Title: [MA]Got a ticket for expired inspection in my companies vehicle, my company said to pay the fine and they would reimburse me. I did and now I have insurance points and the requirement for a driver retraining program. Help!

Question:
In my naivety I did not fight the ticket and just paid the $50 fine.  My company told me to put in a few extra hours to reimburse myself for it. Now I have it on my record, have 2 points on insurance which jacks up the rates, and now after receiving my third ticket in two years I'm told I have to do a retraining program and pay $135 or lose my license.  Is there any way I can challenge the expired inspection charge now, since it was not my vehicle, it was the company I worked for?  I have the original ticket from 4/22/14 and it does not have the owner of the vehicle box checked.

On the retraining program form it says I have the right to a walk-in hearing.  Would the ticket and story be enough documentation?  Would I need to gather anything else?  Can I get it off of my insurance points?

Thank you!

Answer: IANAL But I have gone in to explain tickets and the circumstances to a judge several times and had success reducing fines and getting dismissals. It depends on the judge and the situation but if you show up with a logical argument, documentation for your case and dress respectfully (IE Business casual or better) I would say you have a good chance. Just remember they spend a lot of time everyday dealing with disrespectful people that have no clue and if you have your shit together and look presentable it goes a long way. Answer #2: The driver is responsible to ensure the vehicle is legal to drive, i don't see how you would beat the ticket, you were driving on expired registration.


Title: [FL] Someone is putting my address on craigslist so gay guys show up to my house.

Question: Like the title says, someone is pretending to be me on craigslist, saying I'm looking for sex with other men and telling them to come to my address. Two guys have shown up at my door late at night looking for sex. They said they talked to "me" and I told them to come over. I'm 99% sure I know who it is but I have no way to prove it. Is the guy doing this committing any crimes? Is there any way I can prove it's him? Should I go to the police or would they just laugh at this? I'm in Florida.

Answer:
 Contact Craigslist and the police NON-emergency line. Answer #2: The next time this happens tell the guys someone is pranking you and ask them for the contact information for the person they talked to.  Take this to the police to make a report, or follow up on one if you make it before then.Answer #3: You might want to put a sign on your door like "Nobody from Craigslist invited you over. You have been pranked. Please do not ring the bell. Thank you."Answer #4: This is harassment by proxy.  Depending on your State (I don't know FL laws) it may be a criminal offense and/or you may have civil recourse.  It is HIGHLY unlikely that anyone will file criminal actions.  That leaves civil.  You might be able to get information from Graigslist as to who posted (like their IP address and e-mail address), but it can be difficult to link those to an individual (especially if they are smart).

You might want to file a police report (you will have to insist that they take a report even if they don't want to), just in case this is just the start of an escalating pattern of harassment.


Title: Stepchildren trying to take my home

Question: North Carolina- My Husband and I bought a home from money I received from and insurance settlement and now that He has passed away his children are telling me I have to sell my home and divide the money between his grown children and myself. His name is listed first on the Deed and mine is listed second.  My Husband didn't have a will, only telling me what personal items to give to his children, which I have done 100%. Can they make me sell my home? My Husband and I didn't have children together. He had 3 and I have 1.

Answer:
 You keep commenting that your name and his name are on the deed, but we need to know what else is on the deed.  There are lots of different types of deeds.  If you don't have a copy of the deed, you can go to your county Register of Deeds office (or their website) and get one.Answer #2: You need to hire a probate attorney and consult with them on this matter.

If the deed was joint tenancy with survivorship rights, the house would automatically transfer to you upon his death.

If the deed did not have survivorship rights, his 1/2 of the house and the rest of his estate fall under intestate laws.

 Under NC intestate laws when a person has a spouse and more than 1 child property goes as follows: (note your child is not entitled to anything as its not his child):

* spouse inherits 1/3 of your intestate real estate and a portion of your intestate personal property (if you die with personal property worth $60,000 or less, your spouse inherits all of it; if you have more than $60,000 worth of personal property, your spouse inherits $60,000 plus 1/3 of the balance)
* children or descendants inherit 2/3 of your intestate real estate and any intestate personal property remaining after the spouse’s share

NOTE: this only applies to half the house - you own the other half outright so basically assuming there is no will and no survivor rights on the deed, they would be entitled to 2/3 of 1/2 of the house and they could ask you to buy them out or force a sale if you cannot do that. However, survivorship rights are pretty common for deeds for spouses.


Title: My neighbor rented his basement to people who are using it for commercial activities. Is this legal?

Question: I live in Brooklyn, NY. We share a driveway with our neighbor. My neighbor rented his basement to a group of people who are using it for commercial reasons. I think they do some sort of cardboard box packaging. It's ridiculous because they constantly have vans and trucks loading and unloading their stuff. The final straw was when they had a huge truck with a liftgate parked outside unloading things and dragging their things up and down the shared driveway on a **pallet jack at 10pm**. Is this legal? Can I have them evicted? It doesn't seem like the tenant is gonna resolve this issue. Please help reddit.

Answer: You cannot have them evicted. You can complain to their landlord, and possibly the city code enforcement.


Title: [GA]Ex-wife locked up on felony possession charges, what are my options in obtaining full custody of children?

Question:
My ex-wife and I have been divorced nearly 4 years. She remarried and moved to OK with her new husband. They have since divorced as well. The children were brought to stay with me for the summer (mid May roughly) and have been in my care ever since.
She recently returned to OK, without the kids, and began dating her ex who is a known meth user. They were picked up just before Christmas in TX and she has 5 charges, 3 of which are felony drug possession charges.
I've refused to help her, as has her family.
So, what are my legal options when it comes to custody of the children? According to our divorce papers, she is the primary custodian.  I want to keep her away from them until I know she has completed some kind of rehabilitation program and is no longer in legal trouble. I also want to prevent her addict boyfriend from being anywhere near them as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 You should speak to a local family law attorney ASAPAnswer #2: I completely agree that you need to consult with a local family law attorney. You will need to file for custody. The judge will be looking at who, in the immediate future, is more able to care for the children. It will be hard for your ex to argue that she is more fit if she's currently in jail and charged with recent felonies. It's possible that a custody arrangement will not be so cut and dried. Your wife will more than likely retain some kind of parental rights whether it be shared legal custody or just some form of visitation so if you're hoping getting full custody will rid you and your kids of her altogether that may not, and likely will not happen.

Good luck. It's lucky that she left the kids with you before this all went down so they didn't have to be removed by Social Services.


Title: Can I suggest 'tiered' damages/judgment options to the judge?

Question:
Basic court question, I guess—in Moraga, Santa Clara County, CA.

To skip the details: I bought a car and later discovered the sale was illegal on the seller's part. Out of spite, I'd *love* to claim the sale price but have the car impounded rather than return it, so the seller doesn't deceive someone again (and also because I've added value via repairs so I know he'd resell it for higher if I returned it). But, if the judge thinks impounding is extreme or impossible, then I'd want to just 'unwind' the deal to get my sale price back and return it.

Can I present 'tiered' options like this for the judge to rule on? Or can they only rule on one at a time?
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer: The judge isn't going to entertain that. The court likely can't even make that an order legally. Small claims court gets you one of two remedies. Property in a replevin action, or monetary compensation. Suggesting anything else is going to taint your case in front of the judge.


Title: Car got towed in my apartment's lot by my property manager even though there was a permit inside?

Question:
This morning I woke up to my car missing from the  lot. it is an old shitty car with a flat tire and expired temporary tags and no license plates. The car had also been sitting there for 2-3 months but had a parking permit in it the whole time.

I checked our lease and it reads "agent may remove any vehicle with expired permits, no plates, or if they believe the vehicle to be inoperable" it was all of those things but I still had a permit. I also listed my vehicle on the lease, are there any laws requiring a property manager to notify the tenant that their car will be towed if the tenant informed them in the lease that their vehicle will be parked in the lot?

Can I go to small claims and try to dispute this? I was told there is a chance the property management would rather settle than go to court

Answer: I'm surprised they let you park there for as long as they did. Nothing says "Nice apartments. You should want to live here." like immobile cars with no plates and expired tags.


Title: [NY] Pregnant wife was just attacked by my nextdoor neighbor's dog.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Contact the neighbor and ask for their homeowners insurance policy. If their insurance doesn't cover it sue in small claims (or if your medical bills exceed the limit get a lawyer and sue in big boy court) . Did you call the police and get a report written up? Answer #2: Medical care.
Police report.
Insurance report.


Title: 2nd DUI in Illinois --> moving to Texas next month?

Question:
As the title suggests, I was just arrested for my second dui in Illinois, But my girlfriend and I have plans to move to Texas next month (December 11th). I plan to keep a lawyer on retainer and will be talking to him on Tuesday, but I figured I'd ask here as I am obviously anxious to know. Can I still go forward with my move and have my lawyer appear in court for me? Will he be able to get my probation transferred to Texas? Any and all answers would be helpful. I am very remorseful for my actions so hate is not needed.

Regards.

Answer:
 >I am very remorseful for my actions so hate is not needed.

How remorseful were you after the first one?Answer #2: >Can I still go forward with my move and have my lawyer appear in court for me?

That's not going to really work well for you here. You likely will be required to appear.

>Will he be able to get my probation transferred to Texas?

Answer is maybe.

You're probably not going to be able to move to TX. *Minimum* in IL is 5 days imprisonment and 240 hours of community service. I also hope you're not driving because your license was immediately suspended from the time of arrest.

Time to put off the move plans.


Title: House is uninhabitable due to heat, landlady doesn't seem to care. CA, USA

Question:
Fair warning, I'm angry, sweltering, and have no energy for filters.

My family moved in to our 2 story joined townhouse when I was in middle school, I'm 23 now. Summers here reach 100°F+ for most of the season.

For ALL of the years we've been here, our 50+ year old Air Conditioning unit has given up once it gets anywhere near 80°F. Every summer we roast in this shitbox and I'm tired of our landlady's negligence.

Every single time we complain, she just sends the cheapest, shadiest company to "evaluate" the condition of the unit. Every time, they find a band aid solution that works for a few days, she sends one more dude when that breaks, and then nothing happens. Nothing has *ever* happened.

Replacing the unit, according my mother, is in the ballpark of $10k, which no one in the equation can afford, except the land lady who enjoys her summers in a coastal fucking cottage. Mom has been behind on paying for Electricity because this fuckall unit puts our energy use in the $900-$1200 range EVERY MONTH, even when it's not in use! Our neighbors who live in the building joined to ours are only paying $300 a month for their unit, which is newer.

Because we can't pay PG&E, mom has been behind on rent, too. So she has to borrow money from family and loan sharks to keep us afloat, even with the help from myself and others, it's not enough and we're facing the worst times this family has ever faced.

Mom finally had enough (only took you a decade, ma) and sent her a kinda nasty message, with a screenshot of the next week's forecast (90's and 100's), stating we can't keep living like this, and she's spoken to an attorney about withholding the rent.

Our rent agreement is a 2 year contract. Landlady mentioned a new part of the recent lease (that she failed to mention adding and included in a very tiny hidden place like a *bitch*) states we can be evicted if the rent is not received by the 15th of each month (due on the 1sts).

Recap: Landlady tells us she can kick us out if we don't pay rent, when we decided to withhold it because we COULDN'T pay it due to Landlady's maintenance negligence after a DECADE.

We can't afford the attorney. He gave my mom the advice out of the goodness of his heart but, that's all he can do without pay which is understandable. I can't do anything legally because I'm not on the lease, my mom is.

This isn't the first time landlady has pulled us into her vortex of cheap ass behavior, it took us a YEAR to get a new fridge when the one she provided busted, and she bought the cheapest possible crapbox with no space. Same thing when the upstairs water tank leaked and destroyed our kitchen ceiling slowly over time, she didn't even bother to try with that. My elderly grandfather had to save us by excavating  into that ceiling on his bad knees and replacing parts out of his own pocket.

I want to get my mom the *fuck* out of here some day, but until then we have to go to war over this stupid AC and I'm tired and i just want to throttle this lady. Please help.

Answer: Unfortunately, California does not require residential landlords to even provide air conditioning unless directly specified in the lease.


Title: Can a company mark me as “ineligible for rehire” and refuse to tell me why?

Question:
This is long AF, but I feel like all the details are necessary to get the full picture.

But the TL:DR - resigned during unpaid maternity leave. 6 months later, get offer from different department to come back, but HR has me marked as “ineligible for rehire”. HR refuses to tell me or anyone else why. Is there anything on my side legally to make them tell me why?

Okay now the long version:

I got hired in summer 2017 to work for a well respected company doing a job that requires 75% travel. My husband and I agreed it was a great opportunity and that the time apart would be worth it. We both knew I would probably do it for 1-2 years and then try to transition to another job in the company that didn’t require travel so we could work on starting our family.

The universe decided it had its own plan and we got pregnant in fall 2017. I was upfront with my manager, and mentioned that I didn’t think I would want to, or could continue to travel once baby arrived. They brushed me off (I think they thought I’d change my mind) and told me to not worry about it until we got closer to my due date.

A month before my due date a manager of a different team (J) approached me and asked my plan post baby. She had a job on her team that required no travel and thought I would make a great fit. I discussed this with my manager (M) . She said she didn’t have a role on my current team that didn’t require travel, so if J wanted me, I had her blessing to start talking about making the transition.

J and I work with HR trying to make transition happen, but things are moving at a glacial pace. Eventually it’s time for me to go have my baby. I go on my unpaid 12 week maternity leave without knowing the plan for when I return. J agrees to keep working on the transition and keep in touch.

10 weeks go by and I’ve been in touch with J and M both during maternity leave and neither can get answers from HR about why they still won’t approve my transfer. It’s stressful as hell (especially 10 weeks pp) and eventually my husband and I decide that I will respectfully resign from the company so I can stay home full time with our kid. I send my letter, talk with M (who seems like she doesn’t really care that I’m resigning) and J (who is bummed, but says she completely understands) and do all the end of employment stuff with HR (exit interview, returning equipment, etc).

My first red flag should have been how hard it was to get transferred, but my second was definitely how HR treated me when I returned my equipment. I decided to take baby with me to drop everything off because all my coworkers had been bugging me to visit. I’m on my way and HR calls me and tells me I have to wait at the front door for them to meet me there and that I can’t go see my coworkers without an escort. Okay. Seems extreme (and not standard protocol) but whatever. When I call a coworker to “come escort me” they are baffled as well. I return my stuff, visit for a little, then head out.

Fast forward 6 months. J calls and says she has a new role and I’m the first person she thought of for it. She wants to know if I’d consider coming back and is hopeful that this time it will be a lot easier, since I wouldn’t have to “transfer” from another team. My husband and I decide that I will go back to work. J is thrilled, gets everything approved by her boss, I find daycare and J just has to get HR to draw up formal offer letter.

A few days later, J calls to at that HR told her that she’s “not allowed to offer me employment”. She and I are both very confused and after confirming with me that I don’t have any idea why that would be the case, she goes back to HR to try to get more answers. HR says they can’t discuss it with her, but I am welcome to reach out to them directly to discuss. J passes along the message, expresses how sorry she is that this is all going down this way.

I try calling HR that day. No response. Try the next  day. No response, no call back. Send an email. No response. 2nd email a day later, no response.

Is anything on my side legally saying they have to give me an explanation? My understanding is that I was a great employee during my time there. Regularly getting compliments from customers and was often asked to work on special projects. At this point I don’t even want to go back to the company, I just want answers. I know legally, all HR’s can tell a future employer is the dates I worked there and if I’m eligible for rehire. But I also know that if they tell future employers that I’m “ineligible for rehire” that it’s a HUGE red flag and could screw me. Especially since I have no idea why that would be the case so I can’t even defend myself.

I live in AL which is a “At Will” state if that makes a difference.

Answer:
 > Can a company mark me as “ineligible for rehire” and refuse to tell me why?

Yes. Answer #2: > Can a company mark me as “ineligible for rehire” and refuse to tell me why?

Yes.


Title: Contesting Failure to Control Citation

Question:
A few days ago I was headed to work from one job to the next in my personal vehicle when a heavy rainstorm hit causing everyone on the interstate to slow down. I was ahead of a large group of cars going around 50 mph in  a 70 mph zone when I hydroplaned ,hit a bridge ,and spun into the median hitting nothing but the bridge. Cops were called and I filled out a report. He ended up citing me with failure to control and I had to call the court to see how much was owed (147$) but the lady that gave me the info said if she was in my situation she would contest it in court. So I was wondering if it seemed likely if I could win and what evidence I should bring being as I've never had a ticket much less been to court.

Also would I need to report this to insurance being as there were no injuries and the car is being given to the towing company to cover the bill as it was just an old beater?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 >	I hydroplaned ,hit a bridge ,and spun into the median

In other words you failed to maintain control of your vehicle.  I have no idea why that lady would think this would be something you could get out of.  If you can just pay the fine that would seem to be the best course of action.


Title: (California)Renting townhouse, reported leaking ceiling 3 times. Ceiling collapsed today. What next?

Question:
As the title says, my ceiling has leaked 3 or 4 times over the past 14 months. Reported it to the property manager every time. Each time they sent maintenance to inspect it. They entered the residence, saw the leak, went to the roof and pushed off any water, and put some kind of patch on it. Not once did they fix anything on the inside even though the ceiling was sagging heavily at times.
This is in the master bedroom right over my bed and I expressed my concerns about the ceiling falling every time and they assured me it's fixed and shouldn't be a problem anymore. Sure enough, it rained again and the ceiling fell.
Ceiling drywall, insulation, and various other ceiling junk is all over my room and bed. My bedside light is broken. My bed is wet and ruined. The entire upstairs smells of old wet mold so I don't even want to go up there. Sleeping downstairs on the couch tonight.

Property manager is trying to contact the owner and I'm waiting on that. What's next?

Answer:
 Call building inspectors yesterday. Take pictures of the collapse.

Your landlord has broken their warrant of habitability due to the roof collapsing. They are required, under California law, to provide alternative housing to continue receiving rent at the landlord's expense until repaired. If they refuse, the lease is voided, as they have failed to provide a habitable dwelling.

I would highly recommend taking this to a landlord/tenant attorney for consultation to make sure your lease is truly void if your landlord refuses to provide alternative housing at their expense.

If they sue you for unpaid rent after refusing to pay for alternative housing they're in for a world of hurt from the judge.

Edit: If you have renter's insurance, you can put in a claim for anything that has been destroyed or ruined. Your insurance may go after the landlord for being responsible for the damages.


Title: (Curiosity question) If a public place is held hostage by a terrorist and one of the hostages has an opportunity to kill him, would he be in legal trouble for murder? (Australia, USA, UK, Canada) <- for any of these Countries.

Answer: I can only speak for Canada, but the long and short of it is: Ultimately, no they probably wouldn't get in any trouble in the end. They would likely get detained, probably even arrested and processed and have charges filed. But if they were justified in their use of lethal force, the case would be dropped.


Title: Technical question about living off the electrical grid in California

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I can find no source which says you have to be connected to the grid in California.

There was apparently a ruling by a court in Florida, but what's your source for California?


Title: Employment contract stipulates giving 30 days notice or else you must pay $5,000. Is this legal?

Question:
Here is what my new employment contract says: Should you wish to terminate your employment with the firm prior to the end of an accepted assignment, a minimum of thirty (30) days notice must be given to the firm. Should you not provide thirty (30) days notice when terminating employment during an accepted contract, you will be liable to reimburse the firm for lost revenue in the form of $5,000.

Is this legal? I am thinking of trying to at least negotiate it down to 2 weeks notice before signing. I don't plan on not giving notice, but what if a family/life emergency came up and then I also had to pay $5,000 on top of that? It could be financially devastating.

Edit- location is New York

Answer:
 Probably not but maybe. What's your job? In rare cases I have heard of these being upheld if the employee was in a key executive position and made promises that he would stay long enough to get some particular thing done and left before that and the company was able to show damages as a direct result.

But a predetermined amount sounds like a penalty and courts generally take a dim view on those.


Title: Neighbor keeps parking on our property and won’t move their car unless we force their hand. What is the best legal way to spite them?

Question:
Was thinking about putting trees as a border around our yard or 2x4s. If they violate that it would be calling the police next, probably.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: You call a towing company. Towing companies can and do remove cars parked on private property without the permission of the property owner, and then charge the car owner for the tow. Answer #2: Trees work. Fences work. Phone call to the towing company works.Answer #3: Hang a birdfeeder over where they like to park - they won't like parking there for long


Title: [Thailand] [Arizona] Did My STBX Commit Bigamy?

Question:
I'm getting divorced in AZ to another US citizen. I've been divorced once and it was listed in our marriage certificate in CA. I found that he also was divorced but internationally (from Thailand). He didn't list his first marriage.

Our divorce is already in process but are there legal ramifications that I should be concerned about? I'm not 100% of this divorce, but from what I learned the lady was on a K1 visa and didn't follow through when he came to the US.

Answer: If he was divorced when he married you then he did not commit bigamy.


Title: (Sacramento County, CA) Hit by a car. What should I do next?

Question:
Earlier today, I was struck by a car while crossing the street. I was inside the crosswalk, and the light to go was white. I was in the south-east corner, crossing to the north-east corner, and was hit by a car coming from the south road turning east. Though I had the right-of-way, I'll admit I was distracted, playing a game on my 2DS. I remember hitting the hood of the car, being airborne, and then being on the ground, that's about it. I also noted I was about a whole crosswalk's width away *from* the crosswalk after I was hit.

The person that hit me stopped, and an off-duty firefighter happened to be there to call the police and make sure I was conscious and okay. The police arrived, and, because I didn't feel like I was immediately dying, I denied an ambulance ride, so paramedics arrived on a fire truck. Paramedics took my blood pressure and bandaged my hand, before I got a ride to the hospital with a friend.

After being hit, I was only hurting in my right knee and lower half of my left leg, as well as my right hand, where I scraped it pretty bad. At the hospital, because I mentioned being flung from the car, they considered me a Tier II trauma patient, despite being generally okay. After a few x-rays and other tests, they deemed I was fine, just sore and bruised, and sent me on my way.

As for injuries to my property, I had my phone and portable charger in my pockets, my glasses on my face, my headphones on, and my 2DS in my hands. Somehow, only my glasses broke, with the part that rests on my right ear snapping off. Even my 2DS, which was dropped, survived with just a slightly askew label on the back.

So, what should I do to make this whole thing go smoothly? I'm expecting a lot of legal stuff in the future.

Answer:
 1. Go to the doctor, if you are in pain.  Follow the treatment plan suggested by your doctor.  Once you've been released from treatment by a physician, collect your own medical bills and records and submit them to the at fault party's auto insurance. Make sure that the bills you get from the hospital does not go to collections.  Make sure they bill your health insurance and you pay any co pays that might be owed.  People mistakenly think that under these situation bills can be sent to auto insurance companies for payment.  This is not how it works.
2. Get a copy of the police report.  Sac County takes about three weeks to make it available to you.  You will need this to determine if the person who hit you had auto insurance or not.  This information will be available to you on front page of the police report.
3. Once you have the insurance information, call the company and open up a bodily injury claim and a property damage claim.  They will get your information and mail you a packet that authorizes them to get your medical records and bills.  Don't do this.  See step number one.
4.You have two years form the date of the accident to either settle your claim or file a lawsuit.

Fortunately, it sounds like you were not significantly injured so the whole process should be simple.

Source: I do this for a living in CA.


Title: [OH] Landlord moved out and took wireless internet with her, which is provided in my lease.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I'm worried if I push the issue, she could just give me my 30 days notice to leave (I've lived there for a year and am now on month to month).

Yes she could.

Did you talk to her about it?  Maybe asked for a decrease in rent to cover the cost of you getting it on your own?


Title: [IA] Suing a child molester

Question: I am 20. When I was 8, I was molested by a 12 year old multiple times. This has never gone to prosecution, but I do want to sue him because I am unable to work. I could easily get him admitting to it on a recording or via facebook, as his family is friends with my adopted parents. Would an admission of guilt be enough to sue without a criminal case? I don't want to ruin his life over this. Another concern would be the fairness/ corruption of the court, as I'm transgender and he's a cisgender college graduate.

Answer:
 >I was molested by a 12 year old multiple times.

If he was a child when it happened, shouldn't your civil action should be aimed at his parents, not at him?

Indiana Code 34-31-4 (https://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/2015/ic/titles/034/ it's on page 455) limits parental liability for the torts of their minor children to $5,000, and only for "actual damages", which is to say, not pain and suffering; you probably have no statutory option. At common law you could sue the parents for their negligence in allowing their child to repeatedly do what he did, but you would have to establish that they wilfully or negligently breached some duty of care. You may have trouble proving that.

You should still report the abuse to the police. Adult rapists and other sadists don't just magically turn awful overnight. They practice, often from a very young age, on their peers and other vulnerable people around them. Your abuse could've been him testing himself. Someone else might be in some greater peril now.


Title: First offense, 3 misdemeanors in NC

Question:
We are both virginia residents and were on our way home yesterday when my mom got pulled for putting a cigarette out the window and our car was searched because my mom is a felon. They found marijuana paraphernalia, a small amount of marijuana ashes (like not even a gram) and some .5 mg xanax pills. I was arrested without warrant and charged for those three misdemeanors, and my mom on other charges but we were not read any sort of rights, however the officer did note to the magistrate that I was extremely polite and compliant. I'm transgender, female to male, and have been on hormones for a year and a half. While waiting in the jail I was constantly called an "it".  This is my first offense. I have an absolutely spotless record, I've never even received a traffic ticket. We can't afford anything other than a court appointed attorney. The bail bondsman told me that I would likely receive a fine and some community service or something along those lines but I'm afraid that I'm going to go to jail. My mom is almost certainly getting some jail time as well for her charges.
Our court appearance is scheduled for the 31st. I have no idea what is going to happen and I also have no idea as to the general processes that go down. Am I going to end up in jail? What happens if I do? What can I expect? I'm beyond frightened and haven't been able to sleep or keep food down as a result of my nerves.

Answer: You need a criminal defense attorney. Not the same one as your mother.


Title: I want to dive into an Otter tank at a zoo.

Question: What would the legal ramifications for diving into a Otter tank after disguising myself as a utility worker. If it's not bad I'll do it.

Answer: You otter not do it.


Title: [Canada] Potential future employer(engineering) asks for 3-months unpaid "volunteer" work.

Question:
Got an interview with a small engineering firm. While scoping out the company and its reviews, I found that the company asks for a 3-months unpaid internship. I think they call it "volunteering" for possible legal reasons(?)

I have limited work experience in my field and need an entry-level job. This sounds sketchy but don't have enough insight. Is this legal? And I  would love to hear some opinions and advices.

Answer:
 The Ontario Ministry of Labour says this about [unpaid internships](https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/internships.php);

>One such circumstance where a person can work as an intern for no pay concerns a person receiving training, but it has very restrictive conditions. If an employer provides an intern with training in skills that are used by the employer's employees, the intern will generally also be considered to be an employee for purposes of the ESA unless all of the conditions below are met:

>1. The training is similar to that which is given in a vocational school.

>2. The training is for the benefit of the intern. You receive some benefit from the training, such as new knowledge or skills.

>3. The employer derives little, if any, benefit from the activity of the intern while he or she is being trained.

>4. Your training doesn't take someone else's job.

>5. **Your employer isn't promising you a job at the end of your training.**

>6. You have been told that you will not be paid for your time.

By my reading, this employer is in direct contravention of these rules, but I'm not a lawyer.

If I were you, I'd go to the interview and see whether they do ask for this.  If so, then I'd call the Ministry of Labour complain - not much will likely happen, as the Ministry is backlogged, and you may have to be an actual employee to pursue a claim, but they might at least phone the company and berate them.


Title: Gave my two weeks notice and my boss threatened to sue if any of my staff leave around the time I do. Is there legal basis for her claim in DE?

Question:
I was giving my two weeks as a manager, and my superior said that the company would take legal action on me if any of my staff leave around the same time I do. This is in Delaware; can they pursue legal action if one of them do leave? (One of them has been talking to me about thinking of leaving in confidence before, so it's likely). I do not intend to tell my staff about my leaving until my last day, none of them know.
I don't know if it is relevant but the headquarters (it's a corporate owned chain) is based in another state.

Answer:
 What would they sue you for? I assume the person leaving is not planning to come work for you in a new position?

Otherwise, you can't force people to stay in the job, and I can't think of any reason they would have to sue you if someone else decides to quit around the same time


Title: CA - Going Back to School & Child Support

Question:
Hello,

I am an employed noncustodial parent paying child support and the custodial parent does not have a job. I want to go back to school for a professional degree but would need to quit my job to do so. Is there any law or policy addressing that type of situation? Would I be able to reduce the monthly payments?

Thank you.

Answer:
 You can make the case to the judge, and might get some reduction, but it won't be zero or close to it.

You might consider looking for an evening professional school program and keeping your job.


Title: Political signs in my town, is it legal to take them out?

Question:
Hi guys,

There are people putting up political signs around my town, running for mayor and town council or whatnot. Is it legal to take them out? I understand it is legal in some states, but not all. I live in NJ.

Thanks.

Answer:
 >  Is it legal to take them out?

No, not at all.  You don't get to "take out" someone else's property(the signs) and you don't get to decide what's posted on someone else's property.

Unless it's property you own or control personally, you leave it alone.

There is no state where it's legal for you to trash someone else's sign on property you do not own or control.Answer #2: Do not, I repeat, do not mess with campaign signs. A lot of states have laws specifically making destruction and/or theft of campaign signs illegal and it can carry stiff penalties. The people who get elected to write laws figured out a long time ago that they can write laws to prevent people from wasting their money. Campaign signs ain't cheap. Answer #3: If they're on your property?  You can likely remove them.

If they're not on your property?  You likely cannot remove them, as that may be seen as a form of theft.


Title: Medical director terminated me after instructing me to break the law to get to work.

Question:
Long story short... I converted from salaried to hourly Texas employee on 8/30, maintaining my W2 status. I was instructed by the medical director of the clinic to drive around a barricade on 9/4 that was set up on my street because of flooding. The street I live on was blocked on both ends. I did end up going to work because I make poor decisions. He criticized my work ethic and I in turn, asked him to not speak to me disrespectfully since he has no clinical background.

I continued to work my scheduled days and  was not scheduled to work any days past 9/5 but was supposed to continue working as PRN at the clinic. The medical director then fudged my hours after I submitted them, and I requested by email and text that those hours be fixed this morning. He responded to the email and said that he would fix the hours during the next cycle.

He then instructed HR to call me and tell me that I would be terminated since "I do not fit in with the company." Can I collect unemployment? I've never been written up for misconduct. Should I request my termination in writing?

Answer: You can absolutely file for unemployment and should immediately.  It's illegal in Texas to fire an employee for refusing to perform a criminal act but you didn't refuse. So if you had refused and been fired you would have a case. It sounds like you were fired for talking back, which is not illegal.  You can certainly go meet with an attorney who can go over all the particulars but I wouldn't get your hopes up.


Title: Sole legal decision making and Religious upbringing

Question: I was granted sole Legal Decision making in Arizona last month of my two small children. The order includes educational, medical, and religious training decisions. Their father has started teaching our children Jehovah’s Witness teachings and taking them to his church during his limited parenting time. Can I ask him not to take our children to his church or teach them his religious views given the court order?

Answer: If taking the kids to a JW church is against your wishes and you are the primary custodial parent but he continues to take them there knowing your wishes, you can argue to have his time removed from the children


Title: (Canada) Tenant wants to operate business from my residence. Any liabilities I need to know about?

Question:
Hi Reddit,

I'm in Saskatchewan, My tenants (older couple) have applied to the city to operate the administrative portion of their business from my house. So just the financial, taxation, and paperwork portions. Personally I have no problems with this, however they have a nasty history of damaging homes and trying to get out of paying rent. I am afraid they may be able to use this against me somehow if I approve it. I have had a couple major disputes already, and have actually gave them January and February for free ($3000) to leave and never come back in March. The only reason I am considering this is because I'm afraid they will do things to sabotage my my new home, that may not be readily noticeable when I inspect the place. He also has a home in the states so I'm afraid he would just flee to the US and I would never be able to pursue damages. Thanks for any advice.

Answer:
 I'm so confused. Are you asking whether or not their eviction could be impeded by having their apartment registered as a place of business with the city? Personally I wouldn't let that fly at all. In my tenancy agreements it specifically states that the units are strictly for residency and not running a business. I personally am not all that familiar with Sask tenancy laws, but I don't believe your evicting them would be affected by their "business".

I'm also confused about the nature of your offer to leave. Did you offer them free rent for Jan/Feb on the condition that they vacate March 1st? You absolutely don't have to do that (and IMO, shouldn't). Did you collect a deposit from them? You have 7 days after their vacate to inspect the place before you give their deposit back.

Also, how did you find out they have a history of being shit tenants?


Title: [CA] I worked in a regulated industry. My company asked me to do something illegal. I reported them through the proper channels but I was fired and denied whistle-blower protection because nothing illegal was actually done.

Question:
I'm posting this anonymously with as few details as possible so as not to out myself. I have been fired and I was denied whistle-blower protection.

I worked in an industry that is regulated by the government. My company asked me to do something illegal and I questioned my boss over email and was told to do it anyways. I reported the company through the proper channels and included the email. They were raided and investigated but no illegal activity was actually found because they had only *asked* me to do it, and nothing illegal was done.

The location I worked at was shut down after the investigation and all of the workers were given jobs at other locations. I was the only one who was fired, for being disloyal to the company and for releasing confidential information. My unemployment application was denied, I got evicted because I couldn't afford my rent and I had to move in with my dad. I also have received a letter from a lawyer saying I could be sued. I was denied whistle-blower protection because no illegal act actually happened (because I refused to do it) and everything came back clean in the investigation. I went to a lawyer but he wanted thousands of dollars upfront and I can't afford that.

Is any of this legal or do I have some pushback? I am really regretting reporting this, it's ruined my whole fucking life. I can't even get a job because they won't give me a reference and with no whistle-blower protection my firing looks like my fault. The stress ruined my relationship with my boyfriend and a I had a miscarriage. Can I push back or even do anything?

Answer:
 > My unemployment application was denied

Why? And what happened when you appealed?


Title: I don't know where else to turn or legally any next steps

Question:
Sorry for the length ahead of time.

My Niece(k) is 10 years old. This last 2 years have been hell for her, and my family. My sister has been in a custody battle with the father of her child, he got her pregnant at 14 when he was 26.

My sister royally messed everything possible up, and started doing heroin and lost full custody of K.

The dad has 6 other kids, and has multiple charges of child abuse (somehow pleaded down to simple assault?!)

He lost custody of K as well because he admitted to using makeup to cover bruising on the face, and keeping the kids out of school to hide abuse.

My Mom, K's grandma, has hired a lawyer and is trying to sue for custody of K. There is grandparent laws in PA. CYS has been involved for a long time, but everytime K says anything, they basically call her a liar. CYS is 100% on the dads side, and has been the entire time, regardless of proven accusations or charges. CYS has said all the kids are lying and the mothers are coursing them.

Today my mom was visiting my niece, as she has supervised visits, and K came in very distraught bc her dad read her feelings journal that her therapist has her doing, and since she said mean things about him he took her Christmas and her next Birthday presents away from her, she called him a name and he smashed her head into a wall and said he'd kill her, and then her uncle (who has custody currently, dads brother) came down and told her he would knock her teeth down her throat. This is only the tip of the iceberg with the abuse.

My mom has custody of K's sister, but CYS has never investigated that, and still doesnt want K to have in home visits or be allowed to stay.

CYS in that city is already under heavy fire for a murder of a 4 year old kid, would suing CYS be the next step? My family and I are scared for my niece, and we just want to know shes safe and loved and cared for. Everything is becoming so hopeless, CYS just granted that anything K says, is inadmissable in any way shape or form.

Is she old enough for what she wants to count? Please any answers or any leads would be highly appreciated. I dont know where else to turn.

Tl;Dr niece has been abused for years, what else can we do to get her home?

Answer:
 >My Mom, K's grandma, has hired a lawyer and is trying to sue for custody of K.

The train stops here (thank God).

The attorney needs to be driving this to a resolution.

The attorney would be fully aware of the abuse, assault, statutory rape, and any other number of crimes that you have described here that I have lost count of.  And he will know how to have them addressed in court.

Do not substitute advice you get from the attorney with anonymous advice you get from the internet.


Title: Friends bring pet over, landlord says I'm in violation of our lease.

Question:
My lease on the subject pets says, 'Lessee shall keep no deomestic or other animals on or about the leased premises without the written consent of Lessor.'

My friend just brought it over for 1hour.  Is this in violation of the lease?

US, CA

Answer: Yes. That's a violation.


Title: [FL] Don't have a physical social card or ID and can't replace one without the other

Question:
I'm 18 and live in Florida, recently joined the Navy and ship out in under 2 months. My issue is that I've never had an ID or passport and when I was processing my social got misplaced. The military can only give a copy of what they have on record but I need an original copy. I can't open an account with the Navy Credit Union to have a bank account or get any sort of debit/credit card to build up credit. From what I've been able to gather Florida has abnormally strict rules in regards to my situation. If I don't get this resolved soon it's going to be a major pain in the coming years. Thanks for any advice you can give.

I didn't know what subreddit to post this in so please feel free to refer me somewhere else if you think they can help.

Answer: You may need to physically walk into your nearest Social Security administration office to get a new SS card. Bring whatever documentation you have that proves you are who you say you are. Multiple forms of photo ID would be helpful with that. Do you have a military ID with your picture on it?


Title: My SO got rufeed at a bar while I was out of town. What are my options?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You should work on your phrasing. If I were your gf I'd be put off by the liberal use of "my and I." Like, it takes skill to make someone's near sexual-assault all about you.Answer #2: What recourse do **you** have? None. Nothing happened to you.

What recourse does your SO have? Depends on if the drug test is positive, and if you can prove someone specific put something in her drink.

That guy who gave her the drink sounds like a sleaze, but I don't think you can prove anything. That's probably what he's counting on. Sorry.Answer #3: She can call the police, but, really, unless you have some more concrete proof than you have posted, I wouldn't expect much. If she's classmates with him, SHE can contact the university's Title IX office, but, again, you're unlikely to get much traction without proof.

Lets be very clear though, that this didn't happen to you, and you have no recourse right to seek vengeance on behalf of your girlfriend. Everything you do will come back on her, so don't you dare post anything on social media or anywhere else without her consent and participation. Your job is to be a supportive boyfriend and THAT IS All. Anything else you do is for your own ego, not her benefit.


Title: Landlord gave 7 days notice to vacate, then cashed our rent check for the month

Question:
North Carolina.

On the 6th our landlord posted a 7 days notice to vacate. We had already sent in our rent check at that time. We've been trying to get in touch with them (calling, texting) to find out why they have us the notice but have gotten no response. We moved out today. However, when I checked our bank account, it said our rent check was cashed on the 7th. We hadn't cancelled it yet, because they never cash the rent before the 15th. What should our next step be?

Answer: Look to see if your state allows for 7 day notice, because most states require 30. Also if you have a lease and are not month to month, they might very well need to show cause.Answer #2: so just for clarity they told you to vacate, then cashed a check intended for the pay period entirely after you moved out?Answer #3: Why did they post a notice to vacate? When did your lease end?Answer #4: You were quite possibly illegally evicted, even though the legal process of eviction was not utilized.  You may be entitled to triple damages and so forth (not sure if this is a thing in NC), but you are almost certainly entitled to prorated rent from the day you moved out until the end of the term.  A 30 minute consultation with an attorney should help confirm this for you and plan your strategy for your small claims lawsuit.


Title: Got a DUI yesterday (my fault, yes). Cop had a tow truck there before he even came up to my car. Does that matter?

Question:
[USA]

I am fully, 100% responsible. I accept my mistake. I blew a 0.12, and I should not have been behind the wheel. I am strictly looking for legal advice.

During a consultation with a lawyer today, he mentioned that the police ordering a tow truck prior to me even being tested or stepping out of the car could be grounds to have the DUI arrest thrown out. Is that actually true?

Answer:
 I seriously doubt it.

Can you prove that the officer called the truck?  Just because the truck drove by and stopped does not mean the officer called it to the scene.

And there are no rules or laws about the police calling a tow truck to a scene.  If the officer opted to tow your vehicle after you proved you were sober, then you might have a case... but I seriously doubt that this will make any difference at all.


Title: (Ohio) Boss changed the hours I worked after I went home Thanksgiving morning, is this legal?

Question:
Hi I work night shift at a Fortune 500 company, specifically one of their distribution centers doing normal warehouse work. I work 10 hour shifts M-T.

I worked until-1:30am Thanksgiving morning, 2 hours shy of a normal shift (they wanted to be nice and let us out early). I go home, check the timesheet about an hour or so later, low and behold it says I clocked out at 0000 making me ineligible for Holiday Pay and my OT pay for the 1.5 hours into the holiday I worked. It was obviously changed by my boss or maybe even my boss’s boss and it was blocked so I can’t change it back. Basically, I worked 1.5 hours off the clock which from what I see posted throughout the building is “against company policy”.

Is this legal? I go in at 5pm today and wanted some advice for how to approach this problem to HR.

Answer:
 Your company should have an intranet where you can find “payroll dispute” information/instructions. If not, contact your payroll department and let them know your timesheet doesn’t reflect your actual working hours.

Assuming you have a digital timeclock like Kronos, they should be able to manually verify your actual punch out time.


Title: [OR] evicting psychotic brother in law

Question: Around 3 years ago my mom let my sister and her husband move into a cottage on our property. The only rental agreement was he would pay the power bill. In the amount of time they've lived here we've had to call the police atleast 15 times on brother in law because he goes into violent rages over the prettiest problems. There have been physical fights on more than one occasion. And now he is trying to control everything that goes on here, including blocking us in and not allowing anyone to leave(he parked his tow truck in driveway preventing anyone from entering or leaving and threw the keys). We dont even let our dogs into OUR front yard anymore for fear that he'll hurt one of them. My parents are at the end of their ropes and want him gone. The only problem is he owns a successful business(that he now runs out of our property) and we live paycheck to paycheck and can't afford a legal battle with him, which is inevitably going to happen. How can we just get rid of him? My parents had a property dispute with a neighbor years ago that required a lawyer, so my dad recently went to see him, and was told BiL had already come to see him about a divorce and couldn't help. Any advice is greatly appreciated, I'm tired of my family having to live with this psycho.

Answer:
 Your parent(s) (his landlord\[s\]) can serve him either written 30 day notice to vacate (if they've been tenants there for less than a year) or written 60 day notice to vacate (if they've been tenants there for a year or longer), and if they fail to vacate after that amount of time, your parent(s) can file for a formal eviction with the court system.

Outside of some egregious and fringe situations, those are really the only legal options for getting rid of them.

Optionally, your parents can offer to pay them to leave willingly sooner.  They're under no legal obligation to accept a deal like that, though.Answer #2: I would think the part of the business is irrelevant. He doesn't own the property, he's only a renter. I'm assuming since you said he has a tow truck, he operates a towing business. If so, do you know if he filed and received the "Tow or Recovery Vehicle Business Certificate" as laid out here; [https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Forms/DMV/387fill.pdf](https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Forms/DMV/387fill.pdf)
If he's in violation of any of those you could report him, doesn't help directly with the current situation, but if he's running an illegal business from your parents property you could shut him down. Answer #3: I saw your update. Your sister needs to get a restraining order and not stay alone in case he tries to get revenge on her. She also needs to get a shark of a divorce attorney.


Title: Can ex's new girlfriend pick kids up from visitation without ex? (WA)

Question:
So back story: Close family friend is going through nasty divorce that left her on the streets with nothing to her name. A year later she managed to secure a place to live and gets biweekly weekend visits from the children.
Normally the kids are picked up and dropped off by the ex husband but not this weekend visit. Instead he had his new girlfriend pick the kids up without him being there. I was under the impression that it had to be in the court paperwork as to who can pick the kids up without the parent being present? It just made me uncomfortable and unfortunately my friend left so I couldn't ask her.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Anyone the parent appoints to get their child is able to unless the divorce settlement explicitly said otherwise.


Title: I’m working at one company but get paid under two separate roles

Question: I’m working at one company but they pay me under 2 separate roles. Let’s say I work at an amusement park and I watch the lines but I also clean the rides under a separate title. They pay me with 2 separate paychecks for the separate jobs I do within the company and I work 6 days a week but 3 days are on one paycheck and 3 are on the other, so I never get overtime. Is this legal?

Answer:
 Is the amusement park closed for 5 months of the year? Or does it do less than 1/3 of its business in 6 months of the year (ie slow season)?

If yes to either, it falls within an overtime exemption under FLSA. Assuming that your state has the same exemption (most do), then this wouldn't be an illegal workaround to avoid overtime pay.


Title: [IL] Someone keyed my mom's car.

Question:
Friday someone pointed out to my mom that someone keyed her car. We don't actually know when this happened. My best guess would ve Tursday because that's when she went to Wal-Mart, and there are some people intown that don't like her and know her car.

What I want to know is what would be the next step. I would guess filing not only a police report, and then an insurance claim. Possibly try to get the security footage from Wal-Mart in the hopes that it might reveal something.

Answer: You have the right steps in mind. Hopefully the security footage can show you something. But act fast. You can't guarantee that walmart keeps the footage for very long.


Title: Dentist did a "deep cleaning" for my wife instead of a regular cleaning, insurance rejected it since my wife had one (deep cleaning) just 2 months ago, and the office is now asking me to foot the bill.

Question:
My spouse and I have the insurance plan from Aetna where you have to specify which dentist you want eariler in advance and it takes a month to change your primary dentist. Under this plan, we am allowed 2 or 3 cleanings a year free, and a deep cleaning every 2 years (also free). In July, she had a deep cleaning with her old dentist, but we wanted a second opinion on one of her teeth issues and I have by this other dentist as my primary, who is pretty good. I have had extractions, root canals, cavities, etc by them and I have been a client for many years. So we switched her primary dentist to the one I have and booked an appointment with them, and they automatically put her for a cleaning and a checkup.

&#x200B;

A month ago I get a call from them saying that my insurance provider has rejected the bill for the deep cleaning, which makes sense since we am only supposed to get one every two years. I explained the situation to them, asked them why they did a deep cleaning instead of a regular cleaning without our permission, and they said that they will look into it. I didn't hear back from them until we got a voicemail on Friday saying that the outstanding bill of \~500$ is due and this is their last time trying to communicate with us before they send it to collections.

&#x200B;

I am mad at them for doing the deep cleaning, which I am not even sure they did because it was pretty quick, and the deep cleaning is supposed to take an hour, and isn't the hygenist able to see that the teeth are already pretty clean? Not to mention the harm it does to the teeth for doing deep cleanings between such short intervals. Not sure how I should proceed with them, I really don't want to pay the money and I don't want to harm her credit obviously. We have dental implants, cavities, extractions booked for the future for both of us and I am not sure if I can use that as leverage. I want to make sure that just a verbal "We'll take care of it" from some billing admin doesn't end up in collections and on our credit.

Answer: You need to go down to the office and have a nice courteous conversation with the person in charge. Stop waiting on call backs and all that nonsense. Explain the situation in the nicest manner and hopefully you can come to some sort of agreement that works for both you and the dentist. Also mention about how you get so much of your dental work done there. This should be totally fixable but you can't just rely on phone calls for this stuff.Answer #2: I think your dentist is ripping you off. I have had deep cleaning before and it was a two appointment 4 hour ordeal.


Title: [VA] Management ignoring doctor's note

Question:
Hello,
My mom works for grocery store in VA and has been mostly a part time worker. She was transferred to a new store where management has been scheduling her full time for months. She has health problems and even got a doctor's note requesting that she not be schedule so much. We've talked to management in the store, call corporate, and even call the Union and we never even receive a callback after multiple messages.
Please advise me on what to do next

Answer: She has 3 choices if they won't change her schedule. She can continue to work full time. She can find a new job. She can not show up to work and hope they don't fire her. If she is fired she can file for unemployment. She might qualify if she can show she has a medical need and asked them to accommodate it and they wouldn't.


Title: Can One Read Adult Novels While In A Classroom?

Question: More specifically, if I am a high schooler and I pull out a hardcover copy of Fifty Shades of Gray will I be allowed to do this? Of course considering that I will not share its content with the students around me.

Answer:
 You can't be arrested for it.

You can be disciplined by the school for it, however.Answer #2: >if I am a high schooler and I pull out a hardcover copy of Fifty Shades of Gray...

Do you want your fellow students to know you like that book? Have you considered the bullying ammo you're handing them?  Answer #3: * Not really a legal matter.
* Schools have broad authority over students, and may chose to discipline you for doing so. Also, it's in poor taste. Answer #4: The school has the authority to not allow you to read it.Answer #5: Does your school allow students to read books during class?


Title: If someone gives you $10k to hold and you put it in your bank account. Will you get in trouble with the IRS?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 NAL, but I'd be more worried about why they are giving you $10K to hold. Money laundering, hiding assets from creditors/divorce, etc. Not a lot of scenarios that you would want to be involved with.Answer #2: You will almost certainly eventually get in trouble with some type of police department because this screams of complicity in a crime or scam. Answer #3: Not if you count it as income and pay taxes appropriately.

If you're just "holding" it, you are almost assuredly doing so to help that person skip out on taxes or some other legal issue - in that case, you would assuredly be in trouble with somebody.Answer #4: This smells like somebody is asking you to be either a party in a scam or some other type of fraud. (don't walk away **run** away).

Your problem might not be with the IRS but you might get in legal trouble with some other entity.Answer #5: Why are you "holding" this 10k?


Title: [OR/CA] My wife owed $4100 in impound fees from her HS car being impounded.

Question:
I am not very good at titles, so hopefully the below clears anything up.

Currently we live in OR, the car was registered in CA where my wife lived at the time.

Today my wife found out via a background check at work that there was a collection levied against her for $4100 in impound fees from her hometown. Apparently the car that she drove in high school(07-09), which she learned today was registered in both her father and her name. Not sure it matters but she was a minor when it was originally registered in her name.

It has been nearly 9 years since she last drove the vehicle before moving away. Last she knew the van was being used at her dad’s work.

Apparently the car was towed and impounded January of 2017.

The discovery of this collection put her financial license at risk, as well as a potential internal promotion. Because of those implications, we paid the fine today. Allowing her to remain in good standing with her company, and the financial regulators.

My question is, do we have any potential recourse against her dad for this? She was unaware that the vehicle was registered in her name until today. Her dad is not the type of person who would have paid that fine, and we know we’ll struggle to recoup the costs from him. Thus why I am asking if we have a legal avenue.

Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 She would have had to sign the registration so if she just found out that it's in her name and her dad forged her signature she should talk to him about paying the fee. Answer #2: In general, you shouldn't pay debts that aren't yours, as it implies that they are legitimate.

Is the lot still in possession of the van? Then presumably her father doesn't actually care about it, and maybe she could sell it; her name is, after all, on the registration.

Otherwise, she should get her name removed to prevent a repeat.Answer #3: If the car is registered to her is the title in her name?  If so doesn’t that make her the legal
Owner?  I’d tell dad to cough up the $4100
Or your taking possession of your van and selling it for whatever you can get to help recoup the cost of the fees.  And then yes, I would small
Claims court him. Why?  He cared so little about his daughter he jeopardized her livelihood.  Alas, I’m not a lawyer, but I’d think with some digging into the title and then calling the DMV about who
Is the legal owner and what you can and cannot do would help significantly.


Title: [New Mexico] First time doing taxes, was told I need my w2 from my first job last year, but the employer constantly beat around the bush and didn't let me fill one out.

Question: Like in the title, this is my first year doing taxes, and when asking my dad to help, he's saying I need a w2 from my first job from last year. I was hired in December 2014 and quit in June 2015. During that time the company would only let me turn in a W2 online. I could only do this on a special site hosted by them that had a ton of issues. Basically any time I tried to fill it out and submit it kept showing me an error message. I went to my boss and told her about it and she filed a ticket to corporate. I kept pushing the issue for months and my boss kept saying "well I haven't heard anything". Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 Just FYI, the part you fill out is a W-4. The employer then uses this information to figure out how much in taxes to withhold from your check. Then they send you a W-2 in January of the following year.

Do you have paystubs from when they paid you. Each one should show how much they withheld for federal and state income tax.


Title: [US-FL] Hospital Experience - Unsure if my thoughts of mistreatment are justified

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice,
I have been very hesitant for months about seeking advice regarding this.  I have catalogued the events that took place between September 23 and October 1, 2017.

When I started writing this I had no idea it would be this long, I apologize. I feel like all the information was necessary.

On Saturday September 23, 2017 I had a Spontaneous Pneumothorax (lung collapse), in my left lung.  My mother called 911 because I was in severe pain and was barely able to remain conscious because I was unable to breathe properly.  The paramedics evaluated me and calmed me down a bit and I was able to breathe well enough to make it to the ER, where a chest tube was inserted between my ribs. The chest tube was connected to a machine called a "Pleur Evac", which was then connected to a wall suction unit to apply constant suction and keep air out of my chest cavity.

A few hours later, I was disconnected from the wall suction, transferred to the ambulance, connected to the ambulances suction , and driven to the hospital about 40 minutes away.  Everything was OK and I had no questions as to whether they were doing what was right for me or not.

Once at the hospital I was placed in the ICU and my chest tube was connected to another chest tube suction apparatus.  An ICU nurse came in, told me she needed to do a "bed bath" because I was bloody from having the chest tube inserted.  She proceeded to push/roll me onto my left side, directly on top of my newly inserted chest tube and wipe the right side of my back, down to my right foot with a damp cloth while I writhed in pain.  My mother who was in the ICU with me questioned her, asking "Why would you roll him onto a chest tube like that", to which she replied "Protocol".  To wipe the blood off the left side of my back she just made me sit forward, instead of rolling me onto my right side.

That was the time when I first had the thought that I was being mistreated, but continuing:

A few hours later (Still september 23), I was transferred 6 floors up to what was called the "Med Surge Unit", where Daily to Twice Daily X-Rays began.  An X-Ray machine was brought to the room I was in and an X-Ray of my chest was taken.

On Sunday September 24: I was disconnected from the Wall Suction Unit by a Med Surge Unit Nurse, for a minimum of 45 minutes.  I was brought three floors down to radiology and given X-Rays there.  My mother was there at this time and went to the Nurses Station to ask "Why is he being disconnected from the suction while he has a chest tube", a nurse responded "That's procedure". My mother then said "He had an X-Ray machine brought to him yesterday, why is today different", to which the nurse replied again "That's procedure".

Being disconnected from the wall suction, my chest cavity would continuously fill with air and re-collapse my lung, and I would be unable to breathe properly. At radiology I was made to stand up, lift my arms straight up above my head, grabbing onto a metal bar above me, while being unable to breathe and having a hard time remaining conscious due to a lack of oxygen.  After each X-Ray I was told "Total collapse of the lung".

I was checked on each day by one to two hospital doctors, as well as a physician's assistant.  Each day after my X-Rays they would come in and talk to me about what was going on, and each day they told me "We don't understand why your lung is getting worse".

This continued:
September 24, 2017: Disconnected from the wall suction for 45 minutes to an hour for X-Rays three floors down
September 24, 2017: Again Disconnected from the wall suction  for 45 minutes to an hour for X-Rays three floors down
September 25, 2017: Disconnected from the wall suction for 45 minutes to an hour for X-Rays three floors down
September 26, 2017: Disconnected from the wall suction for 45 minutes to an hour for X-Rays three floors down
September 27, 2017: Disconnected from the wall suction for 45 minutes to an hour for X-Rays three floors down

On September 27 something happened.
One doctor and the physician's assistant happened to come into my room as the nurse was reconnecting my chest tube to the wall suction after my daily X-Ray.  Both the doctor and physician's assistant started (literally) screaming at the nurse, and shouted "DO NOT EVER DISCONNECT HIM FROM THE SUCTION, HE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED".  When the nurse left they said to me "They (the nurses) should have never taken you off the suction ever".

Thursday September 28:  In the morning an X-Ray machine was brought to my room.  About 30 minutes later it was explained to me that due to my pneumothorax continually getting worse, I would need surgery to repair my lung. I was told I was having "VATS" surgery (Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery).  A small incision with a camera guiding them.

An hour or so later I was prepped for surgery.  The surgeon explained that he needed to do an epidural or I would be in a lot of pain when I woke up, but was unsuccessful.  I woke up after surgery screaming and in more pain than I'd experienced in my life of dozens of broken bones from skateboarding as a kid.  I also had a new chest tube 2 inches lower than the first one, as well as a brand new 5 inch long incision parallel to my ribcage on my back.

I was placed on a morphine drip, though the machine continually malfunctioned. While the ICU nurse continued to try to fix the machine, apparently it could not be fixed, so it only administered the very first dose, and I was without any form of pain relief until the next morning ~12 hours later.

The next day, September 29:
I was transported to the 4th floor "Step Down Unit", the morphine machine located there, after one dose began to malfunction as well.  The nurse assigned to me, as well as another nurse (Who was not my nurse, and was there only to help fix the machine, and I still do not know who she is) tried fixing the machine and after 5 hours it was finally fixed and my pain was alleviated after almost 24 hours following surgery.

An hour or so after the machine was fixed, the nurse (who was not assigned to me, and I still do not know) disconnected me from the morphine drip, and took it with her as she left without saying a word.  After being taken off the morphine, after the first dose since it was fixed,  I called my mother and told her what had happened.  She called the hospital and spoke to My Surgeon's Physician's Assistant (Let's call him Mike).

Mike came to my room a few minutes later and told me "The nurse (again, who was not my nurse, never assigned to me, and I still don't know) called the anesthesiologist (Who did not administer anesthesia to me, did not know who I was, that I had surgery, or why I was in the hospital at all) and told him 'Anon looks drowsy and should be taken off the morphine'".  Mike asked me "On a scale of 1-10 what pain are you in?" To which I replied "10".  He asked what the pain felt like, so I told him it felt like someone was stabbing their way out of my chest from the inside.  His face grew increasingly concerned and he ordered me to be put back on a morphine drip immediately.

Remembering back to Wednesday the 27th when Mike and one of the hospital doctors caught the nurse reconnecting me to the wall suction, I asked him "If the nurses didn't keep disconnecting me from the suction would my lung have healed on its own?".  He responded "Yes, you would have been home already and not needed surgery".

After that I was brought another morphine drip machine that worked properly until the next day and all was well.  The day after that I was released.

What I am asking for is some advice.  Was any of this mistreatment or just "protocol". It makes me feel like an awful person to even be writing this but no matter how much I try to move past my experience there, the doctor and PA yelling at the nurse, as well as being told word for word by the surgeon's PA that I would have never needed surgery had they not continuously disconnected me from the wall suction keeps me questioning the experience.  I do not know what to do or think.  I guess what I am looking for is what would you do if this was written by you?

Thank you to anyone who read my story, sorry it's so long.

Answer:
 You would need to get a copy of your medical records, first off.

A lot of this depends on how the orders for chest tube suction were written. Not every pleur-evac is on wall suction for various reasons.

The question is, were the nurses not following specific orders for suction, or were there inappropriate orders (or lack thereof) prescribed?

I’m not going to comment on nursing judgment.

The anesthesiologist you saw that didn’t take care of you in the OR could have been a pain management consult. There are other ways of relieving pain for thoracic surgery other than straight narcotics. If someone is falling asleep from narcotics but is still in a ton of pain, the narcotics are not achieving the desired effect, and more narcotics probably won’t help too much. Perhaps they were considering other treatment modalities to manage your pain, which is why they may have suggested less narcotics. Again, if there was such a suggestion, the consult in your medical record would reflect that.

Edit: more info


Title: Can the prosecution change the charges against you?

Question:
  I was charged with Animal Cruelty in Va. The charge is a First degree Misdemeanor. The Animal control officer told me that he
spoke with the DA to convince him that he shouldn't charge me with a Felony even though he could have.In VA  an animal cruelty
charge is a Felony if the cruelty was committed in a Malicious manner. There is absolutely no evidence to support that at all.
     When the Animal control officer told me if I contacted the media or made a big deal about they could then charge me with the Felony.
         Can they do that if I plead not guilty or if I try to get the report (legal in VA) to see what the charge is based on?

Answer: Yes, they can change the charges. Stop talking to the authorities and get an attorney.


Title: School sent an absence notice

Question:
I got a letter from my high school a while ago noticing me of my absenses. I've missed more days as you do when you get sick, so they've sent a second letter. [Here's the letter, ](http://imgur.com/e4ND7hP)try not to dox me.

The handbook says that if you miss more than 8 days in any class then you have to get a 60% or higher for the semester, and 75% average in the two marking periods, and pass the exam with at least 60% then I will still get credit for the class.

I am getting well above those requirements in all classes except for one college class that doesn't count as high school credit so it shouldn't count towards the policy, but I wouldn't think that counts towards the policy anyways since it is an online class, so technically I have perfect attendance. I am failing the class though right now and if I don't get a 70% on the exam then I will fail.

 I got a medical excuse for the day I went to the ER, and all of the other days I have ever missed have been excused absences by my parents, but I could have also excused myself for all of those days since I'm 18.

What's the best course of action here? I've got other stuff to worry about and this shouldn't be one of them.

Answer: Your options are spelled out in that letter. Bring a medical excuse to get those dates excused. Or don’t miss any school. Missing school can’t be excused by you or your parents. If you continue this pattern, you and/or your parents could face prosecution for violating the truancy laws that cover you. So don’t miss school unless you have a note from your doctor.Answer #2: IANAL but I am a nurse and a case manager, I’ve worked with parents who are facing truancy in Michigan. Schools send out these letters to start establishing the proper notifications when a minor child has missed too many days of school without a medical excuse. They are form letters, and if you have missed school again the truancy officer and other agents have been notified. Because you’re 18 and can legally drop out, there isn’t any legal recourse. However, the school can still punish you according to their handbook. I recommend contacting your ISD for an advocate when meeting with the school. Good luck.


Title: Apartment manager unlocking my friends door to leave notices inside

Question:
Hello guys, my first post on this sub.

A friend of mine has had her apartment manager unlock the door, come in, and put notices on the coffee table. The manager hasn't given any prior notice to doing this. They've done it several times now. However, they won't bother responding to her maintenance requests.

What action can she take? We're in western NC.

Answer: Unfortunately, North Carolina has no statute on landlord notice of entry. Your friend should look at her lease and see if it says something about reasonable notice, but if it doesn't, then she may be out of luck.


Title: Landlord demanding that tenants move garbage cans to and from curb on a weekly basis.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You can't take your garbage can to the curb and back like the rest of the civilized universe does each week?


Title: Washington - What exactly are the rights of a family member I invite to stay at my place for a month?

Question: My cousin wants to leave her abusive boyfriend so I offered for her to stay with my wife and I until she finds something more permanent. While I've never personally had an issue with my cousin, I know she has pulled the "I know my rights, if you touch my things I'll call the cops!" card on people who have asked her to leave in the past. What kind of precautions can I take to avoid any legal loopholes she might use to overstay her welcome?

Answer:
 >What kind of precautions can I take to avoid any legal loopholes she might use to overstay her welcome?

There are resources for housing for people leaving abusive situations. Call around in your local area and see what you can find for her.

If she has gotten froggy in the past you need to be prepared for it. There are unfortunately people who try over and over and wear out their welcome with others and are very good at manipulating situations.

Are you in a position to pay for her to stay at an extended stay for a week or 2? It would be easier than stepping into what sounds like it will be another mess.


Title: Might get a restraining order ( Can I fight it) California

Question:
Update
Just got word, she ain't going thru with it. I just found all my texts between her and I have a lot on her so she decided not to go forth with it. I found all my texts I backed up with her saying a couple threats and her saying (when we dated) that her and her parents grow weed in there house. She told my friend that if I dont say anything she wont go thru with a restraining order. I am honestly ok with leaving it at that right there.

I am hear in California (18m) and my ex gf might get a restraining order against me for harassment that I keep texting her. I stopped all communication with her completely, But I never kept bothering her with texts like the last time I texted her was Sunday 3/8/2015 and then before that I haven't talked to her like a month ago so its not like I am harassing her by blowing up her phone stalking or anything like that. She does have some texts on me but I never harassed, threatened, or any harm to her. I am a guy who loves guns and also pellet guns and from what I hear I basically give up my 2nd amendment and I am scared. Can I sue for being threatened with a restraining order as I am scared for my lost of freedom?  Please Help

Answer:
 >the last time I texted her was Sunday 3/8/2015

... that was two days ago.  How many times have you texted her in the past 2 months?

>Please Help

Hire a lawyer to show up at the hearing.


Title: My boss is cutting my hours drastically

Question: I work at an FBO at a small regional airport and recently I was at the fuel farm which is where we refill the fuel trucks for fueling aircraft, and I drove off with the main hose connected which damaged the fuel truck and fuel farm assembly. The truck is supposed to have an interlock system which prevents it from moving if something is hooked up or you are in the process of fueling, but as my boss is very stingy, this function is inoperable as are most advanced features on the other fuel trucks which also break down constantly. Anyway these last 2 weeks we havent been very busy so he has been sending me home 3 or even 4 hours before my shift ends resulting in a sorry paycheck at the end of the week and I have bills to pay. He has hinted that it is because of the accident that happened and the costs to fix the equipment. But I know we have insurance and also it wouldnt have happened if the trucks were in good working condition. I'm at a loss and this isn't new behavior he has always been very petty and spiteful to others that dont agree with him, I just never thought it would happen to me as we usually get along pretty well until recently. Can I do anything about this or do I just have to tough it out until his mood swings back in my favor? Thanks in advance to any advice you guys have.

Answer:
 Absent a union agreement or some sort of contact stating you can only be fired for cause (which are super rare), you are an at will employee.  At will means you can be fired or disciplined for any reason (including a bad or inaccurate one) or no reason at all so long as the reason isn’t membership in a protected class or engaging in some protected activities.  The federally protected classes are race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, pregnancy, veteran status and age (which is 40+).  Some states add other categories (such as sexual orientation). The federally protected activities are some protected collective bargaining activities, filing wage claims, filing EEOC claims, filing sexual harassment reports, filing reports with OSHA, and use of protected leave such as FMLA. Again, some states add extra protections (such as protections for use of sick leave which doesn’t qualify for FMLA).

Having caused significant damage to equipment, even if the equipment had a defect itself, is not a protected activity.  This isn’t illegal.


Title: Car Dealership Filed Fraudulent Credit Report

Question:
So I just moved to Detroit and am (almost) signed on a 2-year car lease at a Michigan dealership. I am 24 years old with good credit and income but was unable to get approved to lease on my own because of weak credit history (this is the first vehicle under my name). I asked to use my sister (a full-time medical student with no income but with substantive, healthy credit history) as my co-signer. She was approved and they sent over the co-sign paperwork to her home in New Jersey. In the meantime, I put down first month's payment + start-up costs ($1024 total) and started my auto insurance policy ($950 total for 6 months) and the dealership hooked me up with a rental in the meantime as we waited for my sister's paperwork to be mailed back.

In the next 2 days, both her and I received credit alerts that a new employer, let's call them "Fraud MD", has been added to our credit reports. We promptly disputed this, added credit fraud alerts, called Fraud MD office (who said they had no idea of this), and called the dealership because they were the last place to have our information. The dealership claimed they have no idea what happened but confirmed that their records show that my sister's place of employment was listed  as a medical assistant at Fraud MD with 38k annual salary. I never gave them any information and had told them she was a full time medical student at X University.

It turns out, my sales guy had googled a random doctor's office and added in this information to "help me out" because he didn't think she'd be approved as a co-signer otherwise. He didn't tell me he was doing any of this. My sister received the paperwork but will not be signing it because it is fraudulent information.

The dealership has offered to re-run the report with her correct information. If it is not approved, they agreed to give me a full refund. They also want my sister to mail back the paperwork, even if it is not signed. However:

* I still have an auto policy that I've already started (which I can cancel once I return this rental that is covered under it)
* They will have run my sister's report numerous times at this point
* I'm not sure why MY employer was changed in this process if he had indicated Fraud MD on only my sister's paperwork
* The dealership is far from Detroit so I'm been paying $60 round trip Ubers to get there and back for pricing, signing, and now will have to do it again to return this rental

What legal advice would you have for me? I'm very new to this and am trying to figure it out on my own, so I'm not sure what rights I have to demand in terms of any reimbursement, if this will have an affect on my or my sister's credit reports, or what actions I can take. I'm feeling taken advantage of - SOS.

&#x200B;

TLDR: Car sales guy ran fake employer information for my co-signer to "help me" get approved for a car lease without my knowledge. My co-signer received the paperwork with the fake employer info and will not be signing. I've already paid for the first month's car and started auto insurance policy. What do I do?

&#x200B;

Answer:
 If you haven't done so already, I'd contact TransUnion, or Equifax to spark to them about this situation, and to start damage control. Also, make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, as well as the head office of this dealership's chain (if it is one).

Do not sign anything, and cease contact with the reps/owners of that brick and mortar. Only speak with head office, and do not let them talk you into anything, just complain until you get to the top of the chain.

Credit fraud is no joke, and having it stuck on your report will lead to serious issues in the future, for both you, and your sister. You need to get the ball rolling asap.


Title: (WA) Brother owes $8,000,000 judgement @ 12% interest.

Question:
My brother has a judgement showing he owes the state over $8 million dollars for restitution and is accumulating interest at 12% per year for burning down an unoccupied building many, many years ago when he was in his late teens.

He currently pays a small amount monthly towards it to fulfill a legal financial obligation order, but at 12% interest, he'll end up owing some $24 million by the time the judgement expires. If he continues to fulfill the legal financial obligation on time, will the state or its agents try to lien, claim, seize or garnish his other assets?

Answer:
 Likely they will continue to collect that small amount monthly until he is unable to pay it, via stopping work/getting on SSI or similar. If he comes into large amounts of money in his life it's likely that he may have a lien placed against them or they may be seized.

The state likely will also make any claims on his estate for any tangible assets they haven't seized. Answer #2: >If he continues to fulfill the legal financial obligation on time, will the state or its agents try to lien, claim, seize or garnish his other assets?

Typically if he is following the payment schedule then he should be fine. Answer #3: You have an eight million dollar problem and you’re talking to a bunch of randos on Reddit about it instead of seeking professional help?

...why?Answer #4: Possibly. Making a payment doesn't prevent the creditor from going after the remainder.

Edit: specifically in this case it sounds like the state or whomever holds the judgement could request an increase in the monthly payment and it would go back to court.Answer #5: NAL but he can't own any assets for the rest of the judgement because it will all be taken. Probably 20 years because it will be renewed. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.


Title: sc - restaurant job told me they are only hiring women for servers even though that's what I wanted.

Question: i had an interview about two months ago for server position which my resume and application reflects that's what I've done for 5+ years. they told me all they had open was in the kitchen but as soon as something opened up that Ivan move to the front. I was desperate for a job so I said yes and made sure they knew being a server is what I wanted. well, after two weeks, two female severs left and the very next day they hired two new female servers. I asked about me and they said sooner or later. I mentioned it about twice a week and they hired some more girls (they have like 5 guy servers and 20 female) and sat me down to tell me that they will only be hiring female servers for a while and have enough male ones. so now I'm stuck here after two months thinking I was going to be transferred making way more money than I do now. can they just out right tell me that they're only hiring females for servers?

Answer:
 Unless this is a very specific owl-related establishment, no.

[Here's the state agency that handles this kind of stuff](http://www.schac.sc.gov/Pages/default.aspx).

The only exception is where gender "is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise."  Since they have both male and female wait staff, I don't think this would be a bona fide occupational qualification.


Title: Possibly a deviation from this sub's normal fare, but I'm a felon and would love to hear what the lawyers here think of my chances of joining their ranks.

Question:
So a few years ago I was convicted of a class B felony in Washington state. Non-violent crime, no jail time, just some fines and community service. I have come a long way since then, finished my bachelors degree, got a job, stayed out of trouble; the usual rehabilitation story.

I'm now considering a career in law; my experience has really shown me just how important solid representation can be and how ill-prepared the average citizen really is for interpreting the law and operating on their understanding of it.

So I'm doing my research and preparing for the LSAT, putting together my applications to law schools. I'm not *too* worried about getting into law schools, I'm not *too* concerned about the character and fitness checks for admission to the bar, but I am worried that I could potentially labor for three years and get very deep in debt only to find myself unhireable. I'm planning to take the LSAT in September and possibly again in December depending on my score, but I find this is a question I really need answered, it's keeping me up nights. The thought of working so hard only to find that I can't get a job is really a scary one, especially when you consider it would be hard to hang my own shingle with no experience.

Attorneys of reddit, what would you say are my odds?

Answer:
 I have a criminal conviction stemming from a bar fight right after I got out of the Army, and I am an attorney. The ones that really hamstring you are crimes of dishonesty like fraud.

Especially if you are interested in criminal defense, it's probably not the biggest problem in the world. Believe it or not, people who defend the accused for a career kind of understand that things happen.


Title: Landlord crashed into girlfriend's car, she wants to call the police.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Not sure what the police can do, but she definitely needs to take pictures of both cars immediately, and contact her insurance.Answer #2: I'd call the police about this; in the US you can't just leave the scene of an accident.
Answer #3: There's a legal requirement to report car accidents to the police in Ontario if anyone is injured, or there is more than $1000 of damage.


Title: Can a stepmother sue her stepchild for the money she has given to help pay for college and living expenses?

Question:
Background: So basically a stepmother is married to this girls father. We will call this girl Sarah. Sarah has a father who collects disability. Sarah's stepmother is her fathers primary caretaker. Sarah is in the 4th year of college and has regularly had financial assitance to help with school and living expenses. Examples: monthly phone bill, health insurance, school tuition, car insurance, and car payments. During a heated argument the stepmother threatens to sue Sarah for all her financial contributions back.

Sarah lives in the United States

Question: Is it possible for a stepmother to sue her stepchild for monetary contributions for the step child's living expenses?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Sure she can sue. Absent an agreement to pay it back she is unlikely to winAnswer #2: The stepmother would lose that case unless there was an agreement in writing to do so.Answer #3: Anyone can sue anyone for anything.

She would not get anywhere if she were to sue, however.  This seems like not a rare threat based on the posts on this sub.
Answer #4: Unless there was a prior agreement for Sarah to pay these expenses back, then the stepmother would not win a lawsuit.

However, the stepmother/parents can cease assisting Sarah at any point. Answer #5: I appreciate all the responses and feedback. Thanks :)Answer #6: I agree with the others in that Sarah *might* win in court by claiming it's a gift. Of course, step mom can lie and say it was a loan. In small claims all you need is to convince the judge that there's a 51% (to 49%) chance that it was a loan and not a gift, so winning wouldn't be a slam dunk for Sarah, and you don't need a signed contract to make it a loan.

If Sarah's nearing her last year of school and isn't self-sufficient, then she might want to bite her tongue and not get into it with the person who pays her bills. As hard as it will be, she should wait until after college to say her peace, or when she doesn't need the money anymore.


Title: Sign on dump truck says "Stay back 200ft. Not responsible for broken windshields." That's not legit, is it? [TX]

Question: I was driving behind a dump truck today that had a small sign on the back as in the title. So small, that I was unable to read it until I was stopped behind the trunk at a red light. I changed lanes and there was no issue. It reminded me of those signs in parking garages that say they're not responsible for cars getting broken into, which I remember my b-law professor saying are BS. So are these signs meaningless? If my windshield had been damaged by falling debris, is it likely they'd be liable for the damage?

Answer: They're not completely meaningless, but they also aren't a golden bullet.Answer #2: Tangential to OP's question: These signs (at least in TX) can't be read from 100+ feet away. What happens if you *aren't* tailgating the dump truck in question but are closer than 200' to the truck?