 month security deposit and two months rent up front - Iowa

Question: Is that legal to ask that much up front? Everywhere I've been before has always said 1st month's rent & deposit

Answer: It's perfectly legal to ask for a security deposit and both first and last months' rent. It's also very normal.


Title: How does a public urination class 4 misdemeanor effect my future?

Question:
I got charged with a class 4 misdemeanor about 5 months back in the state of Virginia (an infraction in most states). I didnt know it was a misdemeanor at the time but now that I am about to graduate and start my search for jobs, I did some research and it is indeed a misdemeanor...
I am looking to enter into the information technology field and was wondering how exactly employers will look at this and if there is anything I could do...

Thank you in advance for your help!

Answer: It makes you look like a pervert (flasher or public masturbator) or a habitual drunk, if the charge hasn't already been resolved in court, hiring a lawyer to fight it or negotiate a plea deal would be a really good idea.


Title: Relative lived in home I owned, died, her daughter wants to either live in it or get money from me. Oklahoma City.

Question:
21 years ago I inherited a house that I did not want to live in at the time and was considering selling. My grandmother needed a place to live and wanted to live in the house, but could not afford to buy it.  We agreed that she would live in it without paying rent directly, but would pay other costs associated with keeping the house rather than selling it - property tax, utilities, etc. With this arrangement she paid less than the market value for rent for the property and had full control to do whatever she wanted with it, while I didn't have to worry about the house or being a "landlord." (I know that in retrospect this was probably not the smartest arrangement legally speaking, but I was barely out of high school when it began and didn't know any better - and as the years went by I just never thought to fix what wasn't broken.)

I did maintain my own insurance policy on the house for my own protection, but that's about it. We never drew up a formal contract of any kind, and we never had any conflicts about the arrangement.

She has recently passed away and I am considering living in the house myself as I have now moved back to the area.

However, I have been contacted by her daughter (my aunt, and the heir of her will).  She wants to move into the house herself with her daughter. In short, she believes that because my grandmother paid the costs of the house for so long, my grandmother has at least some ownership right to the house.  She also believes that even if you consider my grandmother a renter, as her child she has the right to take up residence in the house on the same terms my grandmother had (i.e. not paying rent).

Even if I weren't looking to live in the house myself, I would be concerned about this aunt living in the property. She has a heavy criminal background including felonies and in terms of rental history I know she has at least 3 evictions.

I will consult a lawyer if needed, but wanted to get some advice first as to whether that is necessary. I am not sure whether I should be concerned about the situation or if it is just talk.  Thank you.

Answer:
 Your grandmother was, legally speaking, a tenant. As such, she had rights as a tenant, and could make a claim on improvements and such performed on the property. The oral agreement you had with her would have been enforceable in court. However, non of the rights your grandmother had are inheritable.

Your aunt is entitled to precisely dick.


Title: My money was used as a down payment on my parent's house. They have just paid off their mortgage. Can they take me off of the deed? (FL)

Question:
My biological father died when I was very young and left me a good sum of money. My mother and step father both had terrible credit (drug addicts) and were unable to qualify for a mortgage or any decent housing. My paternal grandparents were concerned about my living conditions and co-signed a mortgage for my parents. $100,000 of the money from my father was used as a down payment on the house.

 The mortgage primarily was in my paternal grandfather's (deceased since 2005) name. He was never removed, even after his death. My step-father paid the mortgage each month in cash by pretending to be my grandfather. Both my mother, step-father, my paternal grandmother (has alzheimer's), and my name are also on it. My name is incorrect, as shortly after the agreement went through my step-father adopted me, and I have also since gotten married.
 The way the legal agreement is written, my grandparent's share of the house declines each year and that part of the ownership is transferred to me.

The mortgage was for 15 years and my parents recently paid it off. They are planning to get a new deed for the house, and I am concerned that they will try to have my name removed from the deed. They have mentioned this to me several times. Is this something that they could legally do? Also, who would I go to in order to get a new lease with my correct (married) name on it?

Edit 1: This paid off mortgage does not show up on my credit report, and I was also wondering if it would be beneficial to my credit to somehow have it on there. If so, is there any way to do this? Not sure if this is the correct sub for this question.

Answer:
 You might want to reach out to an attorney to check the various deed filings and/or even a title insurance company.

They **shouldn't** be able to remove you from the deed or interest in the property without your notarized signature/consent. Answer #2: > Is this something that they could legally do?

They could pay you money as part of a written contract in which you sell them your claim to the house.  They can't just fill out a form and kick you off the deed.

If they were to, say, forge your signature on documents purporting that you sold them the house when you did not, then that's probably a felony.


Title: Abusive boyfriend saying he can have me arrested please help

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 He can take the car. So can you. It is both of yours.

Did you have his permission to pay the car bill with his card?


Title: Im stealing from my company, what type of trouble am I getting in?

Question:
USA florida

I work as a manager in a business where you pay to get in per person to get in. When a group come in and pay with cash (lets say a group of 5) (and lets say it cost $1 per person) I tell the cost $5 but only ring up like there is one person. I put the money in the draw and act like i rang up 5 tickets. than at the end of the night i do the cash out and whatever extra I have i pocket it.

I usually make about $10-$60 a night depending how often i do it.

what trouble am i getting into if i get caught?

Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Criminal theft. The amount varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but usually if you've stolen more than a few hundred it's a felony.


Title: Got scammed for Pats tickets

Question: I just bought tickets on Craigslist from a rather clever and crafty scammer for a couple hundred bucks. I was very excited to take my sick fiancé to the game since she’s been wanting to go to one forever and loves the Pats. (She has three types of cancer so I try to spoil her.) The scammer had me send the money to Western Union which seemed secure enough to prevent these kinds of things, but I was very wrong. He just picked up the money in cash in San Antonio, Texas and we are in New Hampshire! Not sure what to do, I kind of want to catch this guy and get him locked up or something... so irritated because I’m usually good at seeing through a scam. What can I do?

Answer:
 You're probably out of luck honestly. File a police report with all the information, but you're unlikely to see anything come of it.

> The scammer had me send the money to Western Union

This is one of the biggest possible red flags for a scam out there. They specifically did that because it's so easy to scam people with little risk of getting caught.


Title: [New York] Can I get in trouble for an old picture of myself on a Cinnamon Toast Crunch disposable camera?

Question:
When I was around 10-12 years old I saved up enough proof of purchases from my Cinnamon Toast Crunch boxes to get a free disposable camera in the mail. The camera was cool and my friends and I took some pictures with it. I never went and developed the images though and the camera wound up in my closet somewhere under a bunch of junk.

My mother recently located this camera and gave it to me. My wife is pretty curious about what pictures I took with it and is insisting we find a place that would be able to develop the images for us. Problem is, I'm pretty sure I remember taking a picture of my dick with it. One of my friends dared me, and I'm quite certain I went through with it. So there may or may not be a picture of my 10-12 year old dick on that camera.

I don't really care about people seeing it, but could this constitute as child porn even if it's my own dick? I'm not sure I would be able to prove that the dick pic is mine.

Answer:
 Whether it constitutes child porn or not, the people who develop the film MAY call the police and report the potential legal issue.

Unless you are willing to deal with a police investigation in this matter, you should leave the film undeveloped. Your wife will just have to settle for more recent images of you and whatever other body parts may have been on that old roll of film.Answer #2: You can get it trouble if you pay someone to develop it for you.

Alternetively, you can make a dark room for yourself and examine the images then destroy ones you deem suspect. It would then be safe to either develop those images yourself or pay someone else to do it.

Or you could burn the roll, which is the safest option.Answer #3: Burn it.


Title: Legal Help - Making A Drinking Game

Question:
I'm getting close to launching a drinking card game on Kickstarter and have a few questions. I'm launching it under an LLC (which I hope is the right move) and I'm based in Florida.

Here's the disclaimer:

“GAME NAME” is a work of satire! While “GAME NAME” is traditionally a drinking game, COMPANY NAME does not condone excessive binge drinking or underage drinking! This game can be played with any kind of beverage! COMPANY NAME urges all players to drink responsibly and legally, and ensure you have safe and sober transportation before playing this game! COMPANY NAME assumes no liability for injury, loss, accident, medical expense, or any other damage that may occur as a result of playing this game! Better yet, don’t even play this game!  You probably can’t handle it anyway!

-Is my disclaimer enough to cover me? Is it too much or not enough?

-We never use the words "beer" or alcohol". Simply "Drink". Do we need to put "21+" on the box since we said it can be played with any beverage?

P.S. - We're having a family friend lawyer go over the disclaimer but would love more input. Thank you guys so much.

Answer:
 No disclaimer is going to work miracles.  Yours seems fine.  I might add phone numbers for resources to get help, and mention the dangers of drinking while pregnant or binge drinking in general.

I'd put "21+" on the box, yes.


Title: (FL) My neighbors perfume is choking me out of my own condo. The HOA won't help. What can I do?

Question:
I hate perfume or any sort of over scented things.

My neighbors across the hall drown themselves in perfume and cologne, I even smell all their scented candles and room sprays. I called the HOA and they came to see what was happening, they insisted that they didn't smell anything. The maintenance guy changed the air filter and said that we don't share vents so there's no way I would be smelling it. IT DRIFTS ACROSS THE HALL!

I've asked my neighbor multiple times to cool it on the perfume but she keeps refusing. Her husbands a doctor they should know better!

I feel sick in my own condo. I love the location and amenities, I don't want to move. What can I do?

Answer:
 Speaking as someone with serious allergies to various things, including perfumes, the best thing I can recommend is a high quality air purifier.

As others here have mentioned, legally, there is nothing you can do.  Answer #2: Nothing, legally. Learn how to accommodate the smell.


Title: CA- Ontario | Is this online harassment? Threats? Can I get in trouble?

Question:
So long story short, my ex boyfriend thought it would be funny to text me and laugh at me for being raped and for getting help with an alcohol problem. He really fucking hurt me and pissed me off so now I'm off to get revenge. He and I broke up because he had a sex addiction and had been messaging and hiring escorts the entire 5 years we were dating. Before we broke up, he went onto my computer and email and deleted any evidence that he did this. He's now dating someone new and she's 27 weeks pregnant with his kid. They've been dating for 11 months and when they started dating I told her he had a sex addiction problem and to be careful because that's why we broke up and it's what fucked me up so bad. She said I was spreading "filth" and "lies" and trying to sabotage their relationship.

Fast forward to now, I've obtained official receipts from his therapist office where he went for 12 weeks as proof that he went to sex addiction counselling and also got a Sex Addiction workbook. I've also contacted my therapist and have received notes from my visits with her and including several visits we went to as a couple.

I've messaged his new gf, a lot of her family and her friends saying that in 48 hours I'll be sending them all of the receipts so they can know what this guy is really like.

They're threatening to call the police for harassment... is there anything they can do?

Also, I wouldn't be going through this effort to completely expose him for what he is, but after he joked about my sexual assault and tried to blame me for it and say that it wasn't real just pushed me too far over the edge and I need to get back somehow.

Answer:
 >so now I'm off to get revenge

The best revenge is living well.

>They're threatening to call the police for harassment... is there anything they can do?

Yes. The police can have you charged with criminal harassment, and your ex and his missus can take out a bond that keeps you from being able to approach or communicate with them. The existence of that bond may cause you problems at border crossings and background checks.

>I need to get back somehow.

You can start by resolving not to waste another second of your life on him.


Title: Wife is not allowing me to see children, we are still married. (Illinois)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Absent a court order she is not obligated to allow you to see them. File for custody. Call your local legal aid to see what assistance may be available in your areaAnswer #2: Absent a custody order, neither of you are obligated to allow the children to see the other.

You need to start calling around and find a lawyer that will take a payment plan or something. If your wife is already withholding the children from you, it sounds like actually divorcing from her is not going to be fun.


Title: The daily saga of my coworker (Illinois)

Question:
For the last month or so, my co-worker has been coming in every day and updating us on the split with her and her ex-fiance.

She can be slightly hard to understand as English is not her first language, but this is what I have gathered that has happened so far.

1. Her ex essentially lost his mind and hit her, and they physically fought
2. He threatened to kill her during the fight, and at some point he pointed a gun at her and played it off as a joke
3. They split up and she kicked him out of her house
4. he extorted her for $2,000 for her dog
5. He showed up randomly in her bedroom without her knowing.
6. she got a security system and camera
7. she got a restraining order against him
8. he called her and said he needs his marijuana from her closet
9. she tried to ignore him, but he called her made some VERY creepy comments about learning to be a killer by killing animals

Right now she is fearing for her life and her kids' lives. All throughout this process as she's told me these things, I've advised her to call the police, take whatever legal avenues she has, etc., but she seems to be just trying to wait until the storm passes.

I am no expert in situations like this. She is older than me by 15 years, but she seems more lost than me. What advice can I give her?

Answer: Honestly, the best advice you can give her is either call the police or stop talking to you about it. I have very little patience for people who don't try to help themselves at least a little. Answer #2: If she refuses to speak with the police who have a duty to enforce the restraining order if she is violating it, nothing can be done. There is no other advice to give.


Title: [florida] Brothers wife is getting remarried but did not get a divorce

Question:
alright so my brother and his wife have been fighting for a long time now and she just spontaneously left him and his kids with him
i just heard right now that she is moving to Atlanta to get remaried to someone else (this is all around a 1 year period) is there any legal action that will put her in prison?

Answer:
 She's going to have to divorce him before she can legally remarry. If she remarries anyways and it comes out that she was already married, then she may face charges of [bigamy](http://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-6/16-6-20), which - in Georgia - carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

If she's seeking remarriage, her current marriage is done for anyways. The humane thing to do may be for your brother to file for divorce and get it over with.


Title: 16 yr old nephew laid his hands on my for the 2nd time last night in front of my husband and husband reacted...

Question:
I took temporary guardianship of my 16 year old nephew from his adopted parents 6 months ago.  He is my blood nephew (my brother's son).  2 months ago in the middle of an argument with me where I was preventing him from leaving the house (as he was grounded) he used his shoulder to push me out of the way of the door.  I was able to deflect him by doing what I would do if a 2 year old was trying to leave - I pushed him away.  My husband was obviously really angry at him getting physical with me but had time to cool down before he came home.  My husband had already warned him previously that if he ever laid a hand on me he would throw him off the patio (we were on the second floor at that time).  The nephew has a history of violence - been suspended from school for threatening a girl as well as fighting.  He also pushed his adopted mom which is when my husband let him know if he touched me there would be consequences.
Last night, the nephew shoved me in front of my husband.  I am a 300 pound plus woman and yet he shoved me hard enough that I had to step back.  He used both hands to do it when I attempted to take clothes from him as he was threatening to run away.  When he shoved me my husband lost it and took him down immediately and started choking him - telling him that he will not touch me again, does he understand?  There was no bruising as my husband was not actually trying to hurt him, just scare him.  Nephew then threatened to turn us into Child Protection Services saying he would blame the bruises he has from a skating accident earlier this week on us.  This kid is a known liar, manipulator, and has a history of violence.  Was what my husband did self defense or defense of me?  I know that the nephew will lie as he tried claiming he didn't touch me last night and even tried to say he didn't touch me before.  I am not worried so much about him lying as I have plenty of proof of his constant lying.  I am worried though that even without lying my husband could get in trouble.
Edit - location is Michigan

Answer:
 No. Choking a kid who pushed your wife is in no way self defense. It is a thousand ways child abuse. The kid does not even have to lie. That was child abuse.

Yes, your husband could get in legal trouble.


Title: Can private property owners forbid people from filming police on publicly-accessible private property?

Question:
Edit: Location is United States, no specific state

I'm having an interesting conversation with someone regarding filming police on publicly-accessible private property. The scenario is as follows:

> Mr. XYZ is in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The parking lot is privately owned by Wal-Mart, but it is generally open to the public at all times. Mr. XYZ observes a police officer arresting somebody else in that same parking lot and decides to record video of the arrest in the lot.

The other person and I both agree that Mr. XYZ has the right to film an officer arresting someone else. There is no argument about that point whatsoever. Our argument surrounds the fact that Mr. XYZ is on private property.

I argue that since Mr. XYZ is on private property, regardless of its accessibility to the public, the property owner has the right to determine if Mr. XYZ can record the arrest on its property. That is, Wal-Mart can forbid Mr. XYZ from recording anything, even an arrest, on its property, no matter how accessible to the public the property is.

My opponent argues that because Wal-Mart's property is publicly-accessible (a "place of public accommodation"), Wal-Mart cannot stop Mr. XYZ from recording the arrest on their property.

Who is correct here?

Answer: WalMart can request you leave the property immediately. Failure to do so would be trespassing.


Title: Has /r/LegalAdvice ever had a case where both sides a story have posted for advice and the subreddit was able to connect the two?

Question: How did it turn out?

Answer:
 There was one about supposed cat abuse not too long ago. One of the roommates was insisting that the cat's owner needed to clean the litter box like three times a day along with some other over the top stuff. I think they were trying to either kick the roommate out or take the cat to a shelter without the owner's approval. Answer #2: There were a pair of posts a few months ago. Iirc, the posts were made at very close to the same time. A few hours of each other?

Anyway, OP1 was part of a group of "friends" who went into a "friend's" house and basically destroyed the place. The only detail I remember were condiments dumped around. Parents came back and were, rightfully, pissed and got the police involved and were possibly looking to recover damages. As usual, the advice was to get a lawyer and to not admit to crimes on the internet.

OP2 was the home owner who was looking as to what his options were. I believe they felt bad for possibly causing some disturbance in the kids' futures, but felt they had to take some measure of action.

Eventually, someone connected the two posts and OP1 deleted. Answer #3: Once I think.  I remember one about a car accident I think it was?

And one where a husband posted a story about his wife kidnapping their child and the wife was in the comments saying he was abusive and she had to flee.


Title: [TX] 1.5 years after my brother's car accident and my parents are being sued.

Question:
This is in Texas and all these details were given to me by my parents casually talking about it so I may have left something out.

About 1.5  years ago, my brother was in a car wreck with another driver and both of them were insured. The insurance companies settled and determined that it was a no fault situation for either driver. My brother's car was totaled (t-boned and crushed the whole passenger side of the vehicle) and the other car had front end damage but was still driving. No one was injured and my father actually went to the scene since he was nearby. He helped unstuck the fender and make sure the other driver was okay and they said they were. They then proceeded to drive to their work which was nearby.

Now come to a week ago and my parents and brother have been served papers by a law firm on the behalf of the other driver attempting to seek compensation for a multitude of things: lost time at work, damages, disfigurement, etc, with the total sough compensation stated to be between $100-200k. My parents said they looked up the law firm and it appears to be legitimate albeit somewhat scammy (I haven't seen it for myself).

The unique thing here is that the car title is in my mother's name. They never transferred the car when they originally bought it for my brother. I haven't seen the actual suit papers but my mother said that the suit claimed it was "irresponsible for my mother to allow an incompetent driver to drive her vehicle" (my brother is licensed and insured and the car was registered) I don't believe the other driver got much compensation out of the previous settlement against my brother's insurance. My brother's insurance has said they would represent him if the other driver ever tried to do anything and I believe they still have the full case with details in their system. My parent's current insurance company said they would not represent them in a matter of court, and they were hoping perhaps my brother's insurance company might do so if it comes to it. Otherwise they would be seeking another legal representative.

My two questions are: 1) Does it seem like the other driver has a case against my parents or brother for that matter? 2) What steps should my parents take to protect themselves, is there anything they should already be doing?

Thanks for any advice in advance.

Answer:
 Your parents should contact their insurer at the time of the event. And your brothers if different.  One or both should handle the matter.

We can’t judge the merits of the claim. Certainly from your description it sounds suspect. Obviously the other side has a position too.


Title: (PA) I am taking a business to small claims - I believe they are trying to intimidate me out of appearing - should I notify the court?

Question: They called me twice so far, and have attempted to email me several times. As far back as June I told them to not call me, and to only contact me via US Postal Mail. Yet they continue.

Answer: That doesn't even sound annoying , let alone intimidating.


Title: I have a client that owes us money, Is it legal to use a credit card on file from a previous payment they made on a different invoice.

Question: We have a client that went out of business. Our company had done work for the individual before the company started, and we have the primary  owners personal credit card on file from that. Now the new start-up that they attempted to launch failed, and we have not been able to collect 3000 dollars from them. What are my legal ramifications if we just run that card for the full amount? I believe it is a debit card from a local credit union.

Answer:
 Theft, almost assuredly.  You have no idea if the owner is fully or partially responsible for the debts of the business.  You also don't have authorization to run this transaction.

If you have a debt, you can sue him for the amount in court.  You CANNOT simply remove money from him, without his permission, on your own authorization.


Title: [CO] Lunch breaks laws

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer: Is this a paid or unpaid lunch break?


Title: Won over 180k from a casino with abusing a bug in their system!

Question:
Me and 4 other friends were abusing a bug in the system of a casino, which would cancel our bets after we've seen the number display on the screen, so we could cancel our bets WHEN WE DIDNT WIN, but ofcource we were abusing this to a good advance, making a total of over 180k EURO which is lets say 200k dollars.

My question is, is it their fault for making this bug, which may occur at random, and we've found it at random as well, get us in trouble in court, since its actually just playing the game but using a feature they've put in to maximize our profit and making the casino chances to win under 0.5% since it failed sometimes.

Well, for all i know is, LETS HAVE SOME REAL FUN we're 20 (yep illegal gambling for me, filled in fake stuff, and calculated national number XD) 21, 19(he used his moms details) 22 and 24. lets say around 30k was made with the bug itself, rest is gambled with profits that we've gained from the bug, so indirectly we get it from the bug.

Fun part about this all is that my friend got 160k payout next week, and they've already asked all his information to confirm its him and stuff, and i prob wont see my money, since fake id and stuff. the bug is now fixed, and we're happy to not live in stress. since this is a really stressful situation when you know you're doing something that a casino, is 100% against :)

Whatever happens, one of my friends can give a big party now XD

Location: Belgium, Europe (basically online gambling site: https://www.casino777.be/en/)

Game: Roulette, a version that was live on national telivision, making 900->4480€ 1 in 5 spins, 2.5hr a day

Answer:
 Are you here to brag/troll or do you have a question?

Edit to ask: Is this an online game thing?


Title: [MI] The Pediatric Psychologist I used to visit sent text explicit text messages to my mother, while I was still his patient.

Question:
This was around 4-5 years ago, (I am now 18) but here is the full story of what happened. Please tell me if there is anything I can do!

Shortly after moving back to Michigan, my mother and I were having some serious difficulties getting back to our normal selves, and my mother believed it would be good for me to begin seeing a Pediatric Psychologist for my problems. We started going to a place called Easter Seals MI where I began seeing/talking with my Psychologist on a weekly basis. Things were normal between he and I for approximately a month before he began sending messages to my mother's cell.

The messages would try to entice my mother to date him, and would often compliment her on her looks, along with other things that were actually SEXUALLY explicit. My mother did not respond to many of these messages, but yet he continued to send them, while I was still his patient. Needless to say, we stopped going to Easter Seals shortly after. I am unaware if he was fired, or left on his own accord, but what is most disgusting of this, (in my opinion) is that he now owns and operates his own Psychology Office.

I'm aware that the 2 year statute is long gone by now, but is there anything I could do? I blocked it out from my memory until recently when my mom and I received new phones and I saw all of her texts with him that were saved. It really disgusts me to think that he continues practicing and could potentially be doing this with other parents of his patients as well.

Any help/advice is appreciated, thanks.

Answer:
 http://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/BPL-LAD-100_523225_7.pdf

It is inappropriate for a counselor to sexually solicit anyone related to the client. Still got the phone? Use it as evidence in a hearing ~~to yank his license~~ about the complaint you're going to file. The link above will get you started.


Title: [US, NJ] Didn't come to a complete stop for long enough during exact change .75 toll, got $50 fine in mail.

Question: I live in NJ and was recently traveling when I came to a 75 cent toll that was exact change only. I slowed down, threw three quarters into the cone, and drove off. As I drove off, my SO freaks out and tells me that I didn't come to a complete stop and now they're going to fine me. I thought maybe it'd be okay, because while I very very rarely drive through tolls, I thought I had done this before and it was okay. Well, today I got a $50 fine for not paying .75 cents, which I did in fact pay. Is there any way I can dispute this charge since I did actually pay? Now I know the importance of coming to a complete stop but this was an honest mistake.

Answer: In Oklahoma, you can call the toll road people and give them a time and date and the toll number and say it didn't register your payment. They review the tapes and tell you yes or no.


Title: I need help

Question: OK so I have this weird issue, and my friends told me you guys could help because Idk what to do.  Long story short  I was at the bus stop this morning and this guy I had never seen before stopped right in front of me and motioned for me to come to his car . I had just thought he was lost so I decided to walk over and talk to him . Turns out he is my neighbor and he thinks I scratched his car up . He claims he saw me scratching his car up a couple nights ago with my friends and he threatened to sue me .  Idk if it helps, but i didnt scratch his car and I can only think that he saw me and my friends hanging out outside in the neighborhood and he just thinks we did it .  I just want to know if he can sue me because I'm only 14, and i dont have any money or anything.

Answer: Tell your parents. If this happens again, call the police.


Title: Is it legal to listen, but not record a conversation in a one party consent state? [TX]

Question:
I gave my son (4) a phonewatch (controlled by an app on my phone, limited contact list), so he could call me when he goes to visit his father (divorced 1.5 years). I told his father how it works and that it has a gps and gave him the user manual that came with the phone so he could read about all the features.

One of the features is a monitor function where I use the app to signal his phone to call me, it places my phone on mute, and I can listen to the surroundings. I do not plan to use this function to frivolously spy, only if I have a real concern for my son's safety.

Is it legal if I use this function to listen, but not record? Follow up question: since my son cannot give consent and my ex is aware of the watch's functions, is it legal to ever record any of the conversations I might hear?

Answer:
 I would bet that the act of listening in without the consent of any parties in the conversation is going to be illegal wiretapping.

Recording will be absolutely out of the question.

Also, he'd be within his rights to remove the watch during his custody or visitation times.

Legal advice: Do not use this function, ever.


Title: [x-post from /r/relationships] Mother is holding my belongings and banning me from entering the house - options?

Question:
Edit:  I am 23 years old. Please let me know if you need more details to make any calls.

I have been in a large argument with my mother (who has been diagnosed with a few emotional disorders) for the past few years on and off, but it recently escalated within the past few months. She has not spoken to me more than to email me accusing me of being heartless/rude/autistic(?) and to tell me that I am not allowed into my own home to get my own belongings.

Before that she was demanding that I pay for a storage space and $10 per hour to her and to my father to pack up and move my stuff for me. She has removed me from car insurance, health insurance, etc. and I have changed most of my mailings to match the address of my boyfriend so that she can't keep any important documents that come my way.

I live abroad until September and want to get my belongings back. She says that I am not allowed in "her" house. My drivers' license states that I am a resident of the house, and I have a key to the front door.

I was wondering what you think I should do. I have tried communicating with her and it is absolutely impossible.  My father does not weigh in on the situation as they are separated and he has no ground with her. She has tried therapy and jumps from doctor to doctor when they tell her something she doesn't want to hear.

Can I be arrested or sued for getting my own belongings back? I am moving to another city in a different state as soon as I have them. I should probably mention that my hometown is in the state of Ohio and I will be living in the state of New York. For clarity in legal consequences.

Thanks for your help, reddit.

tl;dr: Mentally imbalanced mother does not want me to enter the house to get my personal belongings back.

Answer: You can call the police and ask then to keep the peace while you get your belongings. If that doesn't work then you will have to sue her for what the belongings are worth.


Title: Is it supposed to be super complicated and long to get a prenup?

Question:
Hi! So my partner and I are getting married and we decided to get a pre-nup, we are in California. We pretty much agreed on what terms we want and got our own lawyers from the beginning, one to draft and one to review. Because we agree on what we want, we thought the process would be easy and quick but it’s been nothing but. We are wondering if what we experienced during this process is normal, especially considering there aren’t that many standard resources online for prenups.

What my partner’s lawyer drafted was very long, around 50 pages (not including our list of assets). My first lawyer actually returned my retainer and dropped me as a client upon receiving the first draft. I then proceeded to contact many other family lawyers who have said they do prenups, one who laughed in my face when I told them how long the draft is. I decided on a different lawyer. Our lawyers don’t agree on anything and it seems like we’re doing a divorce case when we’re not even married yet and we don’t have any disagreements. The terms of our prenup were very standard and only had to do with our individual assets we want to protect, no cheating clauses or anything like that. My lawyer was saying prenups had to be very succinct and shorter to match a standard prenup and my partner’s lawyer said it had to be long to cover every possible situation. The entire process has been 4 months so far and even when we finally agreed on the document, our lawyers even disagree on how it should be signed (notarized or not) and I’m worried that I’ll have to postpone our marriage ceremony at this point. Does anyone here have similar experiences with prenups OR a different, simpler experience? Or any knowledge of how the drafting process usually works? Because I really have my doubts that it’s supposed to be this complicated. I’m slightly suspicious that they’re dragging it out when it should have been really simple…? Thank you!!!

Answer:
 I have a fair amount of assets and so does my husband. Our prenup was like 5 pages long, mostly covering how our house (which we bought before we got married and have a separate, maybe 4 page joint tenant agreement for) would be handled. It took one phone call and our lawyer basically filled out a predefined template he had covering all the basic scenarios.

Your husbands lawyer is cooky.Answer #2: Is your partner interested in marrying you? If it's ok for you to get numerous second opinions from your side, has he himself considered getting another lawyer to weigh in on this? I realize this isn't really legal advice but maybe ask if he'd consider talking to another attorney, one that he finds himself, independent of you and his current lawyer?


Title: I have a pissed off petty idiot sibling, and I need help TN.

Question:
My sister has a major pill problem, she claims she kicked it, but probably hasnt. She is in a lesbian relationship with a girl who has a kid and lost it because someone called DCS on them because they dont take care of the kid.

My brother loans my sister 350 dollars 3 months ago with the promise to pay it back. Never pays back a dime. My uncle stayed with my brother for several months and told my sister that he was the one who called DCS.

She texted my brother last night threatening to have my brothers kids taken. I called her and had an unpleasant conversation. It ended with me telling her I called DCS on her (I didnt, I was upset but regardless They were unfit parents they bullied the kid, and spent their money on drugs.)

I have little contact with her on a normal basis, she has only seen my kid once. If she tries to cause me trouble can she? I mean do they have the right to just be involved in my life with no evidence of wrong doing?

Answer: No. Tell your sister to pound sand. She can call CPS, but unless you are an unfit parent, they won't do anything. Stop talking to her.


Title: New home purchase, not getting exactly what I paid for..

Question:
We built a brand new construction home a year and three months ago. From a walking path installed on our property without an easement (which I made them remove) to work quality issues, the shoddy work doesn't stop. The builder has recently completed the neighboring house. From the start, we've had nothing but issues with this. We were told that the house would be 25 feet from ours, it currently sits 16 feet as they sold it with a three stall garage. I know there is nothing I can do about this. Due to the close proximity, their bathroom window is melting our siding. We approached our contractor and he said he would replace that window in their home. Nothing has been done yet.

Then, they had the landscaping company out to sod and grade their property. Upon the grading, they discovered that our yard had to be regraded as well. The general contractor talked with us and told us it was going to be a nice feathered smooth surface. I get home and it's a major slope from my property to the neighbors and they have completely destroyed my sprinkler system by ripping out the sprinkler heads and cutting the main power supply. The slope was bad enough that the guy, Lenny, doing the grading said no one would be happy with the way it was. The contractor tells us that we have two options: 1) leave it as-is, which was a totally unwalkable slope or 2) add a rock retaining wall. We opted for the wall.

They install the wall that was to be, in the contractors words, flat, smooth and really nice looking. I don't know who installed this, but it is none of the above and my sprinklers are still completely destroyed: http://imgur.com/6FoMxh5

What rights do I have to get this situation remedied? They have not done a thing they have said they'd deliver. I have submitted warranty claims per the standard process and have emails and photos to document all of this. What's my next step?

Location: Minnesota

Answer: I'd suggest getting a written quote from a landscaper to fix it the way you'd like to see it and sending a demand for that amount with a copy of the quote.


Title: Employer has a policy that says any overtime that is not approved in advance will not be paid time and a half. Is this legal under the FLSA?

Question:
I am a Legal Assistant at a Law Firm in Alabama. Alabama has not overtime laws of it's own so it follows FSLA. I got this job back in February and I was not made aware of company policy as they do not have a handbook. I know. This pay period I accrued 7.5 hours OT and was contacted by my manager via email saying "You are showing 7 hours and 32 minutes overtime for the last pay period.   We cannot pay overtime if it’s not approved."

This lead me to believe I was not going to be paid overtime for those 7.5 hours, so I started doing some research on the [FLSA](http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs23.pdf). At the bottom of that fact sheet it says "**An announcement by the employer that no overtime work
will be permitted, or that overtime work will not be paid for unless authorized in advance, also will not impair
the employee's right to compensation for compensable overtime hours that are worked.**" We are definitely non-exempt employees here. So I questioned my manager about it and she didn't reply all day (she works out of office usually so email/phone is how we communicate).

Since she was Ignoring me I went to my boss, the owner of this firm and one of its Lawyers, to discuss this issue with him. It turns out my manager was not being clear and meant that I would be paid OT this time, but in the future if it isn't authorized in advance I would be paid the usual hourly rate. I understand many companies have a policy that overtime need be approved prior to working it, and that is perfectly within the confines of the law to my understanding. However in my interpretation of the act it is not legal to have a policy that says unauthorized OT will not be paid time and a half.

I said all this to my boss and he is saying I am taking the law out of context and misinterpreting it. He said that he did not task me with anything that would require working overtime and I unilaterally decided to accrue those extra hours, so technically he didn't have to pay me OT even though I was unaware of this 'policy'. I told him we need a handbook for the sake of transparency and he replied "Fuck transparency." He began to get upset with me because he thinks I am trying to tell him how to run his business, but I told him I was simply trying to understand and apologized.

Alabama being a right to work state he could come up with pretty much any reason to fire me, so I'm not really going to push the issue. But I just need to know if I am right and if not where I am misunderstanding because he insists I'm wrong without really explaining to me why.

TL;DR Employer says he doesn't have to pay time and a half for OT not approved in advance, is this legal?

Answer:
 >TL;DR Employer says he doesn't have to pay time and a half for OT not approved in advance, is this legal?

No, but they can probably fire you for working overtime without permission.Answer #2: I'd just make sure to leave each day before you accrue overtime.  If someone asks you to stay then make sure they understand that they are approving overtime.  They cannot have it both ways.  Do as much as you can by e-mail.

If it's their intent to bend the rules, or break the law on a regular basis, it might be better to find a new job where you'll be treated fairly.  It's no fun working for someone who would intentionally take advantage of you given the chance.

It's also probably fair to say that they have legal resource you couldn't hope to match so fighting them in court not only would be costly, but could create problems for future employment.Answer #3: > However in my interpretation of the act it is not legal to have a policy that says unauthorized OT will not be paid time and a half.

The employer can have a policy that says anything. They don't actually break the law until they don't pay in accordance with the FLSA or other applicable laws.


Title: Served for woman slipping on our lawn

Question:
About four months ago, I posted [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/7xssks/woman_slipped_chasing_her_kid_on_our_lawn_ca/) and I got some great advice.

Well, we waited and my parents just got served a few days ago. Followed the advice given and called our home insurance, it appears that the insurance we have doesn’t cover liability. What can we do now? Oh, and I had stated that the incident happened 8 months ago at that point but it actually happened about 2yrs ago according to the papers. Guess my dad lost track of how much time had passed.

 We’re a hardworking family, going through a lot at the moment (Grandmother’s health is deteriorating, Dad got injured at work, Mom is waiting on her US visa to be accepted, my husband is currently deployed so I’m back home to help) and then this falls on us. It does seem that when it rains, it pours. So any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Answer: It's time to go to an attorney. Do not wait to do this because there is a limited time that you have to file a response to the papers. Likely 30 days, but I have not looked it up for your state so it may be longer or shorter. Get a lawyer asap. This lawyer can also review the insurance policy to see if maybe the insurance company isn't being straight forward.


Title: MI- Private Road And Water access issues

Question:
Ive been redoing an elderly friends place on a lake in Northern Michigan.

Ive had a number of issues with the township supervisor regarding the driveway claiming its a water access and a road.   So hes down here every day saying I cant park in front of the house.  Had to move my travel trailer where water and sewer hookup was because of him being down here every other day saying you cant do this cant do that type stuff.

So i went up to the registrar of deeds and looked at the maps.     It shows my driveway as a private road with the private road terminating at the waterfront-   On the county website it shows the private road terminates at the entrance to my yard.  The property lines are all off on the county land map website too.    The registrar of deeds said the way she understood it was its a private road for you and your neighbors to access your property.   There are 2 other lots behind me.   We could find nothing on record saying the private road was a water access.     I gated the property last winter since it was in the middle of renovations.  And all of a sudden neighbors freaked out about losing water access.   There is a public marina a block from my place.  And 5 boat launches and a public beach all on the same side of the water im on.

Went with this information to the supervisor and sure enough his maps are different than whats on record at the county.

I asked him to show me documentation saying its a water access,  He has so far been unable to provide such documentation.

Someone called the cops on me for parking in the private road.  The officer was like what water access this looks like a yard to me.

Hes claiming he can have my vehicle towed off the private road.   He also says I have to maintain it so people can access the water.   Ive had to chase people off my front yard down here fishing.  It got so bad one neighbor was making all kinds of threats.   Over the winter the house got broken into most of the copper ripped out.  Luckily the house was practically gutted anyways.    It's been a nightmare

I dont know what else I can do.   I can barely get any work done on the property because of the busybodies in the neighborhood going over to the township offices and complaining.    The place is old.  Its not the greatest looking.     My elderly friend helped me out in college so im just trying to give back and help him save his place that he loves so much.   He lives an hour and a half away.  All he wants is a place he can come spend 1 week a month and relax and go fishing.

Can the township supervisor tow my vehicles and keep harassing me about every little thing im doing down here?  telling me i cant tell people they cant come down to the water.

An image of the property map from the county is here.   The road you see on it is the private road according to county maps which stops at the entrance to my property

https://imgur.com/a/4bFk3

thanks in advance

Answer: If nobody has a better answer, I would suggest having your friend speak with a local attorney familiar with land use issues in your area. You may need a referral from your states bar association if you can't find one. This may turn out to be a complex issue.


Title: Ex-boyfriend and family creating fake Facebook profiles in order to bypass blocking.

Question:
Hello. I am writing this on behalf of my sister, who is the victim of the harassment. I will try to provide as much information as possible.

My sister broke up with her boyfriend a few months ago. After they broke up, she moved to live with family in a different state.

She has had her ex-boyfriend and his family blocked on Facebook since she broke up with him months ago. She recently mentioned, in a post on Facebook, that she was planning to file for child support for the two children he fathered with her. Since she made this statement, the ex and his family have been creating fake profiles in order to bypass the block and send her messages. The messages are a combination of vulgar names, insults, and threats to sue my sister for harassment.

What steps should my sister take against these people? Her current method is to block the fake profiles when they message her. Is there anything, legally, that can be done about this? Would it be better to contact Facebook first somehow, or should she contact police via a non-emergency line?

Answer: Make sure that she screenshots all of those messages and keeps them in secure places. (The general rule is at least three separate places--I like to keep one on the computer, one on a separate USB drive, and one in a cloud somewhere.) This is good both as evidence in case she decides to call the police or if he tries to petition for custody in the future.


Title: SWAT&HSI seized more than declared in front of Judge

Question:
A s.w.a.t team with HSI busted in my rental residence and handcuffed me (u.s citizen), my husband and my roommate in front of my 2 yr old daughter that was desperately screaming and crying for mommy. They took me outside in a police car, my husband and roommate were kept in living room while they seized cash from each room: $2,800 in a Bank of America envelope with receipt I just withdrew, $13,400 of my mother’s life savings she kept in a bank envelope with all necessary bank records to prove it was her legal savings, and $2,400 my roommate savings.
They came because my husband allegedly violated pretrial instruction for sleeping at my place that night and they claim he was living at my residence. We have proved in court that he only visited me few days that week and he was released.
The agents who broke into my residence didn’t disclose in front of the judge the true amount of cash they seized and only declared my mother cash when in fact they took my food & rental money and my roommate cash. We submitted claim to request my mother cash from HSI however there is no way we can claim our basic expenses food and rental money they took from us. They left us with a completely destroyed front door, with no money and denied my husband right to work. We are in a desperate situation and are asking the public for advice & help in how and where to address the issue.

Answer: So you had close to $20,000 just sitting around your apartment?Answer #2: This sounds like territory of you needed a good criminal defense attorney, something about this story doesn't track. SWAT teams don't just bust down doors because someone slept at your house in violation of a pretrial order. SWAT teams are called upon when there is a belief that there will be a situation that would put normal officers at extreme risk. And if by HSI you mean Homeland Security Investigation, it makes me believe they suspect either drugs, gang activity, or human trafficking, if not all three.


Title: Got Beat Up After talking to a guy [Kansas]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This happened.

What exactly were you arrested and charged with?

You can sue the person for any medical expenses in civil court.


Title: What happens when a business owner is sued into oblivion?

Question: This post may or may not be inspired by recent events but I was wondering what happens when a business owner with a company that has a board of directors, etc, is sued into oblivion and beyond the company's worth?  What would the company do to protect itself if the target of the suit isn't the company but the man himself but is synonymous with the name?

Answer:
 Is the company a corporation? Then, as a general rule, only the corporation is sued, not the owner, and the owner (with some exceptions) is not liable for the corporation's debts (which is the main reason companies incorporate).  If the corporation does not have money to pay the judgment, it files bankruptcy.

If the company is just someone doing business as, say, Joe's Shoe Repair, then he is sued, not the company, because the company has no legal identity separate from the owner. If he can't pay the judgment, he files bankruptcy.


Title: Classic half gram of weed possession questions

Question: Hello all, I am currently attending college in WI and was caught with my friends smoking outside of a cemetery near some woods. Me and two of my friends walked to this spot to find that two of our other friends were already there smoking. We carried with our own plans of smoking, now us 5, and as the joint was nearing the end headlights rolled up and a cop walked up to our spot with a flashlight. Because it was nighttime (and at the time snowing) this cop didn't see me drop/toss my bag further into the woods. He searched us, none of us had any cannabis on our bodies, (though I did have a box of squares in pocket that he saw and gave back to me) .. anyways he let us off with a warning after we gave him our word nothing was dropped behind where we were found. We walked away and I ran back shortly after to collect my backpack which was now gone. I walked back to my dorm to find his car parked up front then admitted to him that the bag belonged to me. He ended up removing and confiscating only a metal container with held an empty bag, and a bag with about a half a gram of bud in it. He did not however confiscate or ask about a separate container which had wax in it. In summary, I was charged ~$400 for a possession of marijuana ticket and ~$400 for possession of paraphernalia. My question to you all is what exactly do I have to say and not say to get my paraphernalia ticket dropped and my likeliness of being offered a class to drop/lower the cost of my possession of marijuana ticket. Thanks for your support, please get back to me.

Answer:
 > I walked back to my dorm to find his car parked up front then admitted to him that the bag belonged to me.

Sigh. Why? Get a criminal defense lawyer, and stop talking to the police.


Title: I got fired 8 months ago because I bought and scratched off a lotto ticket at work.

Question:
8 months ago in September 2018, I was fired by my previous employer because of a lotto ticket that I had paid for. The day after I bought the ticket, I had the weekend off. When I came in on Monday I was pulled aside by my boss and told I was no longer employed because of the lotto ticket. The family that owns the business owns a lot of businesses in my county and have a theory that they are giving a bad reference.

&#x200B;

Would I have grounds to sue for wrongful termination or defamation?

I know defamation is a stretch but I figured I'd ask.

Answer:
 >I have a theory that they are giving a bad reference.

Do you know what they are saying?  A theory doesn't get you anywhere.

It wasn't illegal to fire you.Answer #2: They can fire you for that. It's not a protected class so theres no law against it.


Title: Hostile Work Environment: Telecommuting

Question:
Please forgive the lack of specific claims. My mom has reported terrible working conditions to me, and she has asked that I get a preliminary idea of whether there is anything she can do before she writes out all of the details to me. It's that horrible of a situation for her. She is a cancer survivor x3 and the work stress is scaring her for her health.

My mom works in Louisiana for a medical record review company based in Maryland. She has been an RN for almost 50 years and been with this company for almost 20. For 16 years she loved the company and was well-known to be a stellar employee with zero problems. Four years ago she got a new supervisor who decided to be extremely hostile to her. This included a constant insane level of control and observation including clocking in and out to the minute, criticizing work performance, constant threatening termination for anything but perfection. After talking to other employees, my mom realized this woman was targeting only her. My mom reported her to the supervisor above her, and this report was passed back down to the woman. After this, work became almost intolerable due to the woman's constant harassment. My mom feels this is pure retaliation. She asked to be transferred to a different supervisor and was refused.

The company recently moved much of their workforce overseas, and my mom has been laid off and re-hired on a contract and part-time basis a few times in the past year. Many other employees were laid off. She is currently working part time for the company, and as a 65 year old cancer survivor is waking up at 4 AM on Friday night with anxiety that she won't clock in at the right minute on Monday. She again went to the supervisor above the evil woman and she reported that she believes she is being retaliated against. The supervisor pretty much gave no support.

She has described this woman's management style to be extremely abusive. My mom is a certified psych nurse who used to make house calls to violent schizophrenics, she doesn't have thin skin. This woman must be horrible. Is there anything she can do or say except quit? She doesn't want damages or anything, she just wants to transfer to a different supervisor which should be a very reasonable thing in the company.

If the details of the woman's treatment matter I can get them. In case it affects harassment claims, they are different races, with the evil woman being the minority.

TL;DR: employee of 20 yrs has targeted hostile work environment for past 4 under new supervisor. two reports to higher ups resulted in no transfer to a different group. does she have any options to force transfer?

Answer:
 > My mom feels this is pure retaliation.

For what? Unless this woman is being difficult because your mother is a member of a protected class, it's not illegal for her to be a micro-managing bitch. It's not harassment to tell your employees to do their jobs perfectly.

Answer #2: As the bot said, hostile work environment has a specific meaning and this does not qualify. I don't see any legal issue here.


Title: So I was talking to this girl and now her parrents are trying to get me to pay them

Question: Ok so this is a shit situation that im in. So basicly I met this girl online and we were talking for a while and we sent nudes back and forth and turns out shes 17 and im 20 and now they want me to pay 800 dollors for "accountability" is there anything I can do

Answer:
 You can (and should) ignore them. This is a very common scam. There is no girl, there are only scammers.Answer #2: It’s a scam. The girl doesn’t exist.  Do not under any circumstances pay.

You’ve seen pictures? Scraped from other sites.Answer #3: It's a scam, exact thing happened to my friend exact wording and exact amount and he told them to fuck off and it was fine. Happened like 4 months agoAnswer #4: If you will pay - you will commit a crime. It will look like you pay for nude photos of 17 years old girl.

You can always call a lawyer.

And STOP sending your nude photos!Answer #5: Most real parents would want "accountability" to be an arrest against a person like you, not $800 in blackmail money.    Block their phone number and relax.Answer #6: This is a scam.  The "girl" is a Nigerian man in his late 40's.Answer #7: This sounds like a scam.Answer #8: Ignore them and take this as a lesson that you shouldn’t send nudes to people you don’t knowAnswer #9: its a common scamAnswer #10: Scam.... it’s a scam


Title: I work as a Server in Ohio and the employer wants to fine his employees $20 if they are late to a shift, is this legal?

Answer:
 Nope. http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/4101:9-4-07Answer #2: Bah ha-ha ha. No. Not even close.

Look for a new job. Inform the Dept of Labor Answer #3: No, that is not legal, unless the $20 reflects the server's pay for the amount of time they are late.

For example, if their pay is $10 an hour and they are 2 hours late, they could be fined $20.


Title: hypothetically: If the president was in your house and you felt threatened, could you shoot him?

Question:
Like i said in the title, if he was on your property, you could have just as good lawyers as him.

If he also had a gun?

A knife?

If he died after you shot him?

Would any of these make any difference?

Answer: Statistically, most people who look like the president aren't the president. If one of them enters your property without Secret Service agents searching it first, then you can safely say it's one of the other people. Regardless, the self defense defense doesn't have any sort of exception for the president. Assuming you are asking if it's legal as opposed to if you can physically manage it despite the Secret Service trying to stop you, then yes.


Title: I want to take Samsung to court. 2.5 year old fridge died and Samsung unwilling to help.

Question:
Sorry if this doesn’t belong here but I am not sure where to go.

I purchased a house 2.5 years ago and had to buy all the appliances for the house since it was a completely new build in a sub-division. At the time I had purchased a brand new Samsung fridge for $3000. Fast forward to today, the fridge is broken in the main fridge compartment and unable to function properly.

Upon further investigation into what the potential issue would be I noticed this is a well known and common problem within Samsung with this particular refrigerator. A large amount of people had this issue and similar problems have shown up. Essentially they created this particular refrigerator by using a flammable coolant inside, thus when a technician comes to attempt to fix the fridge they will not attempt it because it’s essentially trying to fixing a bomb.

Samsung upon receiving notification from the technician of the problem is only willing to compensate me $800 for my fridge. I feel like this is a slap in the face and have refused their resolution.

Should I go out and find a lawyer and take Samsung to court? A fridge should not last 2.5 years and should not be built to this poor quality.

TL:DR: Bought a new fridge 2.5 years ago for $3000 fridge is now broken and unfixable because it’s essentially a bomb. Samsung only willing to compensate me $800 for a product that should work for bare minimum 10 years.

Answer:
 Not worth it .  Samsung is lawyered up.and no one is going to give you the time of day over one fridge.  Answer #2: Usually the base warranty for most appliances is 1 year. Unfortunately if you did not or had no option of purchasing an extended warranty, then you would be out of luck.

&#x200B;

With the frequency that new appliances break nowadays, I would suggest to everyone to buy an extended warranty to mitigate these issues.


Title: My nonprofit's controller stole at least $9,000 from us, paid it back when she got caught, and management is prepared to let it slide. What can I do now?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Source: **(Penal Law § 70.00(2)(d), § 80.00(1).)**

By NY legal definitions, the person in question committed "grand larceny of the third degree" (more than $5000, less than $50000). This a class D felony and carries a penalty of multiple years of jail time and/or fines up to double the amount stolen.

Hand over this info to the cops. The management may or may not cooperate, but probably not since it sounds like they're more concerned about saving face (who wants to be known as a corrupt charity?). Also consider reporting it to whatever agency manages non-profit status in your state, they may be interested enough to audit the company and uncover their dirty laundry.


Title: Credit card charge back and now I am being threatened

Question:
I purchased jewelry for my girlfriend online from a retailer in another state. The item was not what I expected. It was designed incorrectly, it was engraved by the jeweler with their insignia which means I would not be able to have it engraved. The stones were also the wrong color. I reached out to the jeweler who told me that I would have to pay to have the issues sorted out, when I reached out to them to confirm what needed to be done they started ignoring my calls and emails. I initiated a dispute through Chase and was credited the full amount back.

The jeweler has called me and left me voicemail saying that they will go to the police and/or sue me.

On principle I don't want to give them money for this but I also don't want the headache of going through the above, especially getting arrested. Can I be arrested? Can they sue me in court?

Illinois

Answer:
 The police will tell the merchant that this is a civil matter.  The merchant can sue you in civil court - especially if you canceled your payment but you didn't return the merchandise to them.Answer #2: Did you return the item?  Was it custom made?

Of course they can sue you- they did work and/or provided you an item that you didn't pay for.

Whether or not they will win will depend on the exact circumstances surrounding the event.Answer #3: You did send it back right?


Title: Question about "section 12" in Mass.

Question:
So, unfortunately my great aunt/Godmother has in the past few months gone from quirky to bananas. There was an altercation last week where she attacked my mom physically. She was so rattled by a prank phone call that she hid in the bathroom with a gun. She also lost said gun for 2 days, loaded, in a house with kids. She also believes the neighbors solar panels are listening to her phone calls.

I give these few examples, and believe me there are several more, to give a quick insight into the person..,but my question is with Section 12 in mass what do we need to provide in terms of evidence to have her taken into mental health custody? We believe she's s genuine danger to herself and others.

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 It looks to me like only a medical professional or a police officer can [initiate a Section 12](http://www.mhlac.org/Docs/admission_and_discharge.pdf). There are more than a few illnesses that can cause the elderly to go off the deep end (and mimic dementia), especially if the change is sudden.
You need to get her to a doctor or call the police the next time she does something potentially violent. You could try talking to your local PD on the non-emergency line before this happens to see if they have any recommendations. [This document](http://www.mass.gov/courts/docs/forms/district/mental-health-standards.pdf) may also be helpful.

And by all means remove and secure ALL guns!


Title: Are superior court rulings in a state binding in other states?

Question:
If a non-federal court were to make stipulations about my behavior during a suspended sentence, does their jurisdiction extend to other states?

More information can be provided if pertinent.

Edit: Ruling in NH, residence now not NH

Answer:
 Whoa, OP, you pulled a fast one on us.  We thought you were asking if court opinions were binding to other states' courts.

Of course your _sentence in a criminal case_ is still binding against you even if you move.  If you violate the court's orders, the court can put out a bench warrant.


Title: when can the family refuse an autopsy and when can the state force one? i'm super surprised that the family has won out here.

Answer: Ohio Law (ORC 2108.52) provides that the Medical Examiner does not need permission for an autopsy. If an autopsy is against religious beliefs a family member can make it be known. If after learning that an autopsy is against religious beliefs the coroner deems it is a "public necessity" to conduct an autopsy then they can still proceed. The law states however, that they must wait 48hrs of taking custody of the body where the family objects due to religious beliefs. With that being said, I am surprised they are not conducting an autopsy, but from the article it seems that coroner has decided that there is substantial medical records to determine cause of death coupled with the results from the  external examination the coroner is conducting. If the coroner decided there is a need to conduct a full autopsy they have the jurisdiction to do so.


Title: Sister is victim of an escalating cyber stalker. Not sure what to do next.

Question:
My sister went on two dates with a guy and then broke it off with him.  His reaction was extremely angry and has proceeded to various forms of cyber stalking.

There have been angry texts, which she has stopped responding to.  He somehow obtained her SSN, opened a credit card in her name, and apparently put a hold on her physical mail from the post office.  He, most recently, appeared to be aware that my sister was about to head out with friends for the night, and told her to expect a surprise.

At least one police report was filed during the credit card fraud, and they confirmed that he is a wanted felon.  What steps should be taken next here?

[Edit] This is in the US.

Answer:
 That isn't cyber stalking. That's multiple felonies, including identity theft.

You need to go to the police with this one. Since you already did that, now you just wait for them to apprehend him. Your role in this is basically limited to tipping them off as to his location. Answer #2: This is a job for the police. If the police don't seem to be doing something *right now* then you need to make a fuss.

Anything criminal like this isn't you versus him. It's the Government versus him. Get your sister off of any/all social media, change out her phone, go through all the steps for dealing with identity theft at [IdentityTheft.Gov](https://www.identitytheft.gov/), and make sure she's emotionally OK.

You aren't Batman so you shouldn't do anything to try to catch the guy and since the police are on the case you should focus on what you can help with, your sister.


Title: [Oklahoma] brother-in-law has a 6yo son with ex and wishes to be placed on the birth certificate

Question: [deleted]

Answer: He should call his tribe to see if they have any legal services for establishing paternity. I know that this is an area of great interest to the Cherokee, so they may have free options to help him out.


Title: My W2 was stolen through my company, legally, are they at fault?

Question:
I recently was notified by my company that an array of employees' W2s were compromised as a result of a mistake made by an upper level employee, and my W2 was amongst those stolen. My company has set me up with a credit monitoring service (all clear ID), but I am still concerned about other issues that may arise, for whoever obtained my W2 has my SSN, address, personal info etc.

So in the case something arises from this situation (my credit is wrecked, identity theft, other bizarre, life-fucking up shit as a result of someone having my SSN) is my company legally at fault? Can I pursue litigation? I want to make it clear that this situation is a result of the incompetence of an upper-level employee, who apparently was tricked into handing over W2s to a stranger via email, hence I feel I deserve compensation from my company.

Edit: thanks for the responses everyone. As I figured, it appears I have no standing to sue until a legitimate injury arises from this situation. I'll be sure to be in touch with the IRS, my current credit providers and, of course, my very responsible company.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Not legal advice, but life advice. Call the IRS immediately. The purpose of stealing these W2 is to file tax returns and steal your refund. Call the IRS immediately to prevent this. Answer #2: Until something happens, the question of whether you can litigate is moot.

If something does happen, the question of whether you can successfully litigate depends on a number of factors, including the extent to which the employee was grossly negligent. Generally, you can't successfully sue X because Y committed a crime.


Title: Prescription drugs were filled under my name without my permission and I now don’t have access to them as they are not in my possession and they show that they have been picked up already.

Question:
A few weeks ago, I was at my consult with my doctor that is required to allow me access to refills on my Vyvanse. I told her I was moving towns, and she suggested “I check with Caremark and see if I would be covered for a program that would send me a 90 day supply of my medicine directly to my home.” I told her that sounded great, but that I was unsure if I would be covered for that. She asked me if I would like some information that receptionist could provide about the plan, and I said yes. I never called Caremark or did anything to express that I was okay with my prescription of a 90 day supply be filled anywhere else besides the pharmacy she had on file. I only live ~85 miles away, so I figured I would just go visit my parents the and make a Saturday out of it the next time I needed a refill.

Today, I was trying to fill a prescription for my Vyvanse when I found out that a 90 day supply had already been filled and received, and was sent to my home address. Apparently, Caremark received a prescription for a 90 day supply from my doctor, and though I never said “I need a refill” (which is how it has *always* worked for refills of ADHD medicines) they filled it and it is now in the town I no longer live in and I cannot access them.

Yes, I am within driving distance, but that’s not what I am concerned with.

My main concern is this: how on earth could my prescription have been filled without my authorization when I’ve always been required to physically tell the pharmacist to send a request for refill to my doctor. I never requested this refill, and yet there it sits saying it was filled. It has been in the post office now for 7 days, I received NO notifications from my doctor, nor Caremark, that I was going to be receiving these drugs via mail. I never gave my consent to send these drugs to ANY address, let alone one that is not in the same town as I am. I never once spoke to Caremark (who filled the prescription from Pennsylvania) before today, yet they told me they were just following instructions as they always do. They said that if I wished, I will be alerted next time they do this. I asked them how the hell I managed to not be notified this time, and they brushed it off as “we just follow policy sir.” I then asked if they could just have that post office where they sent the drugs send them to my actual new address, and they said the drugs have to be signed for by me or a family member. How was this able to happen when I never once contacted my insurance about the mail-order services from Caremark, never contacted Caremark about opting in to the plan, and never did I request not authorize my doctor to put me into this program.

I am now unable to get to the medication, my family is on vacation and won’t be back until late next week, and they just expect me to make it to the post office by 5 today to pick it up.

Can someone please tell me if there’s anything that my doctor did that was not legal, or Caremark (the pharmacy that filled my prescription). I don’t know who to be upset with, because yes I expressed *interest* in learning about the program, but never once did I check any box or sign any document or make any phone call that would have said “I would like these drugs to be shipped to this address.”

I just feel like my doctor overstepped her boundaries, with good intentions, by assuming something she shouldn’t have and now I am in a bind where I don’t have access to my medicine.

Answer: You neez to read or ask how Caremark works. I have them; they ship to me aswell. What you described is perfectly normal operation for ongoing prescriptions. They know when you should be running low and automatically send you your next round. It's suppose to be for convenience. You should have updated your address with them.


Title: Firing an Air Rifle - Can I do this ... Anywhere?

Question:
This may be the wrong location, and I may need to just contact local officials for clarification. I recently purchased an air rifle. Specifically it's the *Crosman Fury II Blackout .177 Caliber* .. I can't find any regulations specifically for my state of residence; Ohio. I purchased this mainly for pest control, and of course for fun sometimes, I can't lie. Now to my concerns, I know from a distance this thing looks like a serious rifle, there's no getting around it. I don't plan on taking this into public places, but I know people are on edge about guns anymore and may mistake what I have with a powder gun [Crosman Fury II Blackout](http://i.imgur.com/5RCov0h.jpg)... I've shot this thing only a couple times and it is *very* loud. I can tell the difference in the sound it makes, but maybe others can't. So, my question is this.. Am I going to be looking forward to constant calls to the police while I'm shooting? Can they do anything to me? Is there a law pertaining to shooting this on my own private property? I live within city limits, this is my biggest concern. Zip; 45750. Any info would help.. Sorry if this was long-winded but, just airing my concerns.

**Edit**
Got my answer.. thanks /r/legaladvice !!!

[norther-light](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1z037m/firing_an_air_rifle_can_i_do_this_anywhere/cfpaeny)

[Form](http://www.egovlink.com/public_documents300/marietta/published_documents/2013%20Ordinances%20and%20Resolutions/2013-07/Ordinances/ORD%20NO%20349%2012-13%20.pdf)

Answer:
 You can't fire it within the limits of your city.

Ordinance 549.08a: "No person shall discharge any air gun, rifle, shotgun, revolver, pistol or other firearm within the corporate limits of the Municipality."


Title: I am being threatened with not being able to see my kid after he had an accident with another kid during my parenting time.

Question:
Arkansas CPS. I think CPS is involved.

Memorial day weekend I had my kid on an extra day I would not have him in an attempt to make up some days I missed. My girlfriend's daughter who was with us pushed my kid. She is bit older at 6. We were just leaving the park and I didn't notice anything weird, he was a bit fussy (he is 3).

Because we are already headed to my ex-wife's house to drop him off for the night, I didn't think much of it. He slept in the car and said his head hurt when I got him out but he seemed chipper. It had been an hour since he had fallen. I didn't see him hit his head but he had a small bruise. He was laughing and smiling at one point.

It was raining when we dropped him off and I was in a hurry to get back to the car. I forgot to tell her he hit his head. I assumed he would tell her but made a mental note to text her when I got home.

I got home and fell asleep so I forgot. I actually woke up to a phone call of them in the ER. She said that he had been feeling really tired and lethargic and had started vomiting about an hour after I dropped him off. She asked what he had eaten over at my house. I then told her about the bump. She freaked out and hung up on me.

I tried to call her a few times but she had her phone off. Considering she was angry at me, I didn't go to the hospital because I didn't want to make a scene.

I called her husband but he was at work and said he would text her and let her know I wanted an update but that she probably had it off because he said when she called she was scared and they were running tests. So he told me to chill out that she was probably just dealing with that right now.

I fell asleep. While I was asleep she tried to call a few times and wasn't able to get through. I called her first thing in the morning but she didn't answer.

I wasn't actually able to get a hold of her until later that next afternoon. My kid was still in the hospital she said and that he was fine now but they were going to keep him another overnight to watch him.

I asked to come up there but she instead gave me a number to call to a CPS representative that had come to the hospital. She said I would need to talk to them first. I asked why and she said that I hadn't reported him falling. That I hadn't done what I needed to do and gotten him help immediately after it had happened and something bad could have happened to my kid. Or something along those lines.

I tried to call the CPS line yesterday but no one answered. I am suppose to see my son this weekend as scheduled but my ex is saying she can't talk to me about stuff right now and hangs up.

I am going to call back today. I am not sure what I need to say or do. What would happen if I went to the hospital? Should I go to the hospital or stay away? I am at a loss here. It was an accident between kids. What are my rights here? TEchincally it is not my custody time right now but I am assuming since he is in the hospital I can visit, right?   Do I call or not?

Answer:
 Your ex has probably been told not to talk to you until CPS finishes investigating.  Which it is reasonable of them to do when a child in your custody suffers a traumatic brain injury.  Steer clear until you've talked to them.

Also, this bit is BS.  Your child is three.  You don't get to "assume(ed) he would tell her".  That is your responsibility.Answer #2: You didn't treat the incident as serious even after you saw a visible bruise and heard your kid say that his head hurt. You didn't tell your ex about it until hours later when he was vomiting, even though you had multiple chances. Afterwards, when your kid was in the hospital, you not only did not go but were unreachable.

I'm not trying to pile on. I'm laying this out because you seem tempted to justify these things and you've included some details that don't make you sound very good. (For example, saying your ex "freaked out and hung up on [you]", when she was reacting to an emergency). I think you should carefully consider the attitude you want to have when you speak to CPS and possibly revisit how you discuss this incident.