Title: Friend is being discriminated against in her place of work for being tall.

Question:
Edit: this is in Maryland.

My friend is tall. She is 5'10" and very slender. She works as receptionist at a high end men's salon. She dresses well, is reliable, and is a hard worker. The company dress code explicitly says:

>Generally, employees should maintain a clean and neat appearance and should refrain from wearing stained, wrinkled, frayed, or revealing clothing to the workplace. Employees are urged to use their discretion when determining what is appropriate to wear to work. Employees who wear inappropriate attire to work may be sent home to change their clothing.

>[Her company] understands that in certain situations, the Company may need to make exceptions to this policy based on an employees' religion, disability, or other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law.  In accordance with all applicable laws, the Company will make every effort to provide reasonable accommodations to the employee requesting accommodation unless doing so would cause an undue hardship on [Her company]"

My friend went to work the other day wearing a pair of nice black slacks and a white blouse with a pair of wedge soled shoes. All of these things similar to what other employees there would wear on a day to day basis. Her manager pulled her aside and told her that she was not allowed to wear heels more than 2 inches tall because it "Makes her look weird and too tall"

I am so angry for her I'm seeing red.

Other women there are allowed to wear higher trendy heels, they are of average height or shorter, it's a salon! As someone who also works in the salon industry, we are expected to keep up with the trends. Because she is tall, she is being asked to wear different footwear.

A little backstory on my friend, because I think most people would just go and buy a different pair of shoes. She literally has no money. She lives in a bad neighborhood, has health issues, depression, medical bills, and a house that is currently leaking water on her head every time it rains. I bought her those shoes, as well as the nice flat boots that you see women wearing with skinny jeans (we're not talking UGGS, they are a disgrace to the fashion world) those were also forbidden by the manager, as they are a bit too big at the calves, making them look like "pirate boots" because her legs are skinny, even though everyone else wears them.

As of today, her hours were cut in half because of a review posted on Yelp that attacks her personally. I believe, because of the way the manager there has been treating her, that there is a good possibility that the review was staged, as a way for her to have reason to cut her hours. I know I have no proof of that.

What can be done? What steps can be taken to get proof of how they treat her that would be admissible in court if she decides to take it there?

Edit:  I should also mention, the person who attacked her in the review, spoke highly of everything else about the salon.

Answer:
 >we're not talking UGGS, they are a disgrace to the fashion world

Whoa...daggers to my heart right there.  I have multiple pairs of man-uggs, so watch what you say.  =)

On a serious note though, being tall isn't a protected class.  There's nothing here that I see that your friend could ever take to court.  It doesn't matter if the review is staged or not...if she didn't have an employment contract or union membership (assuming US), they don't need a reason to cut hours.

She should start looking for another job.  Answer #2: > there is a good possibility that the review was staged, as a way for her to have reason to cut her hours.

I would doubt that and here's why. First of all, if you're in any US state except Montana, they wouldn't need a reason to cut her hours, or fire her. (If you're in Europe or Canada or perhaps elsewhere, YMMV, but assuming USA.)

Second, that Yelp review just makes the company look bad. Why would they intentionally make themselves look bad and gain nothing from it?

She *is* being discriminated against, but not illegally so. As other have said, height is not a protected class. [Here is a list of federally protected classes in the USA.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_class) Most states add extra classes (like sexual orientation) but no state has added height or brand of shoe.


Title: Georgia, US. Pulled over and found out my registration was suspended.

Question: I was pulled over by the police, apparently my insurance had lapsed and my registration was flagged as suspended. The officer ended up having my car towed and gave me tickets for no insurance and the registration. Is it normal to have your car towed in this situation? He told me he was taking it easy on me since I was respectful by not arresting me. But it feels like this was a little over the top. Right now it seems like my only option is to get my insurance fixed and the registration updated before getting my car out of impound

Answer:
 >Is it normal to have your car towed in this situation?

Your car is not legally drivable. Yes, this is normal.


Title: Naighbour opened my mail, used items, one item is missing -Canada-

Question:
I am located in Alberta Canada

So my mother bought me a birthday gift (eye makeup) but accidently wrote the wrong number for the house address. Instead it was sent directly next door. After my mother had finally realized her mistake I went over and asked if they had the package or had returned it to the sender. I was upset to see they had opened my package...

She said she was sorry and thought it was for her daughter. The package clearly has my name labelled on the front but with the wrong address. Her reason for opening it was also that it had their address.

I took the items home to find one had been opened, packaging missing and likely used, and one was missing from the receipt of the order. So I went back over and questioned the missing item, they admitted the daughter has the item and will not be back until tomorrow and would return it tomorrow. There is a problem with this as its obviously been used now and is unsanitary to use around my eyes.

I want to tell her she can keep the products she used but she has to pay me. They are not cheap though, 31.50 for just the two damaged eyeshadows. What do I do if they refuse to pay for the damage they did?

Answer:
 [According to Canada Post](https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/kb/details.page?article=what_to_do_about_mis&cattype=kb&cat=receiving&subcat=maildelivery)

The neighbour should have refused the package, or returned it to the post office, or wrote "unknown", in my experience even "Wrong address" would work, and dropped it in a mailbox. I suggest OP follow that link and open a service ticket.

*edit

[A quick search found this thread from a few years ago.](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/41c7qx/is_it_illegal_in_ontario_canada_to_open_someone/) Which references the [Canada Post Act](http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-10/FullText.html)

Canada Post Act states:
> Opening mail

> 48 Every person commits an offence who, except where expressly authorized by or under this Act, the Customs Act or the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, **knowingly opens, keeps, secretes**, delays or detains, or permits to be opened, kept, secreted, delayed or detained, any mail bag or **mail** or any receptacle or device authorized by the Corporation for the posting of mail.

>  R.S., 1985, c. C-10, s. 48; R.S., 1985, c. 1 (2nd Supp.), s. 172; 2000, c. 17, s. 88; 2001, c. 41, s. 79.

You should press Canada Post to intervene.  Your neighbour had plenty of time to stop what they were doing even if they realized it had an unfamiliar address after "accidentally" opening the package.  The makeup didn't just "accidentally" get used.  They knowingly kept and used the items.


Title: Any chance this is legal, and if not, what can I do to make it legal?

Question:
Hi guys, I have a moped, and me and my friend decided to pull a wagon behind it. We also put a seat in it for a person. Heres a picture:https://goo.gl/photos/LwjQ4tpyM9nV6H8V9 . I live in Ocean City, New Jersey, and have a full moped license. People are saying we could get in trouble if we ride it on the streets, which we totally have been doing. I was thinking maybe if we added a seatbelt or something it would be ok. So it it ok? If its not what kind of trouble could we get in? Thank you guys.

PS IF your just going to say how unsafe it is or some shit save it because I already got it.

Answer:
 It's obviously not street legal from the first two sentences alone.

 What kind of trouble could you get in? All of it. But are you a legal adult or a minor?


Title: [IL] Punched my brother in the face and broke his nose

Question:
me and my brother have had a fairly on and off again relationship throughout our lives, but tonight he said something that genuinely pissed me off to my core and I lashed out and socked him in his face. He broke his nose, I think i've broken 2 knuckles.

We haven't spoken since and I don't know what to do

Answer:
 Get medical attention for your knuckles.

If and when your brother reports this to police, don't run your mouth and hire a lawyer.


Title: My English teacher tried to seduce me yesterday.

Question:
I'm a 17 year old guy, top of my class. Yesterday, I was in my honors English class, and at the end of class my teacher (she's in her late twenties, very attractive) asked me to stay after class to talk about something. I did, and she sat down in the seat right next to mine. She told me how impressed she was with my summer reading essay, and said how it would be a pleasure to have me in her class. As she went on, she kept putting her hand on my upper leg, and at one point unbuttoned a button on her shirt, and leaned forward towards me, giving me quite the view, for lack of a better term. She then dismissed me with a pat on the shoulder that lasted a little bit too long, and I left the classroom. It was last period, so I was free to leave school.  She's not in class today, we have a substitute for English.  I'm rather confused as to what to do at this point.

I live in Rhode Island

Answer: You are a child and if you feel like your teacher is trying to take sexual advantage of you, you need to talk to your parents and the school administration. Making sexual advances towards a student is at minimum a deplorable abuse of authority and may or may not be a crime depending upon the age of the student and specific laws in your state.


Title: [Divorce/Family Court] I'm an 18 year old male whose parents are ready to sue each other over my college costs. Can I prevent that?

Question:
This is in Illinois, to start. Basically, my parents' dissolution of marriage says that they will contribute to costs of my college education (that could range between 17k/year to 50k/year depending on the school I choose) and that they must go to mediation prior to returning to court to settle anything about my college. If they do resort to suing one another over my costs, is it within my power to say that I will cover the entire expenses of my college education via loans and work and does that legally void my parents' ability to take this to court against each other?

Thanks Reddit.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: No. You can't change the divorce decree and any settlements. You could help both of them out by going to a lower priced college. Answer #2: Of course you can prevent it by just not going to college. But that's not fair to you, Is it? In order to change a divorce decree, they would have to revisit the issue with attorneys, a judge and a mediator. They agreed to this in a legal document, and they should abide by it. They can try to sue eachother over costs, but it would waste time and most importantly money that could be used for your education. Legally, you could sue them if they refuse to honor the agreement. I am wondering why you seem to be the adult in this situation? They sound selfish.


Title: Making Amends For Stealing Firearm.

Question:
Ten years ago, as a juvenile, I burglarized someone's truck and stole their hand gun.
Today, I am working the 12 steps and a part of doing so is admitting my wrongs and doing whatever I can to make it right, granted doing so does not harm anyone else. I am not fearful of being held accountable, but I believe for me to sit any jail time and be away from my family will be harmful to them. I have sought advice from both sponsors and attorneys in the program, but no one has had any experience. The best I've received is "Don't lead with the chin.".

Crime occured in Montana. I plan on making direct amends to the victim. Is there a statue of limitations for this crime both state and Federal? Can I be held liable if the gun turned up somewhere and was used in a violent crime? Is there anything I may be overlooking?

Answer:
 Just send the owner a money order and a note.Answer #2: I know that everyone always says "get a lawyer", and for 75% of stuff here, you don't really need a lawyer, just a stiffly worded letter or a form to sue in small claims court.

&#x200B;

...but for this, I would get an attorney.  He can (a) advise you, (b) stop you from making any admissions that could send you to jail, (c) serve as a cut-out - if needed - so that your identity doesn't leak (yes, I understand that this is not your first choice, because you want to confess and make amends).

I suspect that a very large percent of attorneys you'd reach out to would see this as a heart warming event, and if you asked about pro-bono representation, I again suspect that a very large percent would be happy to dedicate an hour or two of their work week to making some good happen in the world.

Were I in your shoes, I'd look up a criminal defense attorney with experience in gun crime, ask them for a free consultation, and then explain the situation.

Good luck, and congratulations on working the steps!


Title: My apartment complex is asking us to lock our pets in the laundry area (~6 sqft) for NINE HOURS tomorrow in case the property owner decides to choose our apartment for inspection.

Question: Can they do that? They let us know that the property owner would be coming by to random apartments for an inspection and that we would not be able to be told ahead of time if our apartment will be inspected. I understand that and they have given us a good amount of notice (though "your apartment may or may not be inspected between 9am and 6pm on a workday" is hardly notice in my opinion). But today we get another text from the complex asking us to lock our pets in the small laundry area during the inspection. I am NOT locking my two cats in a teeny, tiny, potentially DANGEROUS room where chemicals and machinery is kept for 9 hours JUST IN CASE my apartment is inspected. Is this normal? What can I do to explain to my apartment complex that I cannot possibly do that to two cats (both registered of course) for over 9 hours?

Answer:
 Then dont lock them up. If they get out then it is on you. You have been given proper notice of inspection. And requested for your cats safety, for them to be put away. What you do it on you. As well as the consequences for that choice.

And seriously, you can put the "chemicals" somewhere else while the cats are in there.


Title: Legality of leaving a woman you got pregnant legality?

Question: No ,no ,I did not do this lol but it came up in an argument as my mom is a court reporter and always ar0und the law , she claims it's illegal to get a woman pregnant in a one night stand and leave her because off she wants she can take you to court and force you to pay child support until the kid is 18. I love to prove her wrong so help me pout here (: could not find the answer online so please only tell me if you really know , such as a family court judge or family attorney etc. Thanks guys!

Answer:
 You are not required to live with or stay in a relationship with anyone.

Regardless of how she got pregnant he will be responsible for support.Answer #2: Huh? You can leave anyone you want to, but yes, you'd be on the hook for child support.


Title: Liqour store turning a blind eye

Question: So here's the situation, I lost my debit and ID card at the same place and so I look at my bank account statement and see I've been charged $90.00 USD and cancel the card, the banks reimbursing me but I see the money was all spent at one liquor store so I go to the liquor store and ask them about it and they say a homeless lady the see all the time came in and bought a bunch of stuff, so in my eyes the liquor store knew this lady was homeless and knew there's no way in hell she could get a bank to give her a card and decided to run the debit card as a credit card multiple times without checking ID. My question is, can I sue the liquor store for this?

Answer:
 > My question is, can I sue the liquor store for this?

For what damages? You've been reimbursed.

It isn't their job to secure your debit card anyway. If they piss off your bank enough they may get slapped by their card processor, but that's about all.


Title: My apartment building is removing the only barrier between by deck and a common area

Question:
My deck is divided from a common area by several large planted trees. I just heard today that this afternoon my apartment building is removing the only barrier between by deck and a common area. This provides direct access to our (glass) back door, as well as full visibility into one of the bedrooms of the apartment.

Management has indicated that they do not know when they will replace this barrier. We have had issues with them in the past moving the planted trees to make our deck much smaller than what was advertised in the floorplan (to increase the size of the common area on the other side), but this seems like a safety issue. What do we do??? Thanks so much in advance!

Edit: I am in NYC

Answer: Do you have a shitty paint diagram? Answer #2: Put blinds up.


Title: I'm confused as what I'm suppose to do with a court summons. The summons is for Ohio and I live in another state. I really need help understanding.

Question:
Basically the court thing is for me to get credited on back child support payments made by derivative disability payments as the derivative payments have payed off the back payments. The way they are doing it is weird though as they have me listed as the defendant and child services as the plaintiff even though I'm the one to request it and had setup the derivative payments and benefits from the court complaint in the first place. It says a complaint has been filed.

What I'm really confused on is it says I am hereby summoned and required to answer this complaint within 28 days after receiving receipt of this summons. Said answer is required to be served on plaintiff attorney or if no attorney  on to the plaintiff. A copy of your answer must be filed with the court no later than 3 days after service of said answer on the plaintiff. If you fail to file an answer of appear in court to answer the complaint, judgment by default may be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint.

What am I suppose be answering exactly and how? I live in a different state and am on disability so can't actually go to a physical location.  I don't understand what they mean by answer this complaint or how am I suppose do that.  I only received the summons last week and the  apparent court date is on the 22. I tried calling the case worker but  never got called back either. I know I can call to try set up a over phone appearance but all this stuff is very confusing to me. Especially since it seems like it should just been some paperwork and not a actual court hearing since there isn't even anything to be defending against since it is something that benefits me.. It is in Juvenile Court.

So again if someone could explain this stuff to me please it be greatly appreciated. I'm really not good at dealing with this kind of stuff. I don't really have the money for a attorney and don't even know which state I woul dbe supposed to hire one in. It seems like it is a cases where I'm defending against myself almost.

Answer:
 These would be great questions for your lawyer. Answer #2: I would consult with a lawyer. Clearly, there are some pretty serious wires crossed and you need to straighten that out. Odds are, you're going to need someone to go to these places in person to do so. The lawyer can do that for you.

You can get a referral from either the [Ohio Bar Association](https://www.zeekbeek.com/OSBA#region=OH) or your own State's that is qualified to work in both states. I know that you don't have a lot of money, but this is one of those cases where it's probable that not responding properly will result in an even greater loss of money. If all else fails, most lawyers offer consultations that are free or very inexpensive where they will walk you through what's going on and if they could help or not. At the very least bring all the documentation and get the consultations done to give yourself a stronger understanding of what is really happening here.Answer #3: If you get summoned, respond. Always respond.


Title: U.K. citizen arrested in NYC for possession, unable to attend court date

Question:
My boyfriend is a U.K. citizen and was arrested in Manhattan for smoking a joint a few weeks ago. He has a court date for the 14th of May but is back in England and unable to afford flights back for the court date.

Is there anyway we can get someone in NYC to attend the court date and plead guilty on his behalf or is it a possibility to arrange something from the U.K.?

If not what will happen if he doesn’t show up to court, this being his first offence and a U.K. citizen? - the arresting officers told him they may not pursue a warrant under the circumstances but it didn’t sound too convincing.

Any advice is hugely appreciated.

Answer: You can try hiring a criminal defense attorney. But if your BF is convicted it’s very unlikely he will be allowed entry to the US ever again. Actually, even with the arrest record it’s still unlikely that he will be admitted entry.


Title: Do I qualify for an emergency responder flashing light on my vehicle? [MI-Washtenaw County]

Question:
This may be too specific of a question for this forum, but maybe someone can help.

I'm a nurse. My job requires a certain number of days of on-call time where I, and the rest of the team, must be present in my workplace within 30 minutes of being paged. Most of us live within the driving distance permitted, so we are on call while at home. This includes physicians, one nurse, and multiple other technical staff. We of course make all attempts to drive prudently and obey traffic laws, but every once in awhile issues come up with traffic congestion and construction. Once, a coworker was delayed by a few minutes because someone on the road decided to intentionally drive way under the speed limit and swerve in front of her to prevent her passing. Occasionally someone gets pulled over for speeding, not stopping completely at a stop sign, tail light out...the local police are very understanding of our role and to the best of my knowledge everyone has been released immediately, with no citation.

But, we all got to wondering, do we qualify to have emergency flashing lights on our vehicles? This seems like a prudent safety measure to alert others on the road, as well as the police, of our presence. I did a little research of my own and found the Michigan Vehicle Code. Entirety posted here: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(ga1i1gzkm0tc2bw0gyg3zdyg))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-257-698

These are the sections that may be relevant as far as I can tell:
*5(c) An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red lights for use when responding to an emergency call if when in use the flashing, rotating, or oscillating red lights are mounted on the roof section of the vehicle, either as a permanent installation or by means of suction cups or magnets and are clearly visible in a 360-degree arc from a distance of 500 feet when in use. A person operating lights under this subdivision at any time other than when responding to an emergency call is guilty of a misdemeanor.*

Also, *5(h) An authorized emergency vehicle may display flashing, rotating, or oscillating white lights in conjunction with an authorized emergency light as prescribed in this section.*

And *5(i) A private motor vehicle of a physician responding to an emergency call may be equipped with and the physician may use flashing, rotating, or oscillating red lights mounted on the roof section of the vehicle either as a permanent installation or by means of magnets or suction cups and clearly visible in a 360-degree arc from a distance of 500 feet when in use. The physician shall first obtain written authorization from the county sheriff.*

So I contacted the county sheriff's office to ask additional questions about this. I was turned away and told to contact the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State agreed with me that this law exists, but said that they are in no way involved. I finally ended up emailing the county director of emergency management who referred me to the under sheriff. He was kind enough to email me back, and told me to consult the hospital lawyers.

I recognize this has become sort of long-winded over something trivial, but now I'm even more curious about some things. I'm hoping someone who works in this area of law can answer a few questions.

If I was a physician, how would I go about getting permission, especially if I was unaffiliated with a hospital?

How do I go about contacting our "hospital lawyers"? I'm vaguely aware that our hospital likely has a legal team, but that's about the extent of my knowledge. Are they likely to have an answer for me on why we do or do not qualify, or am I going to get sent away with an eye roll?

Sorry for the wall of text, but I wanted to make sure the avenues I've already pursued were noted. Mainly at this point I'm just generally curious on how a law like this gets implemented on the practical level.

**Note** Extremely poor MS Paint drawings of coronary artery blockages can be provided to appease the /r/legaladvice gods.

Answer:
 You are not a physician, so that section does not apply.  A physician would have to go to the county sheriff for authorization.

In your case, you can talk to the hospital's legal team, but it doesn't appear that the law has a section that would apply to you.


Title: Legal/investigative advice for protecting future victims of a past stalker

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You already posted this! You didn't like the responses so you deleted all of your posts. YOU cannot stop the behavior of any individual based on what you claim are prior bad acts. You can't do it! Quit stalking your alleged stalker.


Title: Found 10k in couch what do

Question:
Relative gave me a couch for free because they were moving. I have had it for over six months now. While looking for something I lost I looked under the couch and noticed a lump in it. Investigating I found a stash of 10,000 in various bills. This relative is known to not trust banks so this isn't surprising. What are my legal obligations? I am leaning towards contacting the relative and casually mentioning that I found something in the couch without specifying.

I am in California.

Answer: Give it back. You know the relative “doesn’t like banks” and this may be their entire savings. Don’t be That Guy.


Title: Could I have gotten a DUI?

Question:
I live in California.

I   was driving high. I was going to a national park. There was a   ticket booth, and there was a park ranger inside. I was getting ready   to pay for parking, but I couldn't find my wallet. I was so high I   didn't notice that my wallet had fallen under the seat. I said to the   ranger "Hang on I can't find my wallet", and spent 2 minutes looking for   it in front of the ranger. The ranger then said "What's the matter  what  are you trying to do?". I think the ranger could tell that I was  high. I  said I want to turn around, and the ranger told me where to  make the  u-turn.

I was too paranoid to come back there, so I went ahead and spent the day at a different place.

Anyway, could I have gotten a DUI there? Could the ranger have detained me or called the police?

Answer:
 >I was driving high

Of course. Nothing's changed just because you've posted this 4 times.


Title: GA - Question about cell phones and the police

Question: So lets say the police need to search your phone for something, and you give it to them. However, before they get a judge to authorize a search warrant for it, you remotely erase it. Is that legal?

Answer: If they are searching your phone for evidence of a crime and you delete it, then I assume it would be destruction of evidence.


Title: Texas: My brother has custody of his daughter, do I have any chance of fighting him to get custody?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You have no chance or no standing to even sue for custody.

Poor people are allowed to have children.

Perhaps you can parlay that concern you have for your brother and his daughter into allowing them to live in your much less crowded and cleaner spare bedroom.


Title: Can my sister kick me out?

Question:
I’m sorry if this isn’t tagged properly. I wasn’t sure what to pick and I’m about to have a break down. My sister just texted me and told me I have to be out in 2 1/2 weeks so that her friend can move in and help with rent.

I moved in at the same time she did with her boyfriend in Jan/Feb. Her boyfriend has since moved out. She lost her job months ago, way before her boyfriend left. He was the one who payed rent. She has been selling things and doing what else to pay rent. I just started a new job and have only gotten one check from them.

She told me I could stay until I could find a place to live. I’ve got barely $500 saved and that’s a third or a fourth of what I need. She told me previously I did not need to help pay rent because she wanted me to move out as soon as possible even though I told her I’d chip in. I’ve saved all that I can but I can’t make myself get paid faster. I’ve even started donating plasma twice a week so that I can get extra saved up.

I lost half of my savings (which is why I don’t have much) because she stole from me. She of course denies it. It is not the first time I or someone else have been missing money. I would’ve had $700 or so by now if it weren’t for that.

She just texted me and told me I have 2 1/2 weeks before I have to leave and her friend is moving in. I don’t have enough money to put a deposit on a place yet. I also have a dog that is 50lbs and I refuse to leave her. I don’t really have anywhere to go that I can also take my dog. I have found viable apartments but I haven’t even contacted them because again, I don’t have enough money. Can she legally kick me out like this?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You didn't list your location, so its possible the 2 1/2 weeks is enough legal notice, either way she can't evict you, set things out, lock out, without going to court and getting an eviction. She would likely have to give proper notice before doing that, again 2 1/2 weeks may be enough notice.

Your really need to have a heart to heart and explain that if y'all are struggling, the longer y'all can pool resources the better for all.


Title: I'm terminating my lease early due to military orders. Can my landlord force me to repay rent concessions?

Question:
I gave my leasing office notice today that I had orders assigning me to a new duty station with a report date of December 31st. From what I understood, as long as I provided 30 days notice, I would be good to break my lease and not owe any fees, other than December rent and whatever they take out of the deposit for damage above normal wear and tear (pretty straightforward, I thought).

&#x200B;

The leasing office today told me that I also have to pay back the rent concession that they gave me when I signed my lease (several months worth of free rent - they were hurting for tenants) because the agreement was on a separate document and that agreement was not part of the lease itself.

&#x200B;

They're right that it was on a separate document. That one was titled "Terms and Conditions: Rent Promotion," and it says: *Resident must complete his or her lease term and comply with all aspects of their lease agreement. In the event Resident does not complete the lease term and/or does not comply with their lease agreement, Resident agrees to reimburse \_\_\_\_**(Landlord)**\_\_\_\_ or the value of any free concessions received from this Promotion.*

&#x200B;

But, on the other hand, everything that I've read about the Civil Servicemember's Relief Act and the 2010 Veterans Benefits Act that amended it says that a landlord cannot charge a fee just because a service member exercises their CSRA rights to terminate a lease.

&#x200B;

So, what's the deal? It's several thousand dollars. If I tell them no and they press the issue, what should I do?

&#x200B;

I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

&#x200B;

tl;dr: landlord is trying to force me to repay rent concessions when I terminated a lease for a military move

Answer:
 Go talk to your unit's or your base's  Judge Advocate. They've probably seen something like this before and have a tested answer for you. Answer #2: This seems like a complicated question. IANAL and you should probably consult with one familiar with the SCRA.

I found this case, and it's very interesting:

[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/894/1425/2094806/](https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/894/1425/2094806/)

Just as with you, the landlord offered extra concessions in exchange for the long-term lease (in this case, office improvements and a break on the normal rent). The tenant then gets himself assigned to service and breaks the lease, and the landlord sues.

The court's finding in this case was actually that even though the landlord was damaged more than normal by the tenant's SCRA exercise, there was no evidence of bad faith on the part of the tenant, so no real grounds to change the application of the law. **However**, by its reasoning the court did find it possible that in some cases, they could award an 'equitable offset' to the landlord if circumstances warranted it.

Now, your case is even stronger than the tenant's in that case, because unlike them, you didn't volunteer yourself into the service after you signed the lease. But it does show that the situation is kinda messy and that the SCRA does not operate without limits.


Title: Caught a customer stealing an Iphone 6 plus from my store. What are my options at this point?

Question:
A sales associate was working that day while I was out and she told me that an iphone 6 plus was missing. I looked through the footage and it appeared that a guy went behind our display and stole the iphone while she was busy. He tried to buy an accessory but it tuns out that his card was declined. I called the police and saved a clip onto an sd card and the footage is in 1080p so you can zoom onto his face. I filed a police report but the officer stated there was nothing that she could do because there was no way to identify him. I called our card processing company and they could only give me the bank and the last four digits of his card.

I did call the bank but they told me they will not give out any of their customers information and hung the phone up on me.

What can we do at this point?

Answer:
 You can press the police to investigate further.  They can subpoena the credit card company for the name of the card holder.  Even then, the card holder might not be the person who stole from your store.

You can contact your business's insurance and file a claim with them.Answer #2: Your inventory system should know what the IMEI/SN of the phone is.  This means you can report it stolen through the proper channels (start with your primary distributor and move up to Apple from there) and then it will be blacklisted.

Eventually this guy is going to try to resell the phone, whoever gets it won't be able to activate it, and then you can maybe, just maybe, get involved in whatever investigation gets opened then and find the person who stole your phone.  Otherwise, write it off as a loss on your insurance.


Title: Am I responsible for Fathers medical bills?

Question:
Last year my father was in a coma and I was made his guardian solely for the purpose that I could agree to medical decisions and procedures, etc. Earlier this year he woke up from his coma and was hospitalized in a rehabilitation center. As his guardian I would sign paperwork and agreements acknowledging care, costs, and treatment, etc. He has since recovered and I removed myself as guardian but I have started getting Bill's in the mail from the rehab center stating that I owe for his medical expenses. When I spoke to them they informed me his insurance declined to pay for all of it so the rest was owed.

This doesn't make sense to me. I can't find anywhere in the paperwork I signed or court documents that state I'd be liable for his medical expenses. Am I actually legally liable for this? What can I do?

Answer: Unless you signed something agreeing to pay, no you don't owe anything. You should examine all of your documentation thoroughly.


Title: Former employer threatening to sue for damage on television

Question:
This fits under multiple flairs but let’s get right into it.

I live in Canada , specifically in the Wasaga Beach area.

I started a job almost exactly a month ago, as a cook, after 2 weeks the restaurant was closed and we were relocating which I was informed about, at that point I was given the option to either lose my job for a month or do physical labour, to which I agreed to for money’s sake.

During the original move the UHaul truck broke down and we started filling a pickup truck with the remainder of the restaurant items including but not limited to, water softener devices, an 80” TV , and a freezer.

After a 13 hour work day of tearing apart and moving a kitchen we get to the final items, at which point I said the tv should be moved back inside the restaurant and picked up separately, my idea was ignored by the 3 owners and we proceeded to load it in, after I put cloths and rags across the tv to try and keep it from taking any damage, I mentioned that we did not have any tie downs for the final load (left in uhaul) at which point one of the owners tied string around the end of the truck as a fastener.

During the transportation a water softener device fell over and damaged the TV beyond use, and i am being blamed for it. Despite having 0 moving experience and being hired as a cook.

My former boss has now told me that he is with holding my pay and is threatening to sue me for the full amount of the TV, to which I do not have because of the lack of pay.

I’m going about the legal actions through the labour board of Ontario for the pay withholds, but I’m curious as to whether he is actually able to do any sort of legal action against me.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: I don't know in canada, but, it's very unlikely they can with hold your pay. They will likely be able to fire you though, so there is that.


Title: [NY] Physician Trying to Leave Contract at Private Practice. Please Help!

Question:
Hi Reddit community! Using an anonymous account for obvious reasons.

Lately I have been really stressed out about a certain situation I am currently in.
A little background, I am a physician who is currently working in a private practice in NYC. I am on contract to work a certain amount of years at this private practice. I have only been there for a few months.

What's stressing me is that I want out of my contract. The owner of the practice is not a good doctor or person. Here is a small list of things that bother me about this practice.

\- Aside from the injection needles, no other equipment used in the office is sterile (sterilized in the morning but the equipment is used throughout the day on all the patients)

\- Owner's protocol for treating patients always includes over-treating, usually giving them treatments they do not need for problems they do not have

\- Has assistants (not licensed medical assistants) in their office doing certain treatments they have not been licensed or trained to do, ex) Doing "physical therapy" on patients when they have no idea wtf they're doing

\- Has security cameras and voice recording inside patient rooms, there is no consent given to these patients to allow this

\- Again with treatment protocols, will sometimes do treatments that have a small chance of causing musculoskeletal issues with the patient, but they will document otherwise

\- Has told me multiple times that they *"do NOT want the patient to get better"* they want the patient to continue to return over and over so they could keep billing them/their insurance

\- The owner makes all the associates in the practice follow the protocols, which sucks. Recently I have stopped following them, and have begun to practice the right way. The owner will definitely freak out when they find out.

No workers there are happy, its a miserable place to work at. The way the owner of this place practices medicine disgusts me, and I want out

**My contract does NOT have a termination clause for me leaving.** There are only a few points on the contract discussing if he were to terminate me.

I have spoken unofficially to a lawyer already, and he said that I would be able to use "common law" as my way out. He wants me to go up to the owner, list my issues, and then we would both sign a non-disclosure agreement.

I am worried because I know coming up to the owner and telling him I'm quitting would cause this guy to really try to destroy my life.

I am kinda new to all this, and extremely worried about my future if I were to quit.
My questions are

\- Would I owe this guy any money if I left this way?

\- Would he be able to sue me?

\- Could he really destroy me?

\- What are my options really?

\- What would you do?

Thank you guys in advance for the help. All of this is not letting me enjoy my life or practicing, please give this young doctor some good advise :-)

Answer:
  Voice and video recordings in patient rooms?  Are children seen at this practice?  (You you are a mandated reporter and could face criminal charges for simply knowing this and not reporting it to proper authorities). You are  aware and/or actively participating in providing unnecessary medial services which are presumably billed to patients, carriers and/or government-sponsored plans?

Your potential exposure - criminal, civil and licensure-  is significant.   You need to run, not walk, to an attorney with experience in representing physicians in ethics/civil/criminal matters.

Obligatiry Disclaimer:  Please bear in mind that, while I am  admitted to practice in NY state, this answer is being provided for informational purposes and is not “legal advice”. You should speak to a lawyer admitted in your state.

Answer #2: Give your notice and leave STAT, you should report to OPMC anything illegal. You are also on the hook for this if you stay and contribute to this type of care. Remember you and only you are responsible for your billing, anything done that was in your name that could be fraudulent you are still liable for. You are a physician, you will recover financially, the minimal loss and amount you spend on attorneys is nothing compared to the loss of your morality and medical license.


Title: Potential date-rape drug from a coworker [TX]

Question:
Hello, I am a minor that works for a large retail company. About two months ago, a coworker (not a minor) invited me over to his house to smoke recreational marijuana (which I also do regularly on my own) one day after he got off work and I did not have work. I went over to his house, where two other guys were present. I was only notified that one other guy would be present. After a while, two more guys showed up. I began to become suspicious but trusted my coworker so continued hanging out with him. After smoking, he implied that it was time for me to go home. I then asked for some water to sober up so that I could call an uber. When he came back with the drink, he had a blue solo cup and a water bottle. He gave me the blue solo cup with ice claiming "they were out of water bottles" and I began to take sips from it. I hadn't noticed that he had a water bottle until that moment, and began to have a horrible sinking feeling. I have OCD and do overthink things sometimes but this along with other minor details just screamed way too many red flags at me. When I realized something was up, I held the water in my mouth not wanting to swallow anymore in fear that something was wrong. He reprimanded me for not swallowing which I then did, put the cup down, and asked to use the bathroom. Once in the bathroom I began texting my best friends (about 5 people) to please come pick me up and I immediately shared my location with them. I got a response finally (it was late at night, at this point it was around 11 I have all the texts to prove so) and they said they would arrive in about 10 minutes. I began to feel queasy after about 10 minutes in the bathroom and out of nowhere threw up all over the sink, floor, and toilet. I got extremely lightheaded, almost as if I was about to pass out. I pulled my belt on extra tight and began to slap my face so that I would stay awake. He texted me asking if I was okay (again, I have these texts) because I had been in there for a while and I responded that I was pooping to buy myself some more time. Eventually when my friend said that they were there but couldn't find the apartment I walked out of the bathroom but then felt the urge to throw up again. My friend called, and as she was on the phone I ran to the toilet to continue throwing up (about 3 more times here) my coworker asked if I could help clean up before I left and I said sure and did. He then offered me a ride and I declined saying that my friend was right outside. At this point I was stumbling and could barely keep my eyes open, I was doubled over while I walked and thought I was going to lose consciousness any second. I was finally outside, where my friend and her mom eventually pulled up and my friend essentially carried me into the car. we drove away, making it only to the gate before we had to stop so that I could throw up more. I was hunched over a curb, throwing up, over and over again in and out of consciousness for about an hour or an hour and a half. I threw up so much that I began to only dry heave with nothing coming out. my tongue felt swollen, it felt hard to talk or make a sound even, and my nether regions felt aroused even though my brain most definitely was not thinking about anything sexy. I don't remember much after that except another friend showed up and they transported me to their house where I later woke up, still feeling the effects but not throwing up anymore, was transported to another friends house, and slept until about 11am. The rest of the day I felt almost as if I had a hangover but I had not consumed alcohol in probably 6 months by then. That night, my girlfriend and I purchased a recreational drug test from the pharmacy nearby because I was afraid to go to the hospital. I tested positive for THC obviously but that was it. My dad and girlfriend finally convinced me to go to the hospital so I did. There I took a blood and pee test which came back negative for everything, which doesn't seem right because I had tested positive for THC less than an hour before. Afterwards, I called in sick to work the next days and began the process of filing for medical leave due to mental health reasons, which leads me to now. I want to go to work so bad because I genuinely like my job, need the stability and routine that it provides, and need money since I'm leaving for college soon. I don't know how to tell my managers that this happened and am worried that I could lose my job because I've smoked weed before. I also don't want to ruin my coworkers life in case nothing happened at all. I am so very confused because so many things point to the fact that I was drugged and so many point to the fact that I wasn't.

&#x200B;

My questions are as follows:

Can my job fire me for having smoked weed in the past?

Can my job fire my coworker for me even mentioning that something like this happened?

Do I have to tell my job why I wouldn't want to be scheduled with that coworker anymore or why I am on medical leave?

I will update as more questions come to me.

&#x200B;

TL;DR: I think I got drugged by a coworker after smoking weed with them, I'm a minor, they're not. I want to go back to work since it's been two months already. I'm worried work won't let me back  because I've smoked weed

Answer:
 You did not get drugged by your coworker. Cyclic vomiting is a relatively common and known side effect of marijuana. Whatever you smoked with your coworker was stronger than what you were used to and it caused you to have an adverse reaction.

Yes, your job can fire you for participating in illegal activities. Unless you’re in a union or otherwise under a contract of some kind, in your state, they can fire you for just about anything, or nothing at all.

Yes, they could fire your coworker for any of the same reasons. That said, telling people he drugged you when there is just about no evidence of that is poor form.

I hope your mental health leave is allowing you to get the help you need to get back to work soon.Answer #2: This doesn't sound like being drugged, at least, not more than the THC you consumed.

What you describe sounds a lot like a panic attack. You got into a bad state of mind when you were worried you'd been roofied and then ended up on a bad trip.

If you'd been roofied, you wouldn't have remembered it and it wouldn't have progressed in the way you've described.


Title: NJ-TOOK mothers pain medication. She will not make it to refill day. I just want her to be able to replace her meds no matter what the consequences are.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So your title is a lie. You don't want to help your mother, no matter the consequences. You only want to help her if you can avoid jail. Quality son right there.

If you haven't already and she hasn't  noticed, tell your mother you stole her medication. That is step one and see how it plays out from there. Answer #2: I assume that your mother has figured out (or will figure it out soon) that she doesn't have enough pain patches to make it to her next refill - and why that is the case (ie. that you took some of them).  Tell her what you did and the two of you can figure out what to do next.  Get some help for your addiction and depression.  BTW, you can actually treat your depression with antidepressants, which are MUCH more effective at treating depression than opiates.


Title: Wife (?) destroyed marriage license before we could turn it into the county clerk.

Question: [removed]

Answer: I have no idea what is actually going on here.  I do not think OP is married, however, nor do I think his significant other wants to be married to him.


Title: [Montreal, Canada (or anywhere...)] McDonald's lock doors with clients inside

Question:
There's a McDonald's that stays open 24h. Around midnight, they lock the doors with a key, preventing anyone from going in or out. To leave, you have to ask an employee to open for you. There is no exit that is not locked, and the lock is mechanical and could not be opened automatically in case of a fire for instance. Also, for what it's worth, they do not warn anyone that they are locking the doors.

Is this legal?! It seems like it shouldn't be...

Disclaimer: This is mostly out of curiosity. I'm not gonna press charges against McDonald's.

Answer:
 Contact the fire department they will have a field day with this.Answer #2: I've been in places with signs something like "This door must be unlocked during business hours."  I've also been in places that lock their door *at the close of business*.  But, they always have someone nearby who can unlock the door to let the stragglers out.  Some have a person manning the door until the last customer leaves.  I have never heard of a business with unattended locked doors while customers are inside.  I don't think that's legal anywhere I have been.

In the US, I would ask the Fire Dept, Bldg & Safety Dept or Code Enforcement.  One or more of those three should be able to tell you.  One or more should also be able to cite violators.Answer #3: Google "triangle shirtwaist factory fire" for a good example of why this is probably not legal. Answer #4: Definitely not allowed. If there was a fire, a ton of people could dieAnswer #5: Definitely weird. First of all that's completely unsafe. Secondly, I don't think I've ever been in an establishment (especially McDonald's) that have doors that lock which can't be opened from the inside. Could be against fire code. Franchise owner could be liable in case anything happensAnswer #6: This happened to me in a DQ in Harlingen, TX last year. An employee locked the doors at closing time with customers inside. The doors did not open from the inside. It does not matter whether the manager can be summoned to come open the door, it's not an acceptable practice.

I sent an email to the Fire Department and DQ management. I'm not sure what the outcome was, but I'm hoping they've installed proper doors.


Title: Do ticket clinics and traffic lawyers really help?

Question:
I’ve recently just gotten pulled over for the second time in 4 months for goin 78 in a 55 (a highway) and 72 in a 45 (a vacant two lane back road) I have no priors and opting for school is not an option to remove points. Will going to a lawyer to at least get recent point removed help or should I just tough it out and pay the fine.

Located in Florida

Side note: I know I was going fast and I was not endangering anybody around me I was going faster than everybody but we were all speeding so calling me out for being a “danger on the road” when most accidents happen at low speeds is not welcome I want legal advice not your sass r/personalfinance

Answer:
 >  I want legal advice not your sass

Then you likely want /r/sassfreelegaladvice.  There is sass sometimes here; set your expectations accordingly.

A traffic attorney stands a much better chance at getting the most favorable outcome than you do on your own, most of the time, understanding that no guarantees can be made.  Best bet is to consult with a few of them about your ticket and history and see what they think.Answer #2: Since you brought it up: You were driving unsafely and the fact that you think you weren't makes only makes things worse. *Most accidents* are things like city traffic fender benders and parking lot bumps that carry little risk of serious injury.  If you get in an accident at 25 to 30 mph over the speed limit, someone is probably going to die.

That being said.  Nobody can guarantee any result, but you will fare better in court with a lawyer than without.


Title: Rented car from Enterprise in Baja, Mexico, had a medical emergency and crossed the border into San Diego for treatment. Now US Enterprise won't accept the Mexican car.

Question:
I'll start off by saying I know it's entirely unreasonable to expect US Enterprise to accept a Mexican Enterprise rental because chances are good they're legitimately separate companies. I hope I'm wrong, though.

Here's what's going on:
My mother and her husband were vacationing 2 days ago in Baja where they rented said Mexican car from Enterprise. Last night her husband had a life threatening medical emergency, so she panicked and drove him to UCSD Hospital in San Diego.

No idea why she didn't take him to a hospital in Tijuana, but now her husband is fighting for his life. US Enterprise in San Diego won't accept this rental, and returning this Mexican rental car across the border to Enterprise in Mexico is not an option for her.

Her husband is unlikely to pull through, so she's staying by his side as long as possible.

Is there any possibility of US Enterprise actually accepting this rental car? What can she do?

Thank you.

Answer:
 > Is there any possibility of US Enterprise actually accepting this rental car? What can she do?

While this is unfortunate for her, there is probably no requirement for Enterprise to accept the car back. She can return the car later or make other arrangements to have the car returned to Mexico.


Title: Just opened a pack of dark chocolate with almonds from trader joes, broke it apart so i can start eating it, found a white maggot looking thing. What do i do? Is there anything I can do to the company about this?

Answer: You can return it for a refund. You can always call the FDA. You are not getting a payday out of this.


Title: Legality of two 16 year olds sending nude photos?

Question:
What are possible repercussions of a 16 year old and another 16 year old sending nude pictures and saving them?

Michigan

Answer: They could both be arrested and charged with the creation, distribution, and possession of child pornography.


Title: (CAN) I'm 15 and made $20k off selling virtual products with a paypal account under my dad's name. How do I declare it ?

Question:
Hello guys,

I've been seling for a year now virtual currency of a game through reddit and an e-commerce i've built myself. It's against the Terms of Service of the game to do so but I don't think it changes much except that I risk in-game consequences ? (Like ban the account)

My big question is this : I have been selling while using my dad's Paypal Account because I can't have one if I'm under 18. When it will be time to file taxes, I don't really know what to do. Can the CRA see how much money there is in a Paypal Account or how much has been transfered to a canadian bank account((I have withdrawn 7k to my dad's bank account and he paid me back) ?

Can I say I made the 20k$ or because it's from a paypal account I will have issues later on ? Or It's my father that will have to declare the $20k under his name and pay a higher tax % ?

English isn't my first language so really sorry in advance. Thanks for your help.

Answer:
 You must declare your income, and you must pay income tax on it. CRA doesn't care where you store the money, or how you made your money - they just want you to pay what you owe.

Keep records of where the money came from and where you've put it - if CRA decides to audit you, or your father, then you'll have to account for that money regardless of where you put it. Ideally, get a tax accountant - you're effectively self-employed. Congrats, by the way.

The fact that you're a minor may make it slightly more likely that you or your father will be audited.


Title: Not allowed to enter Canada because of underage underage possession of alcohol 8 years ago?!?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They are risk mitigating. They don't want to risk flight operations in you. You probably will need to spend the money to acquire the documentation they require to satisfy their concerns.


Title: My Mother Signed to be a Legal Guardian for her Younger brother age 47 - Former drug addict and stroke survivor - Mentally unstable - Help?

Question:
Long Beach, California

TL;DR mother gets call from hospital. Turns out to be crazy, drug addicted, brother after missing for 8 years. Mother signs to be legal guardian. Life becomes a living hell at home. Need crazy, drug addicted brother gone from our lives. Help?

My mother got a call maybe under 2 years ago from a hospital in Wisconsin informing her that her younger brother had been in the hospital for a stroke. He had been missing after running away for a little over 8 years after abusing drugs and basically becoming very disliked by the entire family.

She flew in to see him. Her younger brother has no other family or friends and after the stroke and years of repeated drug use, he was deemed mentally handicapped and legally needed a guardian. I think this is where my mother made a huge mistake.

She signed to be his legal guardian - This accounts for making sure he is sheltered, fed, and taken care of as well as having his financial responsibilities and health more so under my mother's control.

The younger brother ends up living in our home with another uncle of mine. So in total, it is me (the son), my mother, and my uncle. My brother recently came back to live with us, so now it is just us 4.

It has just been an absolute hell ever since the mentally handicapped uncle of mine moved in our home. I've caught him stealing money from both my mother and my other uncle (whom I love). He does not do anything around the house and becomes very territorial even though the space used before him was given up by the other uncle. I catch him snarling, and drooling, and laughing uncontrollably at nothing, but most of the time, he stares straight at my other uncle and just goes bat shit crazy. I know he is on prescribed meds right now but I know for a fact he is abusing the hydrocodone/acetaminophen pill. My mom gives him money and we have no idea what he spends it on or where he goes in the middle of the day. He comes back, eats all of our food, claims the television, takes his medicine, takes naps 3 times in a day, commonly gets hostile toward my uncle and even me, then repeats the same cycle week after week.

I've endured enough of this bullshit for so long. He uses everything my mom provides him, he treats everyone in the household like shit and it is seriously having a detrimental effect on everyone, especially on my uncle since they share the same living area which is tiny. We live in a small house, but luckily I have my own room. I know for a fact, my mom feels trapped. No matter how many times I confront her, she doesn't do anything. She doesn't like to acknowledge the fact that her younger brother is just a complete waste of life, time, energy, and emotions for her and everyone around the house.

I've threatened the call the police if he hits me or hits my uncle the next time i see him do it. He does not dare hit my mother though. However, I know if i do call the police, my mom could get into a ton of legal trouble with her being the legal guardian and everthing.

What can I do? What can my mother do to have this guy just gone from our lives? I feel bad for my mother, and my other uncle especially. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who stands up to the bullshit around the house and I can't even do anything legally to put a stop to this.
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer: Call the police if he gets violent. Your mother is not going to get in trouble for that.


Title: [OH] Arrested over the weekend, cops offering to help?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > should I bother contacting a lawyer before the meeting?

Absolutely.  You shouldn't go to this meeting until you speak with an attorney.

> I am pretty scared but I was basically offered all charges dropped with some cooperation so I don't want to piss them off / bring a lawyer that may seem antagonistic.

Stop.  Find an attorney tomorrow first thing.  Do not go to the meeting without speaking to an attorney.
Answer #2: Admiral Ackbar has 3 words for you...Answer #3: > I have a meeting with them tomorrow afternoon, should I bother contacting a lawyer before the meeting?

Oh no, don't go to that meeting without a lawyer. Possibly never. Nothing good will happen there for you, you'll either admit to something incriminating or be looped into being a narc which is extremely dangerous. They also don't hold the power to "make it all go away", only a deal with the prosecutors office can do that which is unlikely to obtain. If you need help obtaining a lawyer please talk to your parent or guardian about obtaining one. If charged don't say a word without a lawyer, at arraignment if you don't have a lawyer plead not guilty and ask for a public defender.


Title: [Ohio] Can the child support agency legally 'debit' money from a personal bank account without notice?

Question:
Asking for a friend (not a reddit user) sorry if this is long but i'll try to get as many details in as possible.

So my co-worker went to the bank yesterday and looked at his statement and it didn't seem right. So he checked his phone app and saw a 'debit' (withdrawl) from his account for $1300 from the child support agency.

A little background: he had a period of 6 weeks THIS YEAR where he was unemployed and is currently paying rearages on top of his normal payment to offset the 6 weeks of missing payments. Right.

So fast forward to today: he contacts the agency to ask why they had taken the $1300 out of his account, no notice, no letter, no call, nothing. So they tell him he had missed some payments back in 2010 (another ~6 week period of unemployment) that they needed to collect so they went ahead and took it out of his account. This is obviously strange as he is already paying rearages, as I said, for earlier THIS YEAR. Why then wasn't this 2010 debt accounted for in that, or any other payment arrangements up to this point. Their answer was basically: 'we forgot.'

It is seriously baffling to everyone, including our payroll person, how the agency, without actually HAVING his bank account information can freely contact the bank and tell them "Hey this is CSA, give us $1300 from John Doe's account." On top of that the actual bank simply told him "That's between you and the agency, we can't stop them." (The reason I say they didn't have his bank account number was because the support he is currently paying comes straight out of his check from the business, NOT an automatic bank withdraw scenario.)

Not to mention the fact that there was no contact, letter, phone, email, hell they didn't even contact the payroll person at our business about anything additional to the payments and rearages he was already paying.

Answer:
 >It is seriously baffling to everyone, including our payroll person, how the agency, without actually HAVING his bank account information can freely contact the bank and tell them "Hey this is CSA, give us $1300 from John Doe's account."

Because that's how government garnishment of bank accounts works.


Title: Behind On Rent, Manager Asked To Take Item From Home As Collateral. Is This Legal?

Question: In Texas, this happen to my friend. I don't know the full details as of right now so will add more later but the jest is that my friend told me that her and her girlfriend where a little late behind on paying rent this month and the manager came to collect. They told him they didn't have it as of yet and he asked to take their Playstation as collateral. Is this legal? I've never heard of a management place doing this. They rent a apartment together.

Answer:
 If this is a management company then I'd inform corporate since there is a risk here that the manager is going to take the item and then deny this exchange ever happened.

Outside of it being strange and possible a corporate policy issue it's not illegal to barter.


Title: Fake identity on bank account [US]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You are focusing too much on the bank account.

You had an agreement with her, she broke it.  You should sue her in small claims court.


Title: Cop pulls me over for swerving to avoid an accident.

Question:
A car parked on the street didn’t see me and nearly backed into me. There were cars behind me, and no cars coming in oncoming lane, so instead of slamming my brakes, I swerve to avoid getting hit.

Cop pulls me over. Asks why I swerved. Asks for license/reg/insurance. I can’t find insurance card. Says he’ll be right back. Goes to his car. I call my insurance  company. They email me proof of my insurance.

Cop comes back. I show him proof of my insurance. He says it’s too late, issues me a $500 ticket for failure to provide proof of insurance. Says ticket is “already in the system.”  Says I will have to plead my case to the judge. To add insult to injury, he explains that he could have written me a ticket for swerving, regardless of whether or not I was swerving to avoid getting in a car accident.

How the f is this okay? Am I just supposed to suck it up and pay the fine? I don’t understand why that is okay.

Edit: location is Iowa
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 You should go to court and see if the ticket can be dismissed by showing proof of insurance. I am almost entirely certain that it can and will be dismissed when you do this. Answer #2: It's not ok, and if you go to court with this evidence the judge will likely drop the case. Don't fall for the prosecutor offering a sweetheart deal.

Source: am a lawyer and have done it myself. This kind of behavior is essentially a shakedown, and you should absolutely fight it. Answer #3: Sometimes one can go to the court clerk beforehand and that type of ticket dismissed - really depends on location, which you failed to provide.


Title: [BC Canada] Client Owes Me Money But It Looks Like They Aren't Going To Pay. I Have Access To All Their Accounts, What Is The Danger If I Simply Pay Myself?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This is easy: you go to jail for theft.

Them owing you money does NOT entitle you to help yourself to their money. It doesn't matter if you've been authorized to use a credit card, since you were authorized to use it for specific things and NOT to pay yourself.


Title: Can a contract void another contract (apartment leasing)?

Question:
I'm going to rent a room from a girl. This girl has a lease for a room in an apartment from the management. She wants to lease me her room for $100 cheaper without getting my name on the lease. Can I at least draw up a contract saying I get this room for this money? If things go South and her contract says she can't sublease to me, does that void the "contract" I made with her?

Usa

Answer: Her lease has nothing to do with you. Even if she isn't allowed to lease to you, your lease is enforceable. If you were to get evicted by the management as a result, you could sue her for damages.


Title: Help! Neighbors sueing us for $25k for things we did not commit

Question: Long story short, my family have lived in San Diego California for about 10 years and we have never faced any legal issues. However we have Neighbors who just moved in about 4 months ago, and we have only talked to once, are suing us in a small-claim court on accounts of things we did not commit.   They are claiming that we cut down the tree in their backyard and damaged their property and that we threw rocks at their house, and attempted to rob them, and that they are suffering from psychological trauma because they don't feel safe living next to us. It's ridiculous considering we have lived here for 10 years and never have been complained at all. We dont have the reason nor the time to commit these alleged crimes. Both my parents work 60 hours a week and barely speak english. My little sister is a senior in highschool and is getting ready for college. And I am currently a sophomore in college and working 40 hours a week. We are desperate for help because they are claiming $25k and we really can't afford a lawyer, what should we do? Any suggestions or advice will help.

Answer: The burden of proof is on their side, you need to get legal representation asap.  Have there been any interactions with police or contact prior to this time or did they just up and sue you without any interactions?Answer #2: Location is not optional for this question.


Title: Friend not certified, working, unpaid, fired (WA state)

Question:
Okay, sorry for the botched title, but I'm hoping someone could point me in the right direction.

My friend had been working with his friend's dad's company in the home/business repair field (I'm trying to keep this somewhat vague.) He's been working with the company for over two years, uncertified, paid under the table, and recently since he hasn't been getting paid (boss always coming with some excuse or whatever,) he threatened to call the labor board to report the guy. He says the working conditions aren't safe (no proper safety equipment,) he's not supposed to be there since he's uncertified and he's not paying taxes on the wages he does receive. I'm pretty sure my friend wants to report the company because he's so sick of the way they treat him as an employee. Does my friend have any legal recourse against his (now former) employer?

Answer:
 >he's not paying taxes on the wages he does receive.

Your buddy needs to claim his wages and pay his taxes.

He can file a complaint with the labor board but in generally they cannot do anything about the wages because it is under the table. Your friend would likely have to sue for that. But can complain about everything else. He should also call whatever licensing boarding the boss works with/under about everything.


Title: (CA) car backed up in to my parked car

Question:
Hello!
My parked car was hit, luckily I when I got to the scene the driver was still there. We exchanged info. Also spoke to an eyewitness that claims the driver was going to leave the scene but then noticed the witness was filming her and therefore stayed. Do I have a case to sue? For intent of hit and run. Punitive damages?

Answer:
 >Do I have a case to sue?

Yes, if your car is damaged you could. It would be easier to just let your insurance work it out.

>For intent of hit and run.

No.

>Punitive damages?

No.


Title: Fired from Sam’s Club advice

Question: I was fired from Sam’s a year ago, they never provided me with any proof of the accusations. They asked me for a statement and I wrote it hoping it would clear things up but was let go two weeks after and was never provided any clear cut proof. They basically told me they have statements from other employees and otherwise they don’t have to show me anything/ I don’t need to know. I have been listed as non rehire-able. Why this matters is I was close to becoming a salary manager and lost my health insurance before my wife and I had our second baby so now my bills are crazy. Is there anything I can do to fight this? I was able to get unemployment for half a year but that was it. Will the eligibility letter for unemployment that shows they investigated and found they didn’t provide proof enough to battle them or did my statement doom me for them to have enough to fight back with and keep me from being rehired etc.

Answer: Find a new job, Sam's did nothing improper


Title: PLEASE HELP. I am charged with statutory rape for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, even though SHE CONSENTED TO IT and ENJOYED IT.

Question:
I am in Florida.

I  am a 25-year-old male. I met this 13-year-old girl online. I was her  sugar daddy. I gave her money, electronics, took her to nice places, in  exchange for a sexual relationship.

It  was a 100&#37; consensual relationship. I paid her over $2000/month, more  than any other 13-year-old gets. She loved being around me. She wanted  the relationship to go on indefinitely.

Then  her mom found out and turned me in. She loved me more than her parents,  and was extremely upset at her mom for doing so. Her parents are  super-strict, no fun, no money, no allowance. I gave her everything her  parents didn't give her.

SO IN A NUTSHELL, I was her sugar daddy, and this was a 100&#37; consensual relationship. What do I do now?

Answer:
 You hire a lawyer.

There is a high probability of being convicted.

I assume you are a troll.


Title: Found at fault in an auto accident

Question:
For the record I am a 20 yr old male living in Michigan.  I recently got into an accident. I was turning left out of the center lane, i checked for traffic and verified it was clear before I began turning. Next thing I know some one had smashed into my car, I filed the police report and everything. The other guy had written his out first and handed it to the officer, by the time I gave mine to the officer he asked me to wait a minute longer and then he gave me a ticket for driving without due care/caution-accident. I don't know the exact wording the officer used, but it was along the lines of "you were turning and against the flow of traffic" I know I am looking at this through rose colored glasses but I don't understand how someone managed to total my car and it is my fault. Do you guys have any advice on how to best proceed? I have called for an informal hearing, but is there anything I should know going in? For what it is worth the accident and ticket happened in Sterling Heights.
edit: Sorry I wasn't clear, I was not at an intersection, I was in the center lane of a road attempting to turn into a shopping center. He was jumping out of the center lane to avoid the traffic stop. I attached a poorly conrtrusted MS Paint picture see [here](http://imgur.com/TWLLDLO) I am the blue square, he is the red square. also see here for a picture of the damage on my vehicle, see [here](http://imgur.com/VbXBSlN). incase it helps in anyway

Answer: It sounds like you turned left and it wasn't safe to do so. The proof being that someone hit you.


Title: I (21) [Nevada] am dating a girl who's 17 [Louisiana]. Who's state's laws do we follow regarding sexting?

Question:
So just to be certain, my girlfriend and I have been dating for a few months, and she's wanting to send me pictures. I told her to hold off on this until I can understand the laws better. Since I'm already legal and she's only 17 (which is age of consent in LA), am I going to get in trouble if her parents find out about these pictures?

I really just want to be able to be 100% certain before we do anything that can potentially get either of us in trouble.

[LA sexting laws](http://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/2011/rs/title14/rs14-81-1-1)

[NV sexting laws](http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/teen-sexting-nevada.htm)
Thanks for your time.

Answer:
 Any nude, sexual pictures you exchange before she turns 18 will be child porn under federal law.

She'll be producing and distributing it, you'll be possessing and soliciting it.Answer #2: If these are sexual pictures, she needs to be 18. Period. Answer #3: > she's only 17 (which is age of consent in LA), am I going to get in trouble if her parents find out about these pictures?

I'm not going to try to claim that our laws make *sense* but age of consent is only for having sex. Taking pictures is illegal before age 18. Yeah, taking pictures is punished MUCH more harshly than having sex and requires older ages.


Title: My job won't pay after 9PM even if i'm still working, is this legal?

Question:
Location: Tennessee

Job: Subway

     I just got hired by a subway and i was informed
 that i will be working by my self from 5-9(closing hours)
 also with more than usual jobs like taking counts on everything
 in the store which is usually a manager's job but the owner is the
 only manager in the store, now this is fine, i don't mind doing
this however they don't pay after 9PM not even a cent,
doesn't matter how long you stay, so before i talk to
 the owner and discuss it with him i want to know if this
 is legal or not, Thanks in advance.

Edit: Thanks guys, i appreciate your answers, i won't let this go unanswered for, from my experience (3 years with other subways) the owners try to steal as much of your money as they can, again i really appreciate your answers, you have no idea how helpful they are to me.

Answer:
 It's not legal, and a great sign that this is not a place you want to work for. Employers must pay for an employee's work. The legal jargon is: wages must be paid when an employer "suffers or permits to work". Exceptions to this rule are quite narrow.

Answer #2: Completely illegal with pretty much no grey area.  Major corporations get sued for this fairly often. Best Buy lost a class action lawsuit against employees that were made to punch out because they were done with their work but were then forced to wait for a manager to check their belongings for stolen goods and let them out of the then-closed store. Sometimes it would take 15-20 minutes and although you weren't working, leaving without the permission/assistance of a manager was an automatic termination (due to potential shrink issues).

Start looking for another job. If they pull these kinda moves they aren't the type of place you want to work.  The laws pertaining to this are in the Fair Labor Standards Act and more info on it can be found here.

www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/Answer #3: Subway is a national company/franchiser. There should be a hotline number posted in your store to report unethical behavior. If not, call the head of the franchiser (the company on your checks) and report it. Answer #4: Probably a franchisee abusing their employees.  Let Subway corporate know about this & I bet they will straighten them out post-haste.  They don't need another black eye after Jared.Answer #5: Do yourself and all the other employees a favor,  and call corporate. They are pretty strict with their franchisees following the rules,  and not paying employees is a huge no no for them.


Title: I used a "swear" word in an email and called a vice principle. They told my boss on me.

Question:
Texas. My child's school. I dislike his teacher and nothing seems ever good enough for her.  Things got heated and I used the term "we are working our asses off" in an email to the teacher. I later called the vice principle a jerk because he said I was being difficult. Some kids keep pushing my kid around at school and the school isn't listening. I only called him a jerk because he threatened to tell my boss I used ass  in an email.

He kept repeating how I should know better considering my job (nonprofit) but like I don't work with kids and it was my personal email, off the clock. I do paperwork. I don't work with clients. I interact with copiers.

Interaction had nothing to do with my job.

They kept noting bruises that he had that he got at school. I am not sure if they are planning to call cps but I have emails where I complained about him coming home from school with bruises. They say it isn't happening there.

Anyway, they emailed my boss. About the "ass" and "jerk". Sent her copies of my emails. She doesn't care and says it is non of her business but I think they are overstepping.

Probably a relationship issue most than an legal one but do I have one here? Like can i as an adult get in trouble calling someone a jerk and using the word ass  in an email.

Obviously, I should not email upset anymore but come on. "We are working our asses off" isn't exactly vulgar. And jerk isn't the worst thing an adult has ever called me honestly. This is all seems a bit petty.

Do I need to meet with a lawyer?

Answer:
 Wait. What? They forwarded the email? To people outside the district?

Isn’t this a FERPA violation? Did the emails contain your child’s name?Answer #2: Just go and email his boss and his boss's boss about the schools behavior on this situation. It's time to start going up the chain of command.Answer #3: I think the issue needs to be focused on your son.

"They kept noting bruises that he had"" They say it isn't happening there."

"I used the term "we are working our asses off" in an email to the teacher. I later called the vice principle a jerk""

CPS may be called & yes a lawyer is a good idea for you.Answer #4: IS this a public school? You should direct your complaint to the principal and if they do nothing then speak to the district superintendent.


Title: [MS] [GA] [CO] - Is it legal to be actively drinking an alcoholic beverage while driving if you are under the legal limit?

Question: Is it legal to be actively drinking an alcoholic beverage while driving if you are under the legal limit?

Answer:
 According to this site, Mississippi is the only state that allows drivers to consume while driving. http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/open-container-laws-by-state.html

Edited to add: Except that some Mississippi counties are dry, so transporting alcohol in those counties is not allowed at all. https://www.idrivesafely.com/blog/ill-have-a-frozen-daiquiri-to-go/


Title: No heat in our rented home, landlord says nothing can be done (OH)

Question:
So I live in a house at a college town in Ohio with 3 other roommates. A few months ago a worker from our gas provider came out to turn on the gas for our water heater, and while he was here saw that our furnace for upstairs, where most of us sleep, is located in my bedroom, and is flush with the walls and ceiling in a closet-which apparently is not allowed. So he turned off the gas for the furnace and contacted our landlord about fixing it. We heard nothing for a couple months so I called our landlord and told him we don't have heat and it's starting to get cold. They send out their maintenance guy who takes a look at the furnace and tells us that nothing can be done about it unless got a new furnace to fix the issue. That was a month ago.

Our thermostat is now reading 65 degrees and it's only getting colder. I've called multiple times to our landlord's office and every time they tell me they're "looking into it". Is there any possibility to get rent abatement? I can't find any specific housing laws in regards to minimum temperature in Ohio. Do public universities ever have any legal resources we could utilize? Any help is appreciated.

Answer:
 Your university should have an office of student legal aid or services.

You're going to want to read up on ORC 5321.04. The determination of reasonable will work in your favor as winter is approaching.Answer #2: INAL but the landlord is required to provide a "reasonable" amount of heat. NO heat with winter approaching is not reasonable. I would see if you could get a housing inspector to come out to confirm that the furnace isn't working, then use that as leverage against your landlord. If the landlord still does nothing, you're allowed to deposit what you WOULD have paid in rent into a special account with the court.

I'd also check with Ohio Legal Services or another community legal aid service.Answer #3: Worse case, if they don't fix it, this is a valid condition to break your lease without penalty (it's basically constructive eviction because a lack of heat in winter renders the dwelling uninhabitable).  Of course, you should consult with an attorney to determine the best way of going about doing that if it comes down to that.Answer #4: >Do public universities ever have any legal resources we could utilize?

Some doAnswer #5: Ohio also allows for withholding of rent due to serious defects, in which case you would have to set up an account to store the rent in to be available for when the issue is fixed. If they have known for months that you don't have heat in an area that eventually gets cold that's probably a justifiable causeAnswer #6: University of Cinci Law used to have a landlord tenat call line that would help you navigate issues like this. It is called Tenant Information Project. You can Google them and reach out for help. Caveat: they are law students but they are supervised.


Title: [Illinois] Someone stole something, and I want to press charges and get my stuff back, do I have to go to court?

Question: A supposed friend of mine asked to borrow a peice of recording studio equipment I have that is worth over a thousand dollars. I'd ask for it back after a few months and he always made up excues, and then when I got more forecful, he completley ghosted me and blocked me on eveyrthing, so I have no idea where he lives or where he's at, but I know his name. I talked to his father on facebook messenger, and he acknowledges that his son stole my property, so I don't know if that counts as evidence as well. I want to file a police report, but I'm wondering does that mean I will get a subpoena to go to court? Am I doing the right thing?

Answer:
 It's not stolen, you lent it to him. It's a civil dispute and the police will tell you as much.

You'll need to sue him in small claims for it's value, the only way to avoid court is to come to an agreement beforehand.


Title: My ex-wife stole my money from joint account after divorce

Question:
15 years ago (in 2001) we were married and came to Canada as immigrant and opened new ‘joint’ account in a bank. As she was not familiar with banking system and I always handled the finances, she never did anything with banking (zero transactions). Over the time I completely forgot about ‘joint’ status. After that we moved to several places and she stayed in US for about 8 years and I about 4 years. We came back to Canada and got divorced 4½ years ago (in 2012). She got married to some other person in 2014. We live in different cities in Canada.

So I completely forgot it was ‘joint’ account and I was always using it as my own personal account so far. Big mistake! Recently (two weeks ago), suddenly I got message from her that large sum of money ($20,000) has been transferred to her account and it must be some mistake by bank and ask me to check with the bank. I found that the money was withdrawn by other joint holder using access card online. $24,500 was withdrawn and later $11,200 was deposited back to my account (leaving still $13,300 on her account). I immediately opened new personal account and transferred rest of money from the joint account to prevent any further damage. I was constantly pleading with her to return rest of my money to my new account.  She assured me that she has initiated fraud investigation on her part and the bank is investigating and will reverse the transactions. Not to worry and be patient and that the money belongs to me only and will be returned in few days. After 10 days, she send me a message saying she has transferred my rest money from the bank and not to bother and contact her anymore in chat, email or phone. And she blocked me and cut off from all communications. It was complete shock to me! I suddenly realized that she was just playing a game with me. SHE DIDN’T TRANSFER ANY MONEY AT ALL.

It came to my light that she just recently discovered about the ‘joint’ account when she went with her husband to open their new joint account in the bank and obtained access card on her behalf.

I have proof in messenger chat her promise to return the money several times and accepting that it all belongs to me. I know she has the legal right to withdraw money from the joint account even though she has zero contribution. I have been completely duped by her tactics. I know she did it with the help of her new husband and now she is confident I’m unable to do anything about it. She is challenging me to do whatever I want.

I know I have made huge mistake inadvertently by not changing the account long time ago. Still I’m not able to let go of my money. It is not small sum especially I’m unemployed right now and was depending much on my saving for my expenses. I know my case is weak. Still any advice to retrieve money is highly appreciated. Are there any legal options for me? Thanks a lot!

Answer: If her name was on the account, it was legally her money too. Either one of you could have taken it out at any time.


Title: [CA] Got a voicemail that said I am getting served and they may show up to my work. Can I call them and ask to meet them somewhere so they dont show up to my work?

Question:
I can bring my gf as a witness because they said someone will need to be a witness at my work.

Update: I called and if I pay the thing in collections this week they wont serve me and wont have me pay the fee. It is $314. Is there anyway I can get it down more?

2nd update: seems like it is a scam according to most people on here. I am not worried about being served at my workplace (family business where everyone has gone through money problems before) if it does turn out to be legit anyways. I got this voicemail last thursday saying they would do it on friday and they still havent shown up. Thank you everyone!

Answer:
 It could be a scam. Do you have any reason to think someone is suing you? Car accident, collection agency calls, etc.? Does the number the caller left check out as being a government office or process server?

If you do agree to meet, definitely bring a witness. Answer #2: Let me get this straight. They call you, say they're going to serve you at work without telling you exactly what it's for unless you pay up in advance?

That sure sounds like a scam to me. Verify the source of this before dropping a cent.


Title: Sugar Daddy payments concern

Question:
Hi, guys.

Wish I didn't have to make a post here, but my friend might be in some trouble and I just want to understand as much of this situation as possible. Preface this by saying: my friend is clearly a dumbass. I'm just trying to understand and help remedy this as much as possible. The following information is all I know.

&#x200B;

My friend (24 m) met a sugar daddy online. My friend decided that he was going to rely on the sugar daddy for money. Like paying his two credit card bills. My friend has never met this "dude" in person, but has a photo of an ID this "dude" sent to him. They have only had communication via text and the website they met on. Long story short, this dude got access to my friends two credit card accounts, because of my friend gave him access, one with Discover Card, and one with Chase. The sugar daddy tried to deposit one check of $2,000 to one of the credit cards (cant remember which one), but it bounced because that account he used had closed. Sugar daddy tries to deposit another check into the Discover account but that check also bounces because it turned out to be a digital copy of an already deposited check by my friend (credit card account saves photos of digitally deposited checks). The sugar daddy had whited out the amount, changed it to $1,900, and changed the "pay to the order of" subject line to my friends name. Sugar daddy tries one last time to deposit a check into the discover card for $900 and it CLEARED.

My friend has freaked out about this situation and agreed that it has gone too far. He has frozen his 2 credit cards and is in the process of opening new accounts.

I'm worried about check fraud, money laundering, stolen identity, the whole ten yards. Should we file a police report? Should we lock down his social security number? I've told him to give the sugar daddy the successfully deposited $900 back because we do not know where that money came from.

I guess my question is: how, in what ways, is my friend fucked? I don't want to start an investigation into something that doesn't need to be blown out of proportion, but this situation has shaken me a bit and i'm just very concerned.

&#x200B;

Any and all advice is welcome. Thank you all so much

Answer:
 Your friend violated his credit card issuer's terms and conditions by giving out his credentials, which limits his recourse with them for any overdraft charges or money withdrawn from his accounts.

&#x200B;

Both frauds should be reported to the credit card companies.   The conspirator who reports the crime first tends to have a better defense when fingers get pointed.

The $900 check will not stay cleared;  it will be dishonored in a couple of weeks and taken back out of his account.

DO NOT transmit that money to the forger.   That makes him part of the crime.

&#x200B;

Yes, make a police report.    They'll treat it as an identity theft crime.   Most precincts will take this type of report;  they generally don't get investigated, but they go into their complaint databases and sometimes pop up when the fraudsters are arrested.

&#x200B;

The risk of your friend getting charged criminally are low.    The fact that "sugar daddy" probably used an ATM or phone-picture deposit means there's evidence pointing toward the sugar daddy, not to your friend.


Title: Inadvertent Wal-Mart Theft [MO]

Question:
In MO.

I am posting this on behalf of my sister, who is 33.

She was shopping at a Wal-Mart with her boyfriend and each picked out a pair of sunglasses. Instead of tossing them in the basket she pushed them up on to her head, and he clipped them on to his shirt and proceeded to shop for other items.  They bought a ton of crap from other sections and were in the store for another hour or so. They proceeded to self checkout and bought around $150 in groceries and other things.

She and her boyfriend then went to self checkout and the helper person had to come over 3 separate times to assist with checking IDs and some other stuff.

So, they walk out of the store and then are stopped by Loss Prevention. They want to discuss the "unpaid merchandise." My sister asked what they were talking about and they said the sunglasses. My sister and her BF, completely embarrassed, explained that it was an honest mistake and would come back in and pay for them. She was told "it was too late" and was asked to come back in to the store. They then returned their entire $150 purchase, took them into the LP room, and called the police. The police came and handcuffed them, took them to the police station across the street, and processed them.

She says at this point the store called and the supervisor said "to let them go." So, they didn't have to pay bail, but were given a court hearing.

A letter showed up, from what I can only describe as an "ambulance chaser," stating that Wal-Mart filed a civil case against them for $250.

My sister says the cop told her it would probably get dismissed and so my sister thinks just showing up to court w/o representation will satisfy it.

Should she hire a lawyer? This just seems so insane to me!

Answer:
 >Instead of tossing them in the basket she pushed them up on to her head, and he clipped them on to his shirt and proceeded to shop for other items.

I'm sorry but this doesn't pass the smell test.

But she needs an attorney.Answer #2: She needs a criminal defense lawyer, unless having a conviction on her record doesn't make a difference to her. Answer #3: The civil case is separate from the criminal case.  If the civil case has really been filed and there's a court date, she should make sure not to miss it.  At the civil hearing, she will have a trial and can tell her side of the story and cross-examine witnesses.  Or she can just pay them and they'll go away.

The criminal case is separate, and she should absolutely not miss that.  Ideally she'd have a lawyer, but she could probably get away with not having one at the first court appearance.  If they don't dismiss the charges or give her a good deal, she can probably ask for an adjournment to go hire a lawyer.


Title: [UK] What can I do about this crazy landlord and his daughter - if anything?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Probably better suited for r/legaladviceuk

If she didn't secure it in a scheme within a certain amount of time, though, you could nail her to the wall and she may be asked to pay you up to 3 times your deposit amount. IANAL


Title: If a police officer is arrested and confesses to a crime en route to the station, before his Miranda rights are read, can that confession be heard by a jury?

Answer:
 If you volunteer the information before your rights are read, it can be used against you.

If the arresting officers asked you questions, your answers cannot be used.