Title: My Mother is threatening to take me to court for her right to see her grandson.

Question:
I’m looking for advice for custodial rights for grandparents in QLD Australia.

My husband and I have been married for almost two years and have a 17 month old son.

For the duration of my sons life he has had regular and frequent contact with my own mother, despite my own unusual/abusive childhood and being regularly subjected to abuse and criticism on my ability to parent. I have never left him alone with her for any length of time as in addition to being suspicious of her, I currently breastfeed him and he still relies on frequent feeds throughout the day.

My mother has always been civil towards my son however, lately I’ve been reluctant to accept her abuse (towards me) and have distanced myself from her. As a result she has become angrier and began making threats regarding her custodial rights as a grandparent. I have never restricted her access to him however naturally I’ve advised her that due to her behaviour I’m not ready to spend time with her and need time to process my thoughts. She has started making demands to see my son after as little as a week or so away. I’ve allowed her into my home to see him during this time as I’ve felt manipulated and fearful in limiting their contact.

Her behaviour is outlandish and unjustified. I have made every attempt to respond to her behaviour reasonably and after careful consideration to not agitate her. Frustratingly she works in an extremely professional field and can be perceived as extremely caring and will say all the right things in front of the right people.

I’ve felt fearful at the idea of cutting her out of our lives despite due cause as she had made it very clear that she would pursue legal action to ensure she has unrestricted access to our child and she has told me this would restrict us from moving from the area we currently live in (in which she also lives). Furthermore she has told us that if we moved away she would also move.

Because of her profession and ability to portray herself in a way that is completely contradictory to her behaviour, I’ve been fearful to remove her from our lives. Unfortunately I have no evidence of her abusive outbursts or the way I was treated as a child.

Does she have any legal rights to contact with my son? If she were to ‘take me to court’ would I be legally required to allow her visitation or unsupervised contact? I am horrified at the idea of legally having to allow her to spend time with him without me present. She currently has sufficient funds and I don’t believe pursuing legal action is out of her reach.

I currently stay home to look after my child and my husband works full time at minimum wage, therefore any legal proceedings would be a significant financial burden.

If she has no legal grounds, I would preferably like to minimise her contact with my son, unless her behaviour changes.

I’m not sure if it bears mentioning, however my son is extremely healthy, happy and cared for under my and my husbands care. We have no criminal history whatsoever and have no history of drug or alcohol abuse.

Answer:
 The Family Law Act recognises the importance of grandchildren having a relationship with their grandparents.

However, in order to begin proceedings in Australia she would first need to go through family dispute resolution conference or mediation. Only if this does not resolve the issue will your mother have standing to begin a court proceeding.

The family court process is slow and very expensive. Even then, there is no 'unrestricted access' right for grandparents. If successful, your mother would have a right to see the child per court order but it is by no means guaranteed. Similar to custody rights between parents during separation. If concerned, limit your contact with your mother now to writing. That way you have a trail of evidence.

Good luck, this can be an emotional and trying time.

&#x200B;


Title: Urgent got an email for jury duty tomorrow but I'm in another country

Question: I live in a country that is not the US. I received a summons for jury duty last year and I defered it. I thought it was a 2 year deferal and didnt hear anything else until 4:30 US time today. I got an email saying I needed to show up at 8:30 tomorrow for jury duty. I'm not in the country there's no way I can go. I tried to call but the office is only open from 8:30 until 4:30. Which I'm pissed about who the fuck emails the second before they close. But anyway the only thing I can do is call tomorrow am and hope. Is there anything else I can do?! What is the penalty for missing?

Answer: Just call them and tell them you're overseas and won't be able to make it. They'll reschedule you.


Title: [CA] Landlord is asking us to make decision on renewing lease 2 months + in advance of lease ending

Question: My lease (Bay Area) is up October 31st and my landlord has been hassling us for a couple months already on when we are going to renew. There is some other stuff going on where one tenant is trying to decide whether or not she will stay and I am for sure moving. We have asked that they give us until the end of September to decide which would give them 30 days to find new tenants if we decide not to renew. Is there any legal tenant rights that says we only have to give them a certain amount of days before to decide on the lease? I checked the rental contract and nothing is specifically stated either way.

Answer:
 What does your lease say regarding notice and renewal?

60 day notice of non-renewal is not abnormal.


Title: [Wi] Tackled by a security guard and broke my foot.

Question: I was out with my friends drinking with my old co workers from a previous job. We were partying in an employee housing area and the security eventually told us that we had to turn the music off. A short while later the same two security guards told everyone that we needed to keep the noise down. Most of the people left but there was still a small group of people hanging out. They then came a third time and we all started to leave. As I was leaving a security guard blocked my way and said "I wouldn't do that if i were you." Me and my two friends i came there with started to walk away together and we heard them say "i'm going to tackle him." They both took off at a full sprint towards us and we started running. I met a fence and the security guard tackled me into it and broke my foot, and also numerous other bruises from being tackled. I then started telling them that they had no right to tackle me when i was leaving. I was at no harm to them and they just started chasing me specifically saying they were going to tackle me. They corned me at the fence while i was laying on the ground. My friends came over and we threatened to film what they were doing and said we were going to press charges. The security guards then backed off and we never saw them again. It's the next morning and i never filed a report, what should I do.

Answer:
 >It's the next morning and i never filed a report, what should I do.

First thing would be really considering laying off the shrooms.

Second, file a damn report already.  Answer #2: nah something seems way off, i think youre leaving stuff out. This is one of those times where we need to hear both storiesAnswer #3: > "I wouldn't do that if i were you"

What was he referring to?


Title: Neighbor calls the cops every time our dogs are let outside for barking. Now animal control is sitting outside the house and the cops were called again. What should I do?

Question:
So we have two dogs, both part hound, they have to go outside to use the bathroom of course. We have a six foot privacy fence around the back yard so they are free to roam.

The dogs bathroom break are usually fifteen to twenty minutes. Sometimes they bark at the stray cats, but every time they bark our neighbor calls the cops.

 This is the third time they have come to the house and now animal control is sitting outside monitoring the house.
 We have shock collars on both dogs to minimize barking.

 Is there anything we can do? Is there even any legal action that can be taken against us?
We're located in Maryland

Answer:
 I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that your neighbors are pretty enough to call because your dogs are barking once or twice every few hours most likely your dogs are barking quite a bit and you are more than aware of the fact since you do have bark collars on them. Barking dogs are really annoying and this is coming from somebody that has six dogs nothing is more annoying and dogs barking constantly. It's pretty clear that your neighbors probably don't even have dogs so if they didn't get dogs they shouldn't have to be subjected to the grating sound of dogs barking constantly. Dogs that are barking excessively are bored dogs. Just putting your dog out in the yard for 15 minutes every few hours is not properly exercising your dog and that's why they're barking. Why not try walks instead? They're your dogs the only people that should be subject to them and their behaviors are you. Walking them allows them to go to the bathroom while also stimulating their minds and getting them more exercise and they would get in a yard.Answer #2: Get your dogs to stop barking, at least not long enough to be a nuisance.  Answer #3: If animal control is sitting outside your house, presumably they’re looking to enforce a noise or nuisance ordinance. If they a witness a violation they will no doubt enforce that ordinance with a ticket or other remedies under the ordinance.

You can avoid this by complying with the ordinance, stopping your dogs from barking if that’s what is required.

If you’re already in compliance one guesses animal control will eventually realize that and leave.


Title: Can I open a secret bank account

Question:
I'm still married to an officer and currently have charges against him for domestic violence. I'm terrified everyday about how this will play out or if he will lose his job. I need to be smart but don't have enough for an attorney. I have some money saved but not much. My question is, legally if I put this money in the bank and he finds out about it, is he entitled to it since we are still married?

Edit: sorry, I am located in Kansas.

Answer:
 They can't access it if they aren't on the account. A judge could order the funds be split as part of a divorce settlement.Answer #2: He can't access money in an account that does not have his name on it even if you're married.

If you get divorced, you'll have to make an honest list of your assets so that they can be divided by the court.Answer #3: He doesn't have to know about it now, but you likely are going to have to disclose it with the court during the divorce. Answer #4: You didn't provide a location but generally nobody else would have access to those funds but it could be split in a divorce and you would be lying not to disclose it if asked by the court.Answer #5: Bank teller here! You can absolutely do this. If his name isn't on the account he can't withdraw or get any info about the account. Please open this account at a different bank than where your marital account is. Not a different location, but a different company all together. Make sure you get your statements sent electronically and request no solicitating mail be sent to the house.

Good luck. Answer #6: The main question (which you answered) is "secret from who?"

If you're trying to open a secret bank account in order to steal money that he would otherwise have a claim to in the divorce, the judge is not going to be amused by your antics and things will get much easier for him and much harder for you.


Question:
Is there any downside to fighting a ticket, other than time?

Like is there the potential of harsher punishment, or only reduction?

Answer: Often times you’re offered a reduced fine/plea in abeyance if you just accept the ticket because court battles are expensive and it’s not worth the time of the prosecution, so by fighting it you have to throw that off the table.


Title: [NY] Terminated by securities firm for violation of firm policy. Can I have the mark from my U5 removed?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can file for arbitration with FINRA but they will only remove something from the CRD system if it's "defamatory, misleading, inaccurate, or erroneous"

https://www.finra.org/sites/default/files/NoticeDocument/p004219.pdf

You're playing in the big boy pool now. You goofed up. These are the consequences.


Title: Can I litigate these lazy bastards?

Question: Over a month ago I went to my local Wells Fargo branch and as a "preferred customer" was instantly pre approved for a home loan.  Yippee! We set a closing date with the seller of the house we want and don't renew our lease.  three weeks passes during which I occasionally get an email from the lender requesting things and I deliver within a couple of hours.  About twice a week I check in to see what kind of progress is being made and making sure they have everything they need.  More often than not the loan guy doesn't even respond but when he does he assures me all is good.  Fast FWD to a few days ago when they suddenly give this insanely long list of things and tell me I have to have it completed by noon the next day or else the underwriter won't have it reviewed before closing.  In the same email they acknowledge that it's probably not possible so we'll have to discuss a new closing date with our agent.  If this isn't annoying enough, a bunch of the items on the list are things I'd asked the loan guy about and he had either ignored me more than once or given me misinformation that meant certain time intensive things needed to be redone.  They want 30 plus forms and letters of explanation and things that my investment management teams say they've never had a lender ask for before.  So now our real estate agent has gotten the seller to give us a one week extension.  I have not been outside or eaten anything but almonds for the last 2 days trying to get all of this information together but my new contact at wells fargo seems more on the ball than original loan guy. I just emailed her some very specific questions well before 5pm so that I could follow up leads over the weekend and she says "Oh, you just caught me. BTW I will be out of the office for the first half on next week and the last half of the week after." and. doesn't. even. answer. my. question.  I get that it's the 4th next week but shouldn't they pass it off to someone else as time sensitive material?  It's like they set us up to fail and now when she's taking off her "2nd half of next week" our closing will be falling through (again) we will be out 5 grand in earnest money and with nowhere to live.  I have all kinds of emails giving me the wrong information and going nearly constantly unreturned.  Obviously they're  a big time bank and it would be nearly impossible to get them to take accountability but I'm so pissed right now I feel like trying anyway.  Has anyone heard of something like this before where the lender so thoroughly drops the ball?

Answer:
 > Has anyone heard of something like this before where the lender so thoroughly drops the ball?

Yes, it happens all the time. Find a different lender if you don't like this one. Pre-approvals are not a guarantee of final approval, so they really owe you nothing.


Title: Landlords provided space heaters in lieu of furnace heat due to neighbour dispute. Are we stuck with the extra cost?

Question:
Ontario, Canada

Our heat is included in the price or our rent, and is a gas furnace forced air  However, recently the downstairs tenant has been turning off the heat, or closing the vents, as payback (for reporting his smoke intrusion into our unit), or to be able to still smoke inside his unit.

Our landlords were denied access to check the thermostat, and they decided to give us space heaters for the time being.  However, we pay the electricity, so now we expect our usage and electrical bill will skyrocket.  We're honestly expecting it to triple, or quadruple.

Is the landlord responsible for paying us back, or can we withold rent?  We're already paying for heat, so this additional cost to maintain a liveable space seems highly unreasonable.

Answer:
 Hey, I think I remember you! Didn't you post about that jerk before when he first cut you off from the heat?

In any case I would talk to your landlord about this first. See if you can get them to agree to pay for the difference now instead of having to escalate it. Answer #2: You can **never** unilaterally withhold rent. If you cannot reach a resolution about this with your landlord, you can seek resolution at the Landlord and Tenant Board


Title: My brother is threatening to kill my mother, his SO and her parents

Question: My older brother who has always been a drug addict, jus recently had his SO leave with there kids. Someone had called the police for a welfare check on the kids and she decided to take the kids and leave. Since then he has been using meth heavily. He also has multiple warranties for failure to show in court for DUI’s. He first threatened to kill my mom over telephone. Yesterday my other brother decided to meet up with him and the drug addict brother detailed how he was going to kill my mother, his SO, and her parents very specifically. What can be done? The police are saying since he hasn’t committed a crime they can’t go arrest him. This is taking place in Ohio

Answer:
 SO can likely obtain a [restraining order](https://www.womenslaw.org/laws/oh/restraining-orders) against him just for the threats. Once he has been served, then the police can arrest him if he even gets near her.

A restraining order is just a piece of paper, though; she and the other relatives also need to take steps to keep themselves safe. Cameras are an excellent idea. Ohio is a one-party consent state; recording the threats he makes may prove useful.


Title: I was sexually assaulted and the school’s punishment is barely a slap on the wrist.

Question:
His legal advisors. Over the summer I was sexually assaulted while asleep by a friend. I woke up to him with hands down my pants and when I tried to force him off he resisted until I got away. Upon further inquiry it turns it that this had occurred in at least one other occasion.
So I reported this to the school and a decision was recently made. I will not go into depth about the punishment, but it boils down to him not being allowed to hold a leadership position and can not contact me. Neither of which show any justice.
For reference, this is in Chicago, Illinois. I have looked into the legal code and it fulfills the criteria for criminal sexual abuse. Which is a felony.
I voiced my desire for suspension until graduation. And I do not feel that this is an unfair punishment, as a criminal conviction would entail at least a year of incarceration.
Is there a legal way to inform the school that I will file a criminal report because I feel the school’s decision does not align with the severity of the offenses. I would prefer that this stays within the school as a criminal conviction can ruin his life, and I do not wish that.

Any other advice that relates to a situation like this would be appreciated since I want things to proceed in the appropriate manner.

Answer: Call the police.Answer #2: You can call the police, schools are ill equipped to deal with criminal actions like this.  Past that unfortunately you cannot force a school to implement the penalty you want, victims don’t get to control punishment.  Consider reaching out to RAINN or another support group as well to help you with any emotional effects that you may be suffering from.Answer #3: You can't force the school to punish him as you wish. If you want him properly punished the proper action is to call the police. He put your hands down your pants without permission. He knew it was wrong. He's done it more than once and **he will do it again** because he keeps getting away with it. He may also get much more brazen as time goes on. Please, stop worrying about his life being ruined when he caused these actions. It's **not** your fault this happened and no punishment he faces will be **your** fault either.


Title: Divorcing, ex is keeping the house so he has to buy me out. Disagreeing on the value of the house. What do I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Find a local realtor to help you with the comps.  They will do a better job in a pinch than you might and they won't charge you.


Title: Can an employer tell you where to park when you are off company property and off company time? Washington State

Question: I work for a grocery store. My company posts signage occasionally that state where we have to park and that it is mandatory. Around the holidays they will post pics in the break room of employees cars who have parked on a street to close to the store.

Answer: Your employer is free to tell you where to park. You are free to ignore their requests. Your employer is free to fire you for ignoring their instructions.


Title: Bought a new house, utility surcharge not disclosed?

Question:
Michigan, USA.

My wife and I closed on our house at the end of March. Everything went really smooth - the seller was willing to negotiate on things with us and the entire process went pretty well. It was essentially a flip house that was done really well - previous owner does one/year, so she was motivated to sell to move onto her next project.

We've been happy with the home so far, and really haven't had any problems.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I receive a letter in the mail from the utility company, Consumers Energy. It's a one-page document saying that my 'CAP Program' payments are set to begin on my next months bill. At first I thought this might be some sort of scam, so I started researching it, and it turns out it's not - plus the charge was on my bill this month.

Essentially, someone (either the lady who sold us the house, or the owner before her) paid to have natural gas hooked up to the house. We're a few miles outside of town, so I'm guessing gas wasn't brought out here until the last ~10 years. I have no idea what the total cost was from the start as that isn't mentioned in the letter, but just know that I now owe Consumers roughly $3,000 and that this CAP program carries over from owner to owner. The plan is already set up, and the payments started this month - *$49/mo is tacked onto my electric/gas bill for the next 5 years.* The letter specifically states that this charge must be disclosed if you're attempting to sell the home to a new owner.

Our utility bill here is usually pretty cheap which is nice, but with this charge tacked on we're going to be paying close to $150 total every month. The upsetting part is had I known about this when we were negotiating, I obviously would have done some things differently. The house appraised under the agreed price by a few thousand, so the owner and I decided to split the difference, but had I known about a $3000 charge coming my way, I might have negotiated a little differently.

I decided to check the disclosure agreement to see if this was mentioned (as I swore it wasn't) and sure enough, it wasn't. There's even a specific spot that calls this out:

> Any outstanding utility assessments or fees, including any natural gas main surcharge? (Box checked "NO")

So, what is my recourse here? Send a demand letter and see what happens? Take them to small claims court? I contacted my realtor to see what she thinks and am waiting to hear back from here. Any advice is appreciated!

Answer:
 You should do now what you should have done from the beginning - hire a real estate attorneys. Realtors can't give legal advice.

It's going to cost you a few hundred bucks to hire an attorney, but they should be able to get you some or most if that $3k since it wasn't disclosed.


Title: 26 year old kid across the street is harassing my parents. I [24] am worried he will escalate to violence.

Question:
Apologize for the length of this post, but a lot has happened and I do not know how to proceed.

My parents, who are in their early sixties have lived in their house for over 25 years. They were one of the first to move in when their neighborhood was being built in the early 90s. The neighborhood itself is your average middle-class, deed-restricted community out in the suburbs of west-central Florida (Hillsborough County). They're a quiet couple who like to keep to themselves. For 25 years they have never had a problem with anybody and always got along well with their neighbors. Just a few years ago, a new family moved in after getting a cheap deal on a foreclosure across the street. They immediately became a nuisance.

Their son, a perpetually unemployed college dropout, had rowdy parties in his dad's garage on weeknights in which he and his buddies would get trashed and blast loud music until 4 am. All of them had giant lifted trucks, and they'd constantly park them in front of my parents' driveway and prevent them from leaving. They'd bring their two yachts up from the marina and park them in the street for weeks at a time, treating their driveway as a boatyard. They dumped bilge water into the street and gut fish in their driveway. When they were done, they'd dump the carcasses into the conservation area next to our house. The kid also had two big dogs which were always unleashed and shitting on our lawn. And these were no regular shits, this was straight up dinosaur crap. Additionally, the kid would constantly be training his dogs to hunt using a starter pistol in his front yard.

Not only did my father put up with it, he went out of his way to help them with constant favors: borrowing power-tools, taking out their trash (which was always filled up exclusively with dozens of beer bottles for that matter), reviewing the CCTV footage from the camera on our house when the kid's car got broken into by his (presumably now ex) girlfriend. Eventually, my father began asking him politely to not park in front of our driveway, keep his dogs leashed (They have a small dog), and to please pick up after his dogs. The kid would obviously refuse and make his dad come out and clean up the dog shit, all the while making passive-aggressive comments and snide remarks toward my folks. Now obviously all this was against the HOA rules and probably several county ordinances, and none of the other neighbors wanted to put up with their crap anymore.

About a dozen of them, including my dad, went before the board, and basically forced them to stop using the street as a drydock. The dad and the kid very much did not like this, and blamed the fact that they could no longer break HOA rules squarely on my father. In retaliation, the kid began harassing my family. He'd yell and jeer at them when they came home from somewhere. He'd sneak up behind them in his truck during their evening walks while laying on the horn and screaming out the window and then rev off. He'd drive up on the lawn and destroy the grass by burning rubber. One time, as my parents were backing out of the driveway, he jumped into his truck, backed out of his driveway really fast and stopped just within an inch of their car, and then pulled back into his driveway and casually got out and walked back inside. A lot of these incidents we have crappy camera footage of.

The first major incident happened about two days ago. My dad was walking the dog and the kid sent his unleashed dogs over and they quickly surrounded our little Pomeranian. Luckily, those big boys were friendly, but my dad was pissed and motioned to the kid with his arms out like what the hell. Then the dogs took a massive shit on his shoe and peed on our Pom. My dad was justifiably pissed, and demanded the kid clean up the shit. The kid shrugged and said he couldn't because he was on antibiotics. What the fuck? My dad stormed inside and my mom came out and politely, but firmly asked him to take the plastic bag she was kindly providing him, or a shovel, and clean up his mess. He then went completely berzerk, screaming about her "stupid ass dog" and her "weird fucking fag husband" with his "white socks and tucked in shirt." He screamed that he was gonna shit on our lawn whenever he wanted, and to "trust him" because "it was gonna happen". When I saw the video, I was just completely dumbfounded. Of all the things he chooses to freak about, it's my old man's attire. It was almost hilarious if not for the fact that this kid is completely unhinged. Later, his dad came and picked up the crap while telling my dad to "get out of the neighborhood because everybody hates him" which must be some kind of projection on his part.

The most recent incident happened today while I was at my parents' house, so I was able to witness the sheer insanity that unfolded. My dad got a motion alert from his house cam and it was, of course, the kid, his dogs, and his (new?) girlfriend strolling down the sidewalk at the edge of our property. His dogs were leashed. Now this is totally fine, he is allowed to walk his dogs. Hell, he'd even be allowed to let his dogs shit on the lawn if he ever cleaned it up! But no, obviously he was there to instigate because he never walked his dogs on our side of the street. Without fail, he turned to his girlfriend and smirked. She put her hands up in an I-want-no-part-in-this gesture and made a beeline back to their house. The kid started walking up our driveway, getting way up on our property trying to get his dogs to make a deposit. My dad, pissed, lept up from his chair and stormed outside, telling the kid to get the fuck off his property. And the kid went absolutely insane.

I went outside to make sure the situation didn't get out of hand. My mom was trying to get the kid to calm down, and my younger sister was peeking out the front door, recording. He went on a screaming, ranting tirade about how we were "ruining his life" and that we were "fucked up queers." At this point, the kid's mother, father, and gf had come outside. The mother was crying hysterically and the gf was trying to pull the kid away, but the father was instigating even more. The kid spat in my dad's face and called him and my mom every sort of profanity in the English language. The kid screeched that he was going to have his dogs shit on their lawn every day to "make our lives miserable" until we leave. At this point, the kid's father realized that things had gone way too far and that his son was starting to make threats and that he needed to reign him in. Eventually he dragged his 26 year old son back into his house and that was that.

As a result of all this, my mom's anxiety is through the roof and she is afraid to leave the house. She refuses to let my dad call the cops because she's afraid it will only piss the kid off even more. He's violently unstable and owns a bunch of guns. My parents do not. I have been helping my dad collect as much video evidence as possible, and want to go to the police, but I'm also worried my mom might damn near have a heart attack if I do. There's a friendly officer who lives just down the street. I've suggested they go and maybe ask him for advice if they are uncomfortable going to the sheriff. I don't want this to escalate. What can I do to safely mitigate this situation?

TL;DR: Mentally unstable 26 year old vindictive man-child across the street harasses my parents, has ridiculous tantrums/outbursts, instigates altercations, and may soon resort to violence.

Answer: A 26 year old is not a child. This will not stop until your parents start calling the police every single time he trespasses or blocks them in their driveway.Answer #2: He spit in your dads face. That is assault. He openly threatened your father, while trespassing (and your sister got video of it?) Your parents need to go to the police. It has already escalated.Answer #3: The cops should have been called a long time ago and the kid isn't going to stop unless he faces charges and punishment for it.


Title: Girlfriend might be a victim of check fraud

Question:
My girlfriend was asked by a stranger, who introduced himself to her as Michael, if he could deposit a check into her account and then she could take the cash out for him because he had to "pay rent".

Being good natured and a little naive, she let him deposit his check for $885.65 in the ATM, but since only $300 cleared on it immediately, she gave him that portion of it and told him she could meet him on Monday to give him the rest. He said alright, and yesterday they met up and although the rest of the check still hadn't cleared, she gave him the remainder out of her own pocket.

Fast forward to this afternoon, we go to the grocery store and her card gets declined for insufficient funds. She looks in her account and says that the remaining ~$500 from the deposit he made had cleared as of this morning so she called Bank of America to see what the problem was. The guy she spoke to couldn't seem to discern the problem but assured her that her account would be back to normal by tomorrow.

Things were starting to smell fishy, so she opened up her recent transactions on her BoA app, and saw that the the check went from having been cleared this morning to being back on hold, so she took a look at the check Michael had deposited in the ATM, and the intake scan showed that the check was not made out to a Michael, but to an Xavier Brown. And that the personalized address on the check belongs to a separate man who lives in North Carolina.

Now my girlfriend (and I) are worried that this guy handed her a stolen check and had her cash it for him and now because she was naive and figured he was just a dude who needed help that she is going to get in trouble.

I suggested to her that she should go to Bank of America tomorrow and tell them the story and see what happens from there. Is that a bad idea? Should she just go straight to the police?

She's a sweet girl with a good heart who thought she was doing someone a favor and never thought she was going to be taken advantage of like this, and definitely doesn't deserve to get in trouble with the law for it.

Please let me know what you guys think the best course of action is, thanks.

Answer: This is a really common scam although it's usually done via the mail. She's probably not going to get the money back but you should definitely report it to the police.


Title: [MD] former neighbor is obsessed, harassing me

Question:
TL;DR: Neighbor is obsessed with me

Long story so bear with me. I moved to MD from another state in August 2013. Meet my downstairs neighbors (couple in their 50's), seemed nice. We became friends and I gave them a key to my place (while I was on a trip so they could take care of my pets).
Fast forward a few months, we still are in good terms,  I lose my job. They are witness to all the drama that entails as I did not finish in good terms with my employer, but I find another job and move on.
After that, relationship goes downhill. Neighbors are frequent smokers (both tobacco and pot). The smoke does not bother me BUT the noise they make does. I let the male (they are a couple) know. He does not seem fazed.
Our relationship slowly ends. I am now working with LE and really try to stay away from drama (specially since I do not partake in any smoking). They do not take it lightly. I come to find out Section 8 pays for the place.

I started dating my current fiancé. He tells me is better for me to stay away from neighbor as he can see they are up to no good. Male neighbor starts texting me at midnight. I asked him to stop. Then a lot of stuff started happening (door and mailbox vandalized, my condo is suddenly full of bugs even though I am never there). I stop talking to neighbors.

Finally I moved out and rent the place out to tenant #1, who complains to me about the parties, the smoke and the noise (even contractors that go to fix stuff comment on the smell coming from downstairs). Tenant cant take it anymore and moves out. I send a letter to the owner of the property and to Section 8 telling them what is going on.  I also let the HOA know

(AFAIK several other people have complained about same issues; it is really not personal; I do not care, but my tenants need their sleep).

Last night I get a phone call from owner of unit below. Neighbors are moving; she also informed me that they send a letter to all units in the complex about how I am a whore (their words), I drink, I sleep around etc.

Is this harassment? Stalking? What happens if this continues?  I think their S8 voucher was revoked and now they are retaliating as they perceive is my fault. I am not scared but what happens if this escalates?

Answer:
 >Is this harassment? Stalking?

No and no.

>What happens if this continues?

That would depend on what happens.

>what happens if this escalates?

That would depend on what happens.


Title: Is it possible to be terminated from your place of employment for a joke/prank that wasn't offensive?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Of course it's possible.  In fact, in this age of enlightenment with regard to bullying it might even be probable.  Everyone involved could be fired, including anyone who thought it was funny.  Welcome to the world of at-will employment.


Title: Legality of in-home recording

Question:
Posting from KY, US: What's the legality of setting up cameras in your house to record the tenants? Do homeowners and renters have different rights in this regard?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: No you may not record your tenants. Omg no. Even with a waiver or such don't do that without an expensive Attorney's advice and counsel.


Title: [California] Can I get access to custody paperwork filed about me now that I'm an adult?

Question: Basically my parents had a 15 year long custody battle with paperwork out the wazoo. I'm 23 now and want access to it to see what really happened (since both my parents' have different accounts of why my mother lost custody, how things were decided, etc.) This is very important to me for my healing process but I'm not sure if I have an actual legal way of obtaining them? Would the courthouse or their lawyers still have records?

Answer:
 Probably not. Look, you think it's important for your healing process, but it's not. You don't need to go opening up a giant can of worms and analyze everything done when both your parents were at a stressful time in their lives.

I deal with custody issues all the time. Parents can do some horrible shit when they're hurting just to make the other parent hurt too without ever taking into consideration the children. They are people, people aren't perfect, and stuff like this happens. The only thing this is going to do is drag up old resentments and make everyone feel like shit again.

It's not a healing process. It's throwing another wake for a dead relationship. Healing is moving forward. Looking back isn't moving forward. Answer #2: The only thing that might be readily available are orders, which are usually brief and don't have the kind of information you're looking for.  Documents filed by the parties, transcripts, that kind of thing, may or may not be available depending on your county, but it will not be cheap.  Transcripts in particular are very expensive.

You would be far better off not going down this road.  I can't see how the probably terrible things your parents said about each other 8-15 years ago are going to help you.


Title: (USA NY) I am going to forge fake employment experience in hopes to obtain a higher paying job. Any possible legal ramifications or liabilities?

Question:
My goal is to get office jobs, and currently I do not get calls back to interviews due to my experience. I have some experience, but it's just 'not enough.' They need years, not 1 year. So I have taken elaborate steps to forge experience, with fake references and fake resumes. I am ready to accept all responsibilities. It is a conscious trade-off I am doing in expectation of higher income. (Please no moral judgments).

Note that this is not for anything like a doctor or a lawyer, but just basic office roles. I am interested in specific legal liabilities that might result, or if I am in the clear.

Thank you!

Answer: A fraud conviction may involve fines or jail time, and will likely render you ineligible for many jobs that involve trust or financial or medical access, even in entry level roles like office admin.


Title: Can a person waive their right to sue for sexual harassment?

Question:
Suppose I decide I want a 1950s-style secretary-boss interaction. I offer to pay double what a secretary normally makes, but in exchange I get to pat them on their butt and tell them how hot they are today and comment on what kind of lingerie I think they might like, and they aren't allowed to sue.

Could something like that be legally (and enforceably) included in an employment contract?

Answer: Maybe? She could still withdraw consent at any time and then you’re SOL. Depending on your jurisdiction you might also run afoul of pandering or pimping laws.


Title: Do LLCs not provide legal protection in Connecticut? What options do CT residents have?

Question:
I have been doing some reading online and it appears that case law has stripped the legal protections offered by LLCs in Connecticut.

The *Sturm v. Harb* case appears to remove the veil with respect an LLC limiting liability. It is my understanding that the one of the major reasons for having an LLC is to protect personal assets in the case that your LLC gets sued.

What options do Connecticut residents have beyond expensive insurance? Is this protection only removed in the case of gross negligence or is it totally gone?

I would like to start a business but feel uneasy as I'm not going to start my business with a massive insurance policy in case I were to get sued. It's simply not in the budget of a new business to take this on.

Answer: Where in the decision does it strip LLCs of limited liability? Reading the opinion, I’m seeing that the plaintiffs failed to to show the facts that would successfully give them the right to sue the owner in their personal capacity.


Title: My friend's bosses are denying her paid vacation since she is actively seeking employment elsewhere.

Question:
[Here is an screenshot of the email the boss sent in response to her asking for a specific week off](http://i.imgur.com/8Qry4jM.jpg).

She is a full-time employee on their books without benefits. She works in New Jersey. She originally started as a contracted employee there and finally went on their books in January of this year. She was told she gets a week of paid vacation, but unfortunately does not have any written proof that she can recall. Is there anything among the Department of Labor or something like that which states a full-time employee legally gets paid vacation? Or is there someway she can talk to them and bring up certain things?

Any help at all would be great. I have an open line of communication with her so I should be able to answer any question or add information relatively quickly.

UPDATE: Due to her limited resources, she simply talked to her boss and got half the week paid. Also, they are writing her excellent recommendation letters for any jobs she applies to. Thanks for your help.

Answer:
 Unfortunately, no. There are no federal or NJ laws that mandate paid vacation. This has to be negotiated between the employer and the employee.

EDIT: There are a few very specific exceptions to this involving federal contracts. Is she working under a federal contract?Answer #2: New Jersey does not require paid vacation [at all](http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/wagehour/content/wage_and_hour_compliance_faqs.html).

It does require equity in administration, if such a thing is offered.  Absent a policy or contract offering the vacation definitively and a policy describing exactly when it can be used, she'd have difficulty establishing an issue.


Title: [WA] Neighbor in our apt threatened me. Our property management said he is only allowed to live here because of something related to him being a veteran.

Question:
Last night my husband and I were riding the elevator down to the main floor of the apartment after we realized we locked ourselves out after management hours. We were hoping to find someone to help us get our keys (which we accidentally locked in the workout room). Halfway down, the elevator door opened and we got excited thinking we could ask whoever was riding down to let us into the workout room. We see a woman that looks inside our elevator and then turns away immediately.

As soon as we got to the bottom floor there was a man walking in with his two big pitbulls (not allowed to have pitbulls in our apt complex) and ask him if he could let us into the workout room. He was super friendly and nice and let us in and left.

We found our keys and as soon as we got back to the elevator the man came out looking for the person who told his wife "you look like a psychopath bitch." We said we didn't see anything and we absolutely didn't. We rode the elevator up with him and he started telling us how he was in the marines and how he's going to find that person and "get them." This man is HUGE. Like all muscle and really scary looking plus he has 2 big pit bulls. I was thinking, "I really don't want to be that guy that told his wife she looked like a psychopath bitch...."

Well turns out I am that guy. His wife is claiming I'm the one that said it or gave her a look that said it. He kept going back and forth on saying it vs giving a look that said it. He approached my husband while I was at work at told him he thinks it's me and he wants to take my husband out and fight him because of what I said to his wife. Kept telling my husband things of that nature and wouldn't let my husband explain our elevator conundrum.

My husband went to file a complaint with our apt complex and they said that they have a history with him but that he's allowed to be here because of conditions they can't share - something to do with him being a veteran. They also said that's why he's allowed to have his dogs in the apt as well, even though pit bulls are on the not allowed breed list and we have a pet weight restriction of 60 lbs per apartment. These dogs are at least 80 lbs each.

My question is - are there specific laws protecting this guy so much that he's allowed to threaten other tenants in the apartment and not evict him? Is the only reason he's allowed to have the dogs because he probably registered them as "service dogs" or are there other protections specifically around veterans and their pets?

Legally - is there a way to feel safer in our apt complex without feeling the need to move? I am honestly scared to leave the apartment without my husband now.

Answer:
 Dogs are likely emotional support animals. He is legally allowed to have them regardless of breed and size restrictions.

As for the threats, you can call the police but can't force him to be evicted. Nor is this likely enough to break your lease. Some people are assholes and you have to ignore them. If they cross the line you have to let the police deal with them. Answer #2: Had an aggressive veteran living below me that liked to blast music at 3 am and then be an aggresive douche to anyone who told him to turn it off.  He got evicted eventually, so keep trying with the leasing office and report the threats to the police. Enough police envolvement will get his ass evicted.


Title: My friend [39F] has fled her own home because her boyfriend's [42M] 18-yr-old son threatened her when she asked him to move out--cops say he has squatter's rights. State of MN. Advice?

Question:
A friend of mine is dating a man who has an 18-year-old son with Asberger's--they've been together three years. The guy and the son moved into her home last year. She enforces basic rules in the house, but overall she has taken this kid on trips, bought him clothes, food, supported him, you name it. Her boyfriend is "nice" but a total pushover--raised this kid with no boundaries, rules, respect for others. He was diagnosed with Aspergers a few years ago and holds a part-time job.

Over the year, the son has threatened my friend with physical violence after an argument probably three times. He is verbally abusive on a daily basis. My friend finally decided she'd had enough and asked him to move out. Well, he called the police. The police said the kid has "squatter's rights" and she can't kick him out, and she has to give him 30-days notice. Ok, done. But for now, she's terrified to stay there with him. He collects knives and swords and has threatened to use them. The cops say they can't do anything unless he actually "tries something." WHAT THE FUCK.

So she is crashing with me. Kicked out of her own home by this psychotic, asshole 18-year-old, and her "boyfriend" is just wringing his pathetic little hands and standing in the middle of it all, doing nothing.

Are the cops correct here? They said even getting a lawyer won't help, and then can't remove him for 30 days.

Any advice?

tl;dr

My friend has fled her own home because her boyfriend's 18-yr-old son, who has threatened her verbally, won't move out. Cops say he can stay for 30 days, she's homeless until then. Advice?

Answer:
 "Squatter's rights" isn't the correct term, but they're still essentially correct. The son is a **tenant at will** and has the associated rights. She has to give him 30 days notice of the termination of tenancy. If he doesn't leave after that, she can begin eviction proceedings.

Another option, depending on the level of violence, is a restraining order.


Title: Husband bought equipment (on loan very large purchase) behind my back, what are my rights?

Question:
Thank you in advance for reading!

My husband of nearly 30 years decided to go behind my back and make a large purchase of machinery on loan. When I found out about it, he said he did this because he knew I wouldn't approve. This wouldn't be the first time he's done this. About 10 years ago he bought a franchise of another business and used his entire retirement for this. He used the same excuse then as he did this time. It was a very bad investment and he ended up losing his entire retirement as the franchise company went bankrupt. He also used our commercial building to house his business without my approval and without paying rent.

The situation is further entangled because of our commercial property that we own that is in complete disrepair as we are simply too old to maintain it and keep up with the work.

My worry is that if he fails at his new venture, am I liable for the debt he created?

Is it even legal for him to go around putting us at risk like this? What are my rights?

He has grown children from a previous marriage and he has somehow made an agreement with them that if anything happens to him, then his kids would get his half of the commercial property we own in order to pay for the new equipment he bought. He tells me he did not make a will but this agreement sounds like the same thing. His kids want nothing to do with me and if something did happen to him, I'm sure the litigation would be extremely ugly. I want to avoid any conflict with his children, they are extremely mean. What can I do now with him to avoid future problems with his kids?

I feel like we can resolve our problems and I want to work them out but, I need a third party to tell him how it is or what he is doing. He doesn't believe he has done anything wrong. Should we hire a mediator type person, what would that be called?

*edit: Live in WA State, legally married

Answer:
 The legal mechanism for separating your finances is a divorce. You don't necessarily have to move out or end your personal relationship, but you may well have to end your marriage and fully separate your finances if you want to be confident of not being attached to his debts. Speak to a divorce lawyer and get a professional opinion on what your options are, but expect that you may have to resolve your problems _as an unmarried couple_, then remarry if and when you see eye to eye.

Your husband's "agreement" with his kids isn't binding unless it takes the form of his last will and testament, or unless the business is a separate legal entity. If he has no will, his assets, including his share of the business, will normally be distributed following your state's intestate succession rules, no matter what agreements he makes in life.


Title: Jury Duty...

Question:
[Alameda County, California]

Hey /r/LegalAdvice !

I received by Jury Summons a week ago on Monday night by mail, and my jury duty is scheduled to be tomorrow. The problem is that I'm not a citizen! I also have final exams this week, so I can't show up. I submitted the exemptions form right after I saw it in the mail (Monday night) and the office still hasn't gotten back to me. I know it requires approx 5 business days for the review, but because I received the jury summons card last week, I found it ridiculous for the office to review my exemption form before my "supposed" jury duty date. They also mentioned on the jury summons card that I should reply within 10 business days. I tried calling the office, and they are unresponsive, with an automated voice reply: "we're currently unable to answer your call, please hang up and try to call at a later time". What should I do?

Thanks in advance!

Update: mom went to court office, showed them my documents, and got it sorted out. Court office told her that I will probably receive one every year and that I shouldn't worry because I already submitted the exemption form. Thanks /u/Grim-Sleeper for letting me know how it works. The system sucks. Anyways, thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it!

Answer: Show up tomorrow and tell them you're not a citizen, and have filed the exemption paperwork.


Title: [PA]My Landlord charging an exorbitant fee not listed in lease. Do I have a grounds to sue in small claims for my full deposit?

Question:
Long Story short:

•In January of this year the heating in my apartment was broken and I had to threaten arbitration to get my landlord to repair it as they were unwilling even though they are required to mantain a minimum temperature in an apartment by law in my area

•In march they email an admendment to my lease saying that there would now be a $200 fee for returning a dirty apartment and listed vague cleaning terms (mildew, dust, debris)

•I told them that I wasn't comfortable adjusting the terms of a lease half way through the year and especially after our disagreement about the heat, I found it retaliatory.

•They said they understood and didn't press the issue further.

•moved out at the end of July and a week later I got an email saying the apartment was not cleaned. attached were three pictures. One of a rust ring in the sink, one of heat damage near the burner of the stove and another of what looks like drywall dust on a window sill that supports a window they know to be damaged.

•When I asked for an itemized list of the damages they replied saying it wasn't necessary as "it would cost more if each item was listed" and attached me a screen shot of a spread sheet that they reffered to as a pay table that they use to decide cost of damages to the property included such items as $150 per room dusting and $200 cleaning service, $75 replace door hinges, etc..

•I offered to return at a time convenient for her and would clean the place to their specifications since even in the amendment (which I did not agree to) the language was vague as to what would be considered clean and what would be considered wear and tear.

•In the next week my only contact with her was for an unrelated issue, I reiterated my concerns and offer and she has yet to reply.

So my question is since this $200 fee was not in the lease I signed and that issues she did have with the cleanliness would fall under wear and tear would I have the right to sue in landlord tenant court for my full deposit if its not returned in the 30 days required?

Thanks!

Answer: Did they send you an itemized list of damages within 30 days? If not, you should pursue the return of your full deposit (possibly with penalties).


Title: (CA) Small Claims Court Need evidence of an agreement against ex-roommate who owes me months of rent or else I'm screwed

Question:
Hi guys,

I hope you're not sick of me. Ex-roommate owes me several months of unpaid rent. Because I was being way too trusting, I never had her sign a lease. But I had evidence of her agreeing to pay me back via e-mails. So court day comes, the weasel that she is doesn't show up, I get my case extended because my evidence isn't good enough. Judge does believe me though. Next case comes, I get more evidence from texts/organize the e-mails. Weasel doesn't show. Judge wants an actual proof of agreement.

I don't have her signing a lease with me. I have the lease I (and I alone) signed with the landlords before I took her on as an actual tenant.

She's being smart. She knows that if she doesn't show up to court, she can get away with it, and she and her girlfriend and their daughter can play happy families, and everything will blow away.

Should I just give up? It's a lot of money and I don't want someone else to be taken advantage of by her. Is there any other legal avenue to get her to pay me back what she owed? Or should I bring in the lease I have with my landlord as an agreement.

Answer:
 > She's being smart. She knows that if she doesn't show up to court, she can get away with it, and she and her girlfriend and their daughter can play happy families, and everything will blow away.

Not generally.  I'm actually surprised the judge is continuing this out.  Are you requesting the continuance?

You probably don't have any better evidence than what you've already said.  Do you have any other roommates or friends that have any knowledge?

Otherwise, I'd just show up to your next court appearance and be ready to proceed.  Don't try to continue your case.  Just present it with as much information as you have.


Title: Employer will not consider me for promotion because I used sick leave (due to a disability). Virginia

Question:
My employer started a new rule against abusing sick leave.  This rule is only listed in the promotion policy saying that the abuse of sick (as defined in the leave policy) leave will be held against you for promotion.  The leave policy was just revised and it doesn’t mention sick leave abuse or define it at all.

They now are requiring me to list the amount of days and hours of sick leave you used in my promotion consideration package. It also asks my boss to choose a box that says I (did) or (did not) abuse sick leave last year.

I used 7 days of pre-arranged sick leave due to my disability.  I dont have any way to avoid this other than just not seeking treatment.  I cant be seen after hours or weekends.

My boss said even if he doesn’t indicate I abused sick leave, the promotion committee will hold this against me.  He said he will decide tomorrow if I have abused sick leave.

This seems very subjective and I feel like that I may never be promoted because I have a disability.

All advice appreciated.

I work in Virginia.

Answer: Are you eligible for FMLA? You cannot be retaliated against for using protected FMLA leave.


Title: Boss is nudging me to do work for an entirely different company with no extra compensation

Question: [deleted]

Answer: So long as they are paying you for the time you work, you need to do whatever they tell you to do. Or find a new job.


Title: (Indiana) My work did a background check and the state sent back a different person's record.

Question:
EDIT: At the advice of /u/jathuamin, I called my state representative to ask for help, and they're going to remedy the situation, possibly by the end of the day! Thank you guys so much, this is awesome!

Hi guys! I recently got a new job and had to do a CPS background check. After working there for almost a month, HR pulled me and showed me my background check, which included a record of child abuse (I work with children, so this is a big deal). This was not my record, and the charge was in a city I've never been to. When I explained that, HR told me I was terminated for now, but they will hold my position till I get it sorted out (thank god).

After calling CPS, I discovered there's a person with the same first, middle, and last name as me, whose birthday is one day before mine. This is the record they sent to my work. When I asked how to fix this, they said all I can do is fill out the same background check form as before and resend it.

My issue is: They've already screwed it up once, and I'm afraid they'll send the wrong record again. Is there anything I can do to make sure that doesn't happen? Can I request some sort of documentation from them saying they screwed up?

I should probably also add: My birthday is February 29, Leap Day. A lot of times computers won't accept that it's a day, or people are idiots and don't know it exists, so somewhere along the line it gets changed to February 28 (the birthday of the person with the CPS record).

Any help or advice would be immensely appreciated.

Answer: Contact the office of your state rep. The arw often able to help navigate bureaucracy for you.Answer #2: Maybe they could verify the 2nd individual exists as well? Most background checks also go beyond names and look at SSN and/or driver's license numbers in conjunction with it. Answer #3: Wow, this is most likely a database lookup issue.  Their systems must be returning the closest match for a birthday that "doesn't exist" (yours).  You can thank a group of unknowing programmers somewhere for that!  With that said, leverage your birthday to show this is completely wrong: do you have a birth certificate and other history of your true birthday?Answer #4: I'm in a similar situation, I have a clean record while someone with nearly identical details does not. It's been an issue a couple of times, but for a background check in Colorado, there was a more thorough check they could do, but required me to provide fingerprints to resolve the ambiguity. I had to pay extra for that, but it did allow me to volunteer at my kids elementary school. I don't know if Indiana works the same way, but you could ask.


Title: Repercussion of a small act of purjury on a state job application? (CA)

Question:
My current job is terrible, and I'll be leaving soon;  I've only been there two months.  On the state job application, I dont want to put down the reason for me leaving is because its 'difficult and stressful.'

What might happen if I were to lie, and put down that it was just a temporary job?  Obviously I wont list them as a reference.

Answer: Why lie?  Just say you wanted to "pursue other employment opportunities."


Title: Company owes my family business $80k, what do we do?

Question: Long story short, my dads business had a great client who during the period when oil was high, brought us a ton of business. Oil crashed and now they owe us $80k and are avoiding payment. Our company deals in environmental testing and the company in question is an oil company. I am afraid that they are heading towards bankruptcy and we are going to lose that money. Is there anything we need to do to try and recover that money before it is too late? They have tons of material assets and we would be willing to take vehicles etc. instead of money if that was the only option. We have held results and data that they need until they can give us some kind of indication of how they are going to pay down their debt and they are still sending work. Should we lawyer up?  [Texas]

Answer: sue now, offer a settlement, get ready to file as a creditor to the bankruptcy court. lawyer helps in all three.


Title: Can adult children do anything to forgive the child support still owed by their parent?

Question:
My mother's life is being made miserable by her debt, and a not-insignificant portion of it is her child support debt. (I'm working with her on the rest. It's a long story.) She can't work (physical disabilities), and she can't get a bank account or get her driver's license reactivated because of the child support debt. Frankly, my brother and I are 26 and 29 years old and want to undo this and get it permanently forgiven. We don't agree with my father in the first place, but that's 20 years ago.

We live in Maine (I don't anymore, but I'm here for now). Is there anything we can do?

Answer:
 No.

Child support is owed to the custodial parent, not the child. If the courts say your mother owes child support and has to pay her arrears, then she has to pay it.

You may think its unjust in your own situation. But there's an awful lot of parents out there who were owed child support and as a result were never able to save or went into debt because they had to support their child on their own.


Title: California. My landlord entered my unit on a different day than the notice said to paint the edges of my door. Because I was given a different day, I was not able to secure my pets and my dog ran away.

Question:
My apartment complex has been repainting the building. I received a notice from my apartment that they would be opening my door to paint the outside edges of the door (a 1/4 in. part that's covered by the door frame and not visible when the door is closed) and if I have any pets to secure them in another room because the door would have to be kept open 20-30 min to dry. The notice stated they wound be doing this on Thursday December 17th 2015. Also, there would be security guards on duty to watch our properties and maintence would be the ones unlocking and locking the doors. On Wednesday December 16 2015, I received a phone call from my apartment that they had opened my apartment door to paint it and my dog, a 5 lb chihuahua min pin mix, ran away and could not be found. I immediately left work and rushed home. When I got there, all workers, maintence people, and security guards were standing around the building "looking" for my dog. They told me where they saw him run to so I went towards the building they said he ran off to. When I saw a security guard around the area he said he saw my dog run off into the street. I immediately ran into the street, running down the block and around the neighborhood. No one else was on the street looking for my dog. I asked every person on the street I ran into if they saw my dog and told them which apartment complex I lived in. Realizing I needed to cover more ground fast, I went back and got into my car to drive around looking for him. About 20 min later I went back to the apartment to see if he had returned home and only 1 maintence man was still looking in the apartment. Everyone else was nowhere to be seen, so I was basically alone looking for my dog that my apartment had lost. The leasing office called me to see if I had found my dog and when I said I had not, they just said "well let us know when you find him" and that was all the help they provided. After searching for nearly 2 hours, I finally received a phone call from someone I asked in the street saying they had found my dog, who had crossed a very busy street into another neighborhood.

When I moved into my apartment I told them that I do not give my consent for anyone to enter my apartment without me being there. This was part of the paperwork I filled out, and I also specifically verbally told them when signing my lease that I didn't want anyone entering my home without me being there because I have a dog.

I ran into another neighbor today who said they did the same thing to her, but she didn't receive any advanced notice from the apartment. She came home to her apartment door being wide open and her dog also unsecured and hiding from the workers. So what happened to me the day before didn't affect them at all.

1) am I correct that because my landlord entered my apartment unit on a different day than stated, they illegally entered my house?
2) can I file a police report against my landlord for unlawfully entering my house and endangering my dog (legal property). Or is there another government department I can report my apartment to?
3) I wrote a letter of complaint to the managing company of the apartment. What should I do if I do not hear back from them?
4) I wrote and taped a notice on my front door that I do not give consent for my landlord to enter my apartment unit (except in the case of life threatening emergency) and if they do enter my house I would consider it harassment against me. Also, that I have video surveillance of the inside of my unit and if anyone enters they will be recorded. Does this paper hold legal power from them entering my apartment?
5) is there any way I can get them to release me from my lease because of this? I do not feel safe living in my own home and this situation caused me extreme anxiety and distress, especially because I almost lost my dog.
6) is there anything else I can do that I may not have thought of?
Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Your note is escalating things and setting them up to find reasons to make your tenancy harder or evict you. Take it down and re-write it as a simple, polite warning, without references to harassment.

If you want to leave they may let you use this as an excuse to break the lease. That isn't a legal requirement, just negotiation with the landlord.Answer #2: I'm glad your dog is back home.


Title: Please help with advice about Ex husbands life insurance policy

Question:
My ex husband died a few days ago, he had a life insurance and pension account, he left everything to his wife, and nothing to his children, I have 11 year old twins,  i thought something for them when they were 18, nothing, and now i get no child- support. Please help, I really need some advice, perferably legal advice, he owes back child support, and has VA disability, we had 50/50 custody. I live in Alaska, if that means anything
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: Look into social security survivor's benefits for your twins. Contact an attorney who specifically practices probate law in your area because sometimes, child support arrears can be claimed from an estate, but it's also going to depend on exactly how his property passed to his wife. The life insurance and pension are probably hers free and clear.


Title: Old Job is impersonating me when I no longer work there

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons.

I switched jobs two weeks ago in the medical insurance field. I was an Account Manager who dealt with brokers and Plan Administrators. I was in charge of 1,000 clients and had a team of two junior account managers who have access to my email and password. We would all reply to emails from my email address and they would pretend they are me.

Since I left, I learned they are still using my email address and password and they are pretending I still work at the company and are answering as me. The new job I took is in the same field and I will be working with many of the same Brokers so I can see one of the brokers saying hey didn’t you just respond to me from ABC company but you’re also working at CDE company? Also the junior account managers were not the best workers , they emailed a lot of mistakes which I always had to go back and fix. What should I do here
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Have you tired contacting HR? Or a past manager you worked under? I would maybe start there? Tell them your account has not been closed even though you are no longer with the company and that it's being used as well. It might be once someone knows they get IT to close the account. It's pretty unusual it hasn't already happened as employers tend not to want past employees to use their past log ins for nefarious purposes (bad firing/pissed off employee with access to sensitive information on the company leads to bad things).


Title: Step Mom's coworker wants to borrow/buy my car

Question:
Okay so a little info:

I'm a soldier, deploying in a couple weeks heading overseas, I left my car back home with the plan of selling it while I was gone. It's a 2004 Infiniti g35 and I was asking $7000 for it but that's not the legal part.

It has my license plates on it, the insurance is expired, and my step mom said this lady at her works truck broke down, I guess the transmission went bad, and now she wants to use my car because she has 2 kids and her husband left her. She cant afford to give me money up front, but does say she can afford $100 a week until she can get her tax return at which point she will pay off the car fully. She says she can sign anything I want her to and give me references plus her address and all of her info. The reason she needs it so bad is she says she's worried about losing her job or kids not getting to school.

My question is what can I do to protect myself in this situation. What if she skips town and never pays me? What if she wrecks it, am I just out of a good car? I'm 22 years old and I've never sold a car before. I've bought one, but I've never had to sign any paperwork because I paid for everything up front. Is there some kind of legal document I can print off or do I have to make one myself and if I do what kind of wording does this document need? Please if you know what to do let me know, I could really use the extra money so I kind of want to do it.

Answer: Dont do it.


Title: [RI] Can you leave a car with a flat tire parked on the side of a public road for up to a couple months in an american neighborhood?

Question:
I park right in front of my house daily (on the road) but now it has a flat tire. Can I leave it there on the street with a flat for numerous weeks if needed? I'm in a rut. I can say I use it for music or sitting/shelter worst comes to worst, right?

Hell if a cop bugged me about it I could technically say "No one is watching it 24/7, maybe i put on a flat tire back on it again every night but drive it during the day around the block as some sort of experiment/safety thing to prevent a chronic tire-slasher" or some other made-up story

Answer:
 The answer likely depends on local ordinances and in general municipalities bar the storage of inoperable vehicles on roadways and in driveways or any place that can be viewed from the public right of way.

The state almost certainly has a statute regarding inoperable or abandoned vehicles that will be less restrictive than a municipal ordinance but will deem your vehicle abandoned if left on the street.

Find a used tire shop or get the flat fixed. It will cost you about $20. If you don’t need it, sell it.

The idea that using it for shelter or as a music is a defense is simply wrong.


Title: [NC]My employer gave out a Medical Health Questionnaire; I feel uncomfortable with this.

Question:
So, as my title states, I'm extremely uncomfortable with the [health questionnaire](http://imgur.com/EDjX8us) that was emailed to me yesterday, to be filled out by end of day, today.

From my research: I don't believe this is covered by HIPAA since our company has less than 50 employees. The completed questionnaires are to be sent to our companies HR department (1 person). I'm uncomfortable with sending such detailed personal health information since I work in an at will state.

Questions: I would like to know if I can be denied coverage if I don't volunteer this information? And if I do volunteer this information, what protections do I have to keep it from being used against me?

On the employee statement and signature page, it states that this information can be sent to 3rd parties; are there any restrictions on who this can be distributed to or how it can be used?

Again, I only have until 5pm EST. Without more information, I won't be filling this out.

Thanks, reddit.

EDIT AND UPDATE: After speaking with the HR person, I decided to be as basic as possible while still complying with filling out the forms. Thank you so much for everyone's time and thoughts. I really appreciate each and every one of you!

Answer:
 IANAL

This is very common.  Health insurance companies require this questionnaire so they can quote your company a rate for insuring the employees.  The insurance company uses the answers to assess the relative risk of insuring the employees which then translates into how much they will charge.Answer #2: Just ask if you can send the info directly to the broker or insurer yourself without going through Joe the accountant.   My employer let me do that.Answer #3: Found a couple of links that have some helpful information:

This [Money article](http://time.com/money/3579354/health-risk-assessment-questionnaire/) sums the situation up pretty well.

More specifically, it links to [this page](https://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_hipaa_ND.html) at the US Dept of Labor:

**Can a plan require an individual to complete a health care questionnaire in order to enroll?** Yes, provided that the health information is not used to deny, restrict, or delay eligibility or benefits, or to determine individual premiums.

So it sounds to me like this is legit - they are collecting the information in order to get quotes for group health coverage. They can use this information from all employees to get group information BUT they cannot use the information they collect to give Joe Smith a higher premium than Jane Doe based on their individual responses.


Title: I made a purchase based on a lie that an employee told me. Is the company responsible?

Question:
**Location**: BC, Canada

**Situation**:  I purchased an electronic device from a company after a discussion with one of their sales reps.  The sales rep told me that if I made the purchase and paid an additional $500 deposit, then I would have a warranty plan available for me for as long as I own the device.  If the device malfunctioned or broke, I could bring it in for repair or replacement at no additional cost.

**The lie**:  I was told that there was no risk to taking the warranty.  If anything went wrong with the device, I would be covered.  However, if I never use the warranty then I could get a full refund of the deposit at any time. I was surprised by the claim and asked if the refund was store credit, to which the sales rep said "no, you can get a full refund of the $500. No risk".

**The Issue**: A few years later I return to the store and ask for my refund of the deposit, not having had any issues with the device.  The sales staff say inform me that I can only receive in-store credit, which is of no value to me.  I explain the situation, and the manager states that they have since fired the staff that were working at the time because they were providing misleading information to customers.  However there is nothing that he could do,  only offer in-store credit.

**Next Steps**: I have the company information and will be calling to see if we can arrive at a reasonable settlement.

**Question**:  In this type of case, the false information that the former employee provided led to a transaction that would not have otherwise occurred - I would not have paid the deposit for the warranty (I never buy warranties on electronics).  I only paid the warranty deposit because I was told I would  have a full cash refund if I never used it.  Is the a company be liable for the false information that their former employees provided?

I understand that this sub is mostly-US, but perhaps someone could provide some insight.  Thanks!

Answer: The best thing to do is call the corporate service number and explain it to them. Answer #2: Do you have hard evidence the company misled you?


Title: Relocation - 2 week notice

Question:
I started my new job in North Carolina on June 4 2015 - I was given relocation money and the following stipulation:  "In the event that you elect to resign due to circumstances within your control within 12 months of the date assigned to the transferred facility, you agree to and will be subject to repayment of costs associated with the move. "

I am giving them 2 week notice on June 1st that my last day will be June 15.  What if they accept my resignation on the spot?  Will I have to repay the amount even though I am willing to stay until June 15?  I would like to give notice but not if I will be held liable for the money.

Answer:
 A 2 weeks notice is nothing more than a courtesy to your employer.

By giving a two weeks notice, you are telling your employer:

1. I quit.
2. I would like to continue to work for two weeks if you need me to or want me to.

If they do not need or want you to stay, then they will say "Thanks , good luck!" At which point you'll likely be responsible for the relocation money.

If you gave a 10 day notice rather than a 2 week notice, it sounds like you'd be in the clear based on what you've posted.


Title: Girlfriend and I Found Broken Glass Baked Into Our Pizza -- Is there anything we should do?

Question:
We got a pizza from a local restaurant that we really enjoy and in the last slice my girlfriend bit into some thin glass, like a broken off chunk of something. We inspected the rest of the slice and there was another, about half inch chunk of glass or porcelain baked right into the crust. She bit into the first piece of glass but there is no apparent injury or anything, so its kind of up in the air of what to do.

Should we talk to a lawyer first before talking to the manager of the restaurant? Would it be worth the trouble? I have read that there is not really a case unless there is injury and we don't really want to sue them. But we've also never been in this situation and don't want to make a misstep before doing anything. There is a possibility that serious injury could have been caused.

We have the rest of the remaining slice of pizza with said glass/porcelain baked into it, and I think we might just bring it to the manager at the restaurant.

Part of us are thinking, "It's no big deal, stuff happens and they are a small local place." But there is obviously that other side that is thinking, "Shouldn't there be a standard of quality that broken glass is scary and unacceptable in food. It could have caused major damage. How was this overlooked?"

Thanks!

EDIT: Location - Chico, California

Answer: If you were not hurt, you have no reason to sue. You could call and explain to them what happened.Answer #2: If she didn't get hurt, then there is no legal recourse. You should go talk to the manager, **and be nice**, and you'll probably get a free pizza or something.


Title: [SA] or usa in general: is it illegal to download a pirated software crack that ends up not working? Or what if it does work, but you have not used it?

Question:
If it is illegal, what if it was an innocent misclick while looking up how people do it, for say research.

And if that is ok, at what point does this become illegal? Upon the act of cracking the software, once it is installed? Or when using it?

But at installation, usually internet is turned off, and firewalls prevent the application from communicating outside. So u dont see how peoplr get caught and fined.

Answer: Generally speaking in the USA, it is against the law to attempt to commit a crime even if that attempt is unsuccessful.


Title: My neighbors donkey killed my horse. Washington State. Do I have any recourse?

Question: So the neighbors donkey escaped from their property and busted into my pasture and broke my Mare leg trying to mount her resulting in her having to be put down. The Sheriff has been called multiple times due to them allowing the donkey to freely roam but they state it's my job to protect my own livestock. What recourse do I have?

Answer:
 To sue your neighbor for your loss.  If you can establish that your neighbor's animal entered your property and injured your animal you may have a reasonable claim to advance for the losses you incurred as a result of that injury.Answer #2: I'd start by talking to your neighbor and see if they will reimburse you for the value of your horse.  That's the easiest way to resolve this and it's perhaps the best way to avoid a falling out with your neighbor.  But in terms of legal resource, if their animal came on your property and injured your horse to the point it had to be put down, you very likely have a civil claim against them for the damage to your property (the value of the horse).  The sheriff may not get involved (as he deals with criminal offenses) but you would very likely be entitled to bring a civil cause of action against your neighbor (potentially in small claims court, depending on the value of the horse).

A separate question you may want to look into is what actions could you take in protecting your livestock in the future; I can't speak for Washington, but in a lot of states you'd be entitled to defend your animals from harm by another animal on your property.Answer #3: Why is the neighbor not already offering to pay for your horse???Answer #4: Is your neighbors donkey a jack donkey aka. Not gilded? Not sure what county you live in but most have laws about male "stallions"horses/ponies/ donkeys not being contained. Manley because they are highly aggressive when a female in season is around. Contacting your local animal control would be a good option, even if they can't help you they will know who can.


Title: My friend sent a video of my girlfriend sucking my dick to his phone and deleted it...

Question:
Well the title explains it.

We were all playing Jenga and switching music so my phone was unlocked and he was on it changing music and apparently decided to send himself a freebie. We noticed when my girlfriend went on my computer and saw the video sent to him from my iMessage. Thank god that we had it connected or this psycho would have done this and continued being in our lives.

What legal action do we have? What repercussions could he face? He’s broke so would suing even be worth it?

Answer:
 It's arguably unauthorized access to a computer system - he exceeded the implied permission by going from "changing music" to "looking through your personal files." I think a prosecutor would probably not bother pursuing it at this point, but if your jurisdiction has revenge porn laws, it would be an add-on charge if he ever violates them.

I would send your former friend a quick note reminding him that the video he took was for your private use, that you'd appreciate if he deleted it immediately, and that if you see it on the internet you will pursue legal action, then break off contact. If he does leak your video, talk to the police department. There may be a victim's advocate service that helps with sexual offences, including revenge porn, or you might end up going through the desk officer.


Title: Coworkers accessed my work computer.

Question:
Coworkers have accessed my computer at work. It's a shared computer with 4 regular users and we each have our own logins.

I had my google account logged into my work login. I suspect they have been able to access my Facebook, Gmail, Google searches and banking information. Subsequently, because my messenger app links my text messages and Facebook messages together I suspect they have been reading my text messages for a while now too.

They have subtly been harassing me at work using my google searches, Gmail and bank account information as ammunition.

Wondering if anyone has experience dealing with something similar to this.

I don't feel I have enough evidence as I don't have access to my login dates and times.

Answer: Stop logging into your personal accounts on your work computer. You do not have an expectation of or right to privacy on your employer's computer.


Title: Is it lawful to make a worker pay for someone else's meal?

Question:
This is kinda time sensitive, but I'll try anyways.
So I am a host at a little restaurant. We're not corporal, so the boss makes the rules basically.
I get paid min wage (7.25), but I have a to go order that is not going to be picked up, from what I can tell (it's been 2 hours.) I am pretty sure my manager is gonna make me pay for it, since everyone has to pay for dine and dashes. That being said, I recently learned that that is illegal if it makes the tipped server's wage less than minimum. Does that ring true even when I am not a server being paid less than minimum wage? What should I do if and when I'm told to pay, if it does end up being illegal?
Edit: if it is illegal, could you please include sources, because that would probably help me?

Answer:
 If you're in the US your employer cannot deduct from your wages to take you below minimum wage for the hours worked.

Your employer is responsible for people not paying for their meals, not you.


Title: [GA] When does child support end?

Question: I was told (many years ago) child support ends at 18 or on graduation from high school, whichever occurs first.  In this case the relevant info is the child will graduate about 6 months before 18th birthday.  When does child support end?  This is in Georgia and then are no special orders for child support to continue beyond the normal time (I've read there can be special awards to continue until 20 if in "secondary school").

Answer:
 Its not whichever occurs first, its whichever occurs *second*. Any support order in GA since 1993 goes until the child is 18. If the child is 18-20 and still in high school full time child support continues.

https://childsupport.georgia.gov/faq


Title: [WY] Ex moving out of state with kids.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your current court order will remain in effect and binding regardless of the physical location of the parties or their subsequent moves UNTIL a new court order is entered that supersedes the original order. Also, it seems from your description of the facts that your ex is complying with the order in her move.

If you would like to revisit the issues of custody and visitation, you are certainly free to file a motion with the court requesting a modification. To do that, you should absolutely consult a family law attorney.


Title: Can a doctor in the US refuse to accept patients with a specific diagnosis, and for that reason only?

Question:
Even when that diagnosis falls under their specialization. For example, a rheumatologist refusing to accept patients with fibromyalgia.
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer: Yes they can.


Title: Roommate got me high, I punched a cop and was expelled from the college. New York

Question:
Hi, throwaway for obvious reasons. To keep a story short, I was invited to smoke pot by my hippie roommate. Turns out it had a little PCP. Anyway after one hit from a vape, I got a paranoid high. When the cops were called, I accidentally punched one of them in the stomach. It was not a hard punch. Anyway to keep a long story short, I was forced to drop out of the school (Syracuse). The cop does not want to press charges. Do I have a right to sue the school for forced departure, or my roommate from giving me weed?

EDIT: Thanks for the gold!

Answer:
 > Do I have a right to sue the school for forced departure, or my roommate from giving me weed?

No, and probably not. You chose to get high. You got high. This is on you.

Also, it's extremely unlikely that the weed was laced. You just got really baked.Answer #2: Hahahahahahaha! Hahahaha! Ha! Oh please sue the school for this and come back and update us. It could be gold!Answer #3: I wasn't gonna punch that cop, but then I got high

Wasn't gonna give his gut a pop, but then I got high

Now I'm a dropout, and I know why (why man, why?)

Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high Answer #4: Why would someone lace worthless pot with something many times more difficult to get, also way more expensive? Answer #5: Do you have a tox lab report saying there was PCP in it? Because angel dust is expensive nobody is going to give it away secretly sprinkled on weed. Dealers don't need to use subterfuge to trick people into getting hooked on drugs, demand is always strong for those in the street pharmacist profession.Answer #6: If you sue your roommate you have dirty hands. You tried to do Illegal Act A. You actually did Illegal Act A+B. You cannot sue saying you only thought you were doing one illegal act.

If the university denied you due process then talk to a lawyer, but an institution like Syracuse probably had their ducks in a row if they weren't trying to cheat in athletics.


Title: Pet Custody problem. Please help!

Question:
So here's the situation, my girlfriend and I bought a pet snake when we were together (I alone paid for him). We broke up about 8 months ago and we agreed that she would keep him until I moved into a place that allowed pets.

I finally moved into a new place that allows pets, but in the meantime she has given the snake away to her best friend (who absolutely hates me). I told the friend, politely, that I would like to take him back but she is refusing.

So I guess what i'm asking is, do i have to get lawyers involved or can i just go to a police station? And if i need a lawyer, what should I be expecting/what do i need in order to prove that he is mine?

Edit: I live in New York. The snake was purchased in New York, but is currently with the friend in Connecticut.

Answer:
 This is a civil matter. You can sue your ex for the cost if the snake.

Pets are legally property. There is no custody. You have her something. She gave it away. You sue for the value. You can sue in small claims without an attorney


Title: [TEXAS] Leasing office at apartment is threatening to change lease type to a higher amount if proof of renter's insurance isn't provided in two days. Just got notification today.

Question:
I've been living at this apartment complex for the past two years without any problems. I am renewing my lease with them. My current lease ends by the end of this month, August 31st.

Unfortunately, we just received an email today from the lady from at the leasing office threatening us that they will change the lease type from a 12-month (cheaper) to a month-to-month lease (which is a lot more) by this Wednesday if we fail to submit proof of renter's insurance.

Is there a law of some sort that prohibits this kind of behavior? They gave us 72 hours to do this and this new lease doesn't even begin until September 1st. I work odd hours and barely have time right now, let alone tomorrow being the last day, to find something in a rush.

Thanks for any help. I am about to talk to her tomorrow and would like to know how I can fight back with the law or if I just have to submit to them.

Answer: If I were you, I’d call my auto insurance agent and add renter’s insurance to the level being required of you. It’ll take effect immediately (or midnight). That will satisfy the leasing office’s requirement. When you have the time to “shop” for coverage, you can always switch if you need/want to. Renter’s insurance isn’t terribly expensive in most places


Title: Is it legal to use a fake credit card number when a tech support scammer asks you for one?

Question:
I get a call from tech support scammers very frequently and was just wondering if it was legal if you provide them with a fake credit card number once you end up in the 'final phase' of the scam.

I am located in Brussels, Belgium.

Answer:
 Are you going to give a fake credit card number or one that will pass the check digit? If you do that there's a chance you're giving out an actual credit card number and you will be effectively committing credit card fraud.

If you don't my guess is they will know the credit card isn't real. It isn't that hard to check if the card number is valid.Answer #2: Why would you do this?  What purpose would this serve?

Answer #3: Give them the number of a visa gift card you purchase.


Title: My dad slapped my mom. Am i legally able to beat his ass up? (Ca)

Answer: No. If your father hit your mother she should call the police.


Title: 3 friends and I were charged with criminal mischief (for spray painting) in montreal and received $1000 fines each and a december 7th court date

Question: i’m honestly terrified of going to jail. we were all beyond drunk and honestly we wouldn’t last in prison. i saw somewhere online that you can get up to 2 years for mischief under $5000. none of us can afford a lawyer and we really don’t know what to expect this friday. any advice would be great

Answer: Get a lawyer.  Beg and borrow to get one there to represent you.  You don't want to be going at this alone without representation.


Title: How can I get a job without my parents permission?

Question: So currently I am 15 and I want to work. Partially for the the money (extra spending money in high school) and partially for the work experience. I've talked to her for over a year now and over this period of time the only person who is not willing to let me work is my parents. My marks aren't the greatest but I am maintaining a 70s average. I have the time to work but my parents(primarly my mom) refuse to let me get my SSN(Ontario, Canada) to even apply for work. Any suggestions as to what I can do?

Answer:
 Wait until you are an adult then get a job.

Your are a child and your parents can tell you what you can and cannot do. Answer #2: What you can do: get better grades. You say you won't value the work over your studies,  and then you say your marks are a 70s AVERAGE? You are obviously valuing something over your studies, games or whatever. Work will only hinder your grades more. You are not responsible enough for work and study, your parents are definitely doing the right thing.Answer #3: You have a SIN, which was almost certainly issued to you within one year of your birth.  Probably it's on various paperwork around your home, such as your parents' old income tax returns.  If not, Service Canada can send you a letter with the SIN on it: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sin/lost/replace.shtml

You do not, strictly speaking, need your parents' permission to get a job.  However, you should consider that your parents still have a great deal of control over your life as long as you are living with them and you should choose wisely whether you want to disobey them on this issue or not.  It's unlikely that they won't find out.