Title: Mother is forcing my 17yo brother to take a dangerous combo of psych meds he doesn't need. Texas.

Question: My mother is forcing my brother to take a dangerous combination of meds that he doesn't need. They live in Texas, all the meds that were prescribed to him were from different mental health professionals. Here's the thing, she has a habit of doing this with all of us(her kids) she's narcissistic, and I'm pretty sure she has some form of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. She's abusive, physically and mentally. She did the same thing to me with the meds too which ended up messing up my heart, the difference is he's on more meds that are also much more heavier than mine were. He's not nearly as mentally ill as she say he is, but she's so good at manipulating the system that they believe her. She often times won't refill a script, leaving us to battle with severe depression and suicide because of the chemical imbalance it causes quitting cold turkey. He's the last in the nest and I'm afraid she's keeping him drugged and (I don't know if it's the proper word) imprisoned thinking it will keep him dumbed down or cause a mental break to give her a good case to make him a ward of the court. I'm afraid she's risking his life to basically keep him from leaving her. He's 17 until November and lives in Texas. Are there any laws prohibiting this? I mean, is it legal to have your child prescribed different psych meds from different doctors at the same time?? There's so much more to this mess but that's my current concern. He has a secret Facebook he reaches out to me and our siblings on and he's being abused the exact way we were. He told me he's been sleeping for days at a time on his meds and I'm terrified. Is there anything I can do besides waiting til he's 18 and driving out there to bring him back home on ca. I'm thinking there's some kind of financial gain that's influencing her actions, as usually that's been the case with all of us. His dad is deceased, so he's not in the picture. And advice is greatly appreciated. Almost forgot to mention, she lets her current husband abuse him physically, which he has opened up to me about. I need to get him out of there asap.

Answer: You can contact CPS and any or all of his doctors about your concerns. His doctors shouldn’t divulge info to you, but they can listen.


Title: Los Angeles. Assholes keep doing burnouts in the 4 lane alley behind our house and I’ve just about had it. What’s the best course of action to take?

Question:
So they repaved the giant 4 lane st/alley behind our house. Burnouts, drags races are now a damn near weekly occurrence. Now usually I wouldn’t give AF, but the entire house fills with smoke. The smell lingers for up to an hour sometimes and I even started getting headaches. This is happening to 20-40 houses along the alleyway. It’s usually different people. Ive popped my head over the wall a few times and theyve been different cars. I haven’t called the popo b/c lapd probably wouldn’t even show up. To add to that, the perps would probably be long gone even if they did show up.

What are my options? What can I do? What would you do?
My biggest fear rn is Im going to lose my cool and engage these jerks which could lead to all kinds of bad. I don’t have “fuck you money” like that for defense fees. To add to that, it’s my house and they literally know where I live. Don’t shit where you eat?

Answer: Call the police, street racing is illegal. Don't approach them.


Title: [Oregon]Fired for performing the heimlich maneuver on a choking child at the daycare where I work.

Question:
This happened last week, and is probably one of the most frustrating and baffling things that has ever happened to me.

Until I was fired, I was a child care provider at a rather large daycare. Every month, we held a Parent's Breakfast, where the parents of the children could come to the center and have a sort of continental breakfast together while we cared for their children as usual. However, the children often preferred to join in and eat with their parents.

During the most recent Parent's Breakfast last week, the parents and children were eating and talking as usual. I was sitting at the table helping a child put butter on their muffin. I suddenly heard someone say "He's choking, he's choking!" from the other side of the table. I look up and see a child, let's call him Chad, holding their neck with their mouth hanging open-- classic signs that their airway is blocked.

I jumped/ran across the table to Chad, pulled him out of his chair, and started performing the heimlich maneuver. (All providers must be certified by the Red Cross in CPR and First Aid to work at the daycare.) After a few pumps, a chunk of muffin flew out of his mouth. He started coughing/crying and the whole room breathed a sigh of relief.

I will take a moment here to say that jumping across the table and pulling Chad out of his chair made quite a mess-- food was knocked off the table, chairs fell over, and so on. This will come into play later.

We called an ambulance and had paramedics assess Chad just in case, and he was given the all clear. We cleaned up the mess, I was given pats on the back, and the day went on. Everyone seemed happy with how I handled the situation.

I thought everything was fine until the time came to leave at the end of the day. The head provider, my boss-- let's call her Pam-- pulled me into her office and told me that I needed to be put on leave so they could investigate how the incident was handled. WTF? Chad was choking, so I performed the heimlich as I was trained, what was there to investigate? I was quite irate and made that much clear to Pam, but it was paid leave, so I found it hard to complain too much. I figured it would be a free mini-vacation and that would be that.

I spent the next two days at home without hearing a word. On the morning of the third day, I got a call to come into the daycare. Pam and the assistant provider pulled me into the office and informed me that I was being terminated. I had "caused a scene" by jumping across the table and making a mess, and I had responded "too aggressively" to the situation, forcing Pam to call an ambulance to make sure Chad was alright after my intervention. Since I was still in my probationary period (which is six months, I had only been with the company four months), this was too much, and I had to be let go.

I was floored.

I keep in touch with some of the other providers via social media, and my firing apparently caught everyone by surprise, and not in a good way. I was well liked by both the children and the staff, and everyone thought I had handled the choking incident in the best possible way.

I'm not sure how relevant this is, but the provider I'm closest to thinks that Chad's mom pushed for me to be fired. Apparently she is an emergency room RN but completely froze up when her son started choking. She must have felt embarrassed when a lowly childcare provider "saved the day." She was seen by several staff talking to Pam in the office after the incident, and some heard my name thrown around.

In any case, here are my questions:

**Was it legal for me to be fired for saving a child's life?** I realize that Oregon is an at-will state, but I also know there are specific reasons I *can't* be fired.

**Do I have any damages? Can I sue for lost wages?** I now have no source of income and no way to pay my bills, simply because I was acting in the best interest of a child in my care.

**EDIT:** I would like to clarify some things.

Chad was 5 years of age. If I recall from my Red Cross Training, and I'm pretty certain I do as I was recently recertified, a child of this age and size would require the full, adult heimlich to clear an obstructed airway. Back blows and chest compressions are reserved for toddlers and infants. The only thing I did incorrectly was neglect to perform a finger-sweep before initiating the heimlich.

Chad was not making a single sound while holding his neck, mouth agape. There was no airflow at all. He was absolutely choking. I do not feel that I overreacted. As for vaulting over the table, eh, *maybe* that was a bit much? The alternative would be jogging around the table (it was one of those long folding tables). I also did not jump over the table to be a hero, my emotions immediately turned off and I acted on instinct. I took the fastest route to Chad to initiate first aid.

Answer:
 Former EMT here playing devil's advocate for a moment.   The concern and termination from your boss may be because the Heimlich Maneuver is considered a risky procedure and a last resort for choking victims.  Was the child able to cough or gag or pass any air at all?  Did you try doing back slaps as a first measure?

Depending on the specifics of the situation it is possible that you did not follow your training to the letter and endangered the child even though everything worked out okay.


Title: [Indiana] Handicapped parking while at work.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Don't tell her not to park there but rather say "I'd like you to start displaying your handicapped placard if you're going to be parking in the handicapped spot." Unless she's an idiot she will get the hint.  She may have a placard and just forgets to put it up.Answer #2: If she has a placard and can legally park there, but you'd prefer to have the space available for guests (especially if it is the van accessible space), consider adding a handicapped space elsewhere.

One grocery store I recall (Northside of Indy) had two handicapped spaces in back, by the loading dock, specifically for older employees. This also put them closer to the back office area, which was convenient.

Generally, you can direct employees to park in certain areas. If she does need a space (and, thus, an ADA accommodation), this might be a cheap way to provide it.Answer #3: Why isn't she getting ticketed?


Title: Now that she’s hiring a probate attorney is it safe to say she can’t screw me over? Texas

Question:
My grandmother recently passed away and left me, along with my 4 aunts and mother, an equal share of the estate.

The other women are incredibly pissed I was included in the will and it’s left a huge rift that will probably never heal.

What I’m concerned about now, since they’ve already done it to a lesser extent with her items, can they still screw me over when it comes time to disperse the money?

My aunt sent an email stating that because she will have to transfer the title to a couple of vehicles and a home to various people she has to hire a probate attorney. I’m going to assume that also means the probate attorney will be seeing to the dispersing of the funds and then I’ll get my 6th of the estate? Or is there a way my aunt could still lie and not give me the amount she is supposed to give me?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: Get your own lawyer. Her lawyer will be retained by her for her interests first and foremost. Maybe see if your mom would split the costs with you and hire one between you both if the cost is prohibitive alone


Title: Arizona: cops broke into commercial tuck at 3AM, searched and left it.

Question:
I own a small distribution business in southern California, my driver was in Sierra Vista, Arizona staying at a motel for the night while out making deliveries.

at some point in the night the police showed up, cut the lock on the back of the truck and trashed it while searching.
after which, they closed the door and left it at 3AM unlocked in a motel parking lot.

they made no attempt at contacting my driver who was staying at the motel. he found the truck in the morning with paperwork in the back, which states a drug dog got a hit on the truck parked behind to ours.

now the driver has to unload/reload the truck in a parking lot single handed.

I'm out at least a days wages, room/board expenses, who knows what kind of damaged products, and of course one lock.

I have no problem with them searching the truck, but shouldn't they at least make an attempt to contact the driver, or myself? and to just leave it unlocked in a motel parking lot overnight with thousands of dollars in product tossed about.

Do I have any recourse in this situation?
Thanks

**Update:**

The "Paperwork" left behind was just a note explaining that they executed a search warrant for the truck because a drug dog hit on the truck next to ours, and they claim on our truck as well. (the other truck was apparently a known drug trafficking truck? the owner was arrested but the truck was left there)

An officer came out to talk to our driver, the driver said she seemed to just want to bury it.
she explained that there was a search warrant issued for both trucks, but did not provide said warrant.

**Update 2:**

I just got off the phone with the police department trying to get a copy of the warrant, but they where unable to provide me any information, not even the warrant number, they claimed to not have the paperwork yet.

Answer:
 >I have no problem with them searching the truck,

You should have a problem with it though.


Title: HELP! Ex Girlfriend Trying to Sue Over Time Share hurting her Credit Score.

Question:
To make a long story somewhat short...

My fiancé & I are happily planning our wedding, however there is a looming stress about what we can expect from threats made by his ex-girlfriend (& her attorney).

When they were still in a relationship, they purchased a time share vacationing type property that can be used at different locations around the world. They both signed the legal paperwork agreeing to equal responsibility. Their personal agreement was that he made the down payment and she would make the payments monthly.
They broke approx. two months later, At which time he had been the only one making the payments. He then contacted the company to find a way to remove her name from the property. They instructed him to have her sign a paper that shows they both agree to have her removed. He did so, she signed and he sent it to the company.
Months later he decided he did not want to make payments and wanted to be rid of the property. He made another call to the timeshare company expressing his willingness to take a loss if he could just be rid of the property. They in turn told him he cannot sell the property until it is completely paid off. He decided to stop making payments and just let it hit his credit.

When his ex girlfriend saw that it also hit her credit as well, she paid off the remaining balance. Now she is trying to sue my fiancé for the balance she paid as well as legal fees.
Is my fiancé responsible for paying her back even thought she legally signed her name to the original contract? He tried to remove her but the company refused until it was paid off.
What can we expect?
Any and all advice is very much appreciated!
Thank you :)

Answer:
 Yes, your fiance will be held responsible for 1/2 of the total cost plus any out-of-pocket items she had to pay (collection fees, legal fees, interest)

On the flip side, he can ask her if she would accept his 50% of the time share for a reduction in the amount he owes her.


Title: My ex owes me $700 and recently blocked my number - what are my options? (ON, Canada)

Question:
I am 19 and my ex boyfriend is 20. About 10 months or so ago, when we were still dating, he asked to borrow $1000 to help his dad get a motorcycle. I'm an idiot so I agreed to lend him the money. He said he would be able to pay me back within a few months, and if I needed money for school or anything he would pay me back right away.

He broke up with me around Halloween, and a few weeks later he paid me $300. Around Christmas he texted me asking if I was still okay for money, which I was, at the time. I told him I was fine for the time being, and to let me know when he got paid (he was out of work for a few months due to surgery).

Last week I texted him asking what was going on with the money and when I should expect to see it. He read my message but did not reply. I sent him another similar text the next day, and today I tried asking him what was up, only to see that he had blocked my number.

I messaged his brother on Facebook who tried to message my ex, and my ex ended up blocking him, too. His brother called their mom and asked about it, and she told him that my ex said he had already paid me everything.

Some of my friends are saying I should file this in small claims court, but I don't know if that's appropriate in this situation. Is it too early to take any kind of legal action? Can I do anything here?

(Edit - also apologizing because I'm not sure if this is a dumb question, or I screwed up to format or added too much irrelevant information. I'm just hoping for some guidance as I have no experience with this sort of thing whatsoever)

Answer:
 Lawyer here.

Small claims is the correct action in your case. In legal terms, this is a contract dispute. You lent a certain amount of money to your ex boyfriend and he agreed to pay you back. He hasn't paid you back, so that means he has materially breached the contract.

The problem is that you accepted money from him. He could possibly argue that you were accepting the $300 in full payment of the debt owed. So he wouldn't owe any more money.

You should not hire an attorney. You should call the small claims clerk pay your local courthouse and find out how to file file a small claims complaint. This should cost somewhere between 20 and $100. That's all you have to do. That's a relatively small price to pay in order to give yourself a chance to get back the $700 from your deadbeat ex-boyfriend.

Life advice: you are too young to be lending sums in that amount to anyone. You should be investing in yourself. Spend money on your education or put into a Roth IRA.


Title: Laws for Armoured vehicles. Are they street legal?

Question:
(Sarasota Florida)
What are the stipulations for driving, say a BTR 60 on roads and city streets?http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Btr-60.jpg

Answer: If properly registered and licensed and all weight restrictions are observed, perfectly legal in my state.


Title: Who do I talk to about land I don't want to inherit?

Question:
My father recently passed away and my sister and I inherited some land. The property is in New Mexico in the middle of nowhere and is worth a net value of $200. It's not that it's a huge monetary burdon (taxes are $14/year), but we don't really want to deal with it for the rest of our life. Neither of us live anywhere close to New Mexico and we will literally never do anything with it. In the 70s my dad and a couple of his siblings were each given some land out there by my grandfather. They've all just been paying the taxes on it because they don't know how to get rid of it. I feel like hiring a real estate agent would probably cost more than the property is worth. But maybe I'm wrong?

Is it possible to just not inherit this property? If we have to, is there a legal way to abandon it? What type of lawyer would be best to talk to about this (if we need to go the lawyer route), or is this just a job for a realestate agent?

We'll take any advice we can get as we have absolutely no clue where to start on this one.

Answer:
 You can disclaim that part of your inheritance in probate. Next person in line gets to make choice

If every person refuses, it eventually goes to the state

----

Your relatives that already own some of this land may want to look into donating their propertyAnswer #2: I have no idea how probate laws work in New Mexico but you did state that you "...didn't even think to ask the probate paralegal when we opened our probate case."

Therefore, I assume you/the Executor has hired an attorney to probate your Father's Last Will.

My only concern is that you be VERY SPECIFIC and tell him/them (probate attorney) that you want to \*\*\*disclaim\*\*\* ONLY THAT PARTICULAR PROPERTY and that you want to continue as a beneficiary and \*\*\*receive\*\*\* ALL THE REST OF YOUR SHARE OF YOUR FATHER'S ESTATE.

I hate to use CAPS but you'll want to make sure that "legally" you can disclaim a piece of property BUT NOT LOSE the right to receive all the rest of the estate.

Therefore, IF they need you to sign a statement to "disclaim", you'll want to make sure you don't "disclaim" all of your share of the estate.

Good luck.


Title: Underage Consumption with no Evidence

Question:
My friend, brother, and I, all under 21, drank at my friend's house Saturday night. Today at church my friend was a little hungover. He confided this into one of his friends, including my name and my brother's, he has a loud mouth sometimes, and she in turn told some others. Bottom line is that someone may have told a parent who may have filed a report against us for drinking underage or something. We have no alcohol at our houses, there are no messages between us discussing it, and its the day after (no doubt more days will pass before anything happens anyways). Will the police even bother with this? And if they do, what could they possibly do if we all deny everything? I know there are hair follicle and blood tests etc. but would those HONESTLY apply to this situation? I know that someone is going to give me the moral speech in reply to this too so I'll do it myself: I understand that drinking underage is illegal and a poor decision, I don't do it often, and don't plan on doing it again soon. In all honesty it's not worth my record. I appreciate your time in response to this!
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 I seriously doubt the police will be interested in investing this on the basis of triple hearsay days after the fact, and even if they were interested, by the time they could do a follicle test it would be too late to detect anything.

Don't tell anyone about your escapades, and if the police contact you, don't talk to them. You'll be fine.

>I understand that drinking underage is illegal and a poor decision, I don't do it often, and don't plan on doing it again soon.

Then I hope by "soon" you actually mean "ever".


Title: Production company called me about doing a reality TV show

Question:
This may not fit in with the norm of posts here but I thought it was worth a shot.

Without going into too much irrelevant info, I live in a relatively notable building in Massachusetts. A legit production company (I looked them up, they've produced several successful shows on various networks) called me and said they were interested in shooting a show based on my family in the house. It's mostly because of where we live, not who we are.

My question is, is there anything I should know about before entering negotiations? Are there any tips anyone could give me or anything I should know about before talking with them? Simply looking to protect myself from any known Hollywood tricks that production companies might pull.

Answer: By their very nature, reality shows seek to exploit the people who agree to appear on them. Do not allow your children to appear without being very, very sure about what's going to happen. Have an attorney that YOU hire, not that the production company hires, look over any contracts before you sign.


Title: Land lord accidentally threw out/stole about $1000-1200 in stuff my apartment.

Question:
So i moved in most of my stuff about a week and a half ago into my apartment, as my last lease was ending. I signed up for early move in so i cold move in time for my previous lease. I went back home after most of my stuff was moved then about a week later(IE about 4 days ago). One of the people from the leasing company called me and told me while they were fixing something in the bathroom(the light didn't work when i moved in I made a work order). they were also cleaning out the non moved in apartments.

So They went into my apartment to clean it out but I was told they were stopped before anything was removed. I came here yesterday and checked it out and while everything was trashed and most things were there there are a few things I KNOW were in this apartment.

I called the leasing company and they basically gave me the run around about it, I don't think the person who answered was anyone of any position to solve it but she took my message.

I am not sure what to do, I want to contact a lawyer but i feel like that might be more expensive than items involved. Should I file a police report?

I am from illinois, USA.

Answer:
 When does your lease start/end? *EDIT:* Is it for the place you're moving out of, or place you're moving in to?

What your landlord did was certainly illegal. They have no right to go into your apartment and remove your property while you still have exclusive possession of the unit. (And even if you didn't have exclusive possession, [Illinois has strict laws](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/handling-tenants-abandoned-property-illinois.html) which need to be followed before a former tenant's property can be thrown out.)

>I am not sure what to do, I want to contact a lawyer but i feel like that might be more expensive than items involved. Should I file a police report?

I'd absolutely call the cops, if only to start a paper trail. Also, I'd consider paying a lawyer for 15 to 30 minutes of her time for a consultation. Odds are, you'll have to take your landlord to small claims court, where you'll represent yourself. In my jurisdiction, you'd be entitled to the fair market value of your items plus punitive damages. But each jurisdiction is different, so you'll need to speak to a local attorney about what you can reasonably petition the court for.


Title: (MA) Airbnb host keeps the heat off in the house in freezing temperatures.

Question:
I've been staying at an Airbnb in Massachusetts. Our first night here we were especially miserable. The house is over 100 years old and is poorly insulated if it is insulated at all. That night, it was in the 30s or so and we barely slept at all and cuddled for warmth. There's a radiator in the room but it wasn't giving off much heat.

The next morning, we found out from the host that they were switching from oil to gas heat. We chalked it up to that. A man came, switched them over. We had already bought a space heater at this point because it was unbearable being without hest for two days.

After the switch, we expected the house to be reasonably warm. That never happened. The thermostat is set to 50. It's a Nest system and the host said it was controlled by Google and that's it's automatic setting but that we were free to turn it up.

Every time we turn it up, he or his wife (I have reason to believe it's her, not him) turns it back down via the app. One of the rules is no eating in the rooms. Which we were fine with but when it's less than 50 degrees downstairs, we are less okay with it. We've been skipping meals because the temperature is way less than 50 down there. We had temps dip down to the single digits this week and if we didn't have the space heater we'd have been hurting.

For a few days, a new guest was here and she would just continue to bump the heat up. Those few days were great. But because she did this, they locked the thermostat. Now it's set to 60 degrees.

I know in MA that this would be illegal if they were our landlords and we their tenants. From Mid September to mid June, temperatures must be above 65. But I don't know what the laws are governing a temporary tenant situation. Our stay will be 2 weeks all in all.

Some more info: The hosts spend most of their time in the annex, a built on, insulated section of the house with its own heating system. We tried to leave for other unrelated reasons after a week in but essentially were forced to stay because of our lack of funds to book a new place. We're effectively homeless and live paycheck to paycheck, staying in Airbnbs until we can save enough for a first, last, security deposit.

We don't necessarily want to pursue legal action, but we'd like to know the legality of this before we proceed to take it to AirBnb or the hosts.

Answer:
 https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/09/11/105cmr410.pdf

Look at scope. Applies to any dwelling, not just apartment.


Title: What will happen if I shoot off a neighbor's dog's tail with a suppressed .22 rifle? How much trouble can I get into?

Question:
State is Tennessee.

I have a .22 LR rifle and a suppressor. A normal gun is really loud, but a suppressed .22 LR rifle is eerily quiet.

So  I'm thinking of going up to the attic, pointing the gun out the window,  and shooting off a neighbor's dog's tail. Because the gun isn't very  loud, no one will know where the shot came from!

What will happen if I do that? How much trouble can I get into?

Answer:
 WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?

It's animal cruelty.  And unsafe discharge of a firearm.  And you'd be on the hook for your neighbor's vet bills.
Answer #2: What did the dog's tail ever do to you?


Title: I recieved a speeding ticket for going 60 in a 45. That same road now has a speed limit of 60. Is there anything I can do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The law as it stands now generally has no bearing on the law as it was at the time of your violation.


Title: Do my roommate & I have the legal right to secretly record video inside our apt while we're gone? Suspect landlord (or landlord's girlfriend) is getting in & snooping (repeated log in attempts on pc, rifled through dressers, etc...)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Please update if you identify culprit. Good luck to you.


Title: Was hired as "secret shopper" but something seems shady

Question:
So to keep this short, i was hired as a secret shopper by this company under the name "customer impact" and was sent a check worth 2000 USD. i was told to take $250 for myself, spend $40 at walmart, and then make two money orders of $800 unsigned, and send that back to one of their offices.

Some other things to note is when i looked up the person\place that shipped out my check, i came up with some random gag shop in atlanta, and i  am being asked to ship this to michigan. Should i be worried that this is a money laundering fraud? should i ask the employer directly? or just cut all ties and not cash the check?

Answer:
 It's a scam.Answer #2: This is a very common scam. Answer #3: Scam

Burn the check and walk awayAnswer #4: Scam. The check will bounce and you will be out two grand. Answer #5: Itsatrap.jpg


Title: Can you build a product out of building materials from a large retail store like Lowes, and then resell your built product for profit? Would any royalties need to be payed to Lowes?

Question: Simple building materials such as wood, copper piping, nails, glue etc. No large already manufactured electronics or machines.

Answer:
 Of course you can build a product from scratch and then sell it for a profit: that is called capitalism.

And no you don't have to pay any royalties for buying wood, copper piping and any other general building materials
Answer #2: How is that any different from a contractor buying their things from Lowes and building a house? There is no need to pay royalties.


Title: Ex-Girlfriend Stole My Cat and Won't Return Her (IL)

Question:
So basically my ex-girlfriend borrowed my cat on Thursday under the pretense of needing to spend time with her for emotional support.  Then this morning (Sunday) she started sending me text messages saying that she is keeping the cat and that she will not return her at all.

What can I do here?  I've already called the police but they said I'd have to hire a private attorney and take her to court.  I have mountains of evidence and witnesses that the cat is mine and not hers, the cat is chipped to me and I have vets bills etc with my name on it.  I also have the texts where my ex says in clear terms that she knows the cat isn't hers but is keeping it anyway.

What can I do here?  I know this is a silly question but I really love the cat and want to get her back, thanks for your help.

Answer: You can sue your ex in small claims court for the return of the cat (or the value of the cat). Present your evidence of ownership, and the taking without permission in court.


Title: can a previous commonlaw marriage be used to annul a current marriage?

Question:
we live in Colorado.

My ex was in a previous relationship for ten years. They owned two houses together (bought one house, sold it, bought another), lived together, had joint bank accounts and credit cards, and have a 4 yr old daughter together.

When I met her, they still jointly owned a house together. She sold her half to him. They never got legally married, they never got legally divorced.

We then got married. She was not really honest with me about the details of her previous relationship and I only recently found out. We have been separated for 10 months and I would like to make the divorce official.

As far as I can tell, she is still legally commonlaw married to her ex. If I can prove this, can I use this to annul our marriage? or does our marriage supersede her previous commonlaw marriage?

thanks

Answer:
 Was your wife actually in a common law marriage with her ex? In other words did they agree to be married and express to the community that they were married?  Cohabitation and having a child together does not make one automatically married.

&#x200B;

If she was in a common law marriage the only way to end that marriage is through a legal divorce.  If she did not go through that process and then married you, she would have committed bigamy.

Source: been in a common law marriage for 8 years.


Title: Someone wants to write a screenplay based on some of my Reddit Posts. What rights do I have?

Question:
I'm not a 100% sure I'm in the right place but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Firstly though, this a throwaway for a variety of reasons.

Secondly, I'm in the UK but the company/person wanting to write the screenplay is in the US (My Google-Fu tells me they're in Louisiana)

Basically for the last year I've been posting random stories to different subreddits on Reddit and seem to have found a following. I've posted fiction, nonfiction, humorous stories, creepy stories, etc and I've had a few people ask if they can read them on their YouTube channels. I've also played with the idea of turning a few into a book but that's years away, if ever.

Recently, I was contacted by someone wanting to turn a serious of posts I made into a screenplay. Google-Fu tells me that they're an independent film maker who writes their own screenplays and makes their own (from what I can tell) short films. They've been involved in some bigger things too that have made it onto (US) national TV, but as a cameraman, not as a producer etc.

I'm aware that this could go absolutely nowhere. I know "screenplay" doesn't equal "Huge Hollywood Movie", especially if he wants to produce and distribute the film himself.

All I want right now is to have an idea of where I stand legally. Both if I say yes and if I say no.

So, can anyone tell me;

* Can they (or anyone else) just go ahead and do what they want without my permission anyway?

* Does the fact that I've already posted these stories to a public forum (Reddit) without copyrighting them, mean that I've already given up my rights to the work?

* Where do I stand if I give them permission and they copyright the screenplay/film/whatever comes of it?

I don't even know what else I should be asking. Does anyone have any other advice or questions?

There's no way I'm the first this has happened to so does anyone know of another Redditor I can ask for some insight?

Thank you

Answer:
 > Does the fact that I've already posted these stories to a public forum (Reddit) without copyrighting them, mean that I've already given up my rights to the work?

No.  Absolutely not.  This is a common misconception.  The fact that it's publicly available **does not** mean that you've given up your rights to it.  If that was true then no movies or TV would have protection, ever.

Posting something to a site like Reddit often means that you're giving some of your rights *to* Reddit, to use as they see fit.  That's different.  That's an agreement between you and Reddit for your use of their service.  Reddit's rights are outlined in [the user agreement](https://www.reddit.com/help/useragreement/).  In order for the screenwriter to use Reddit's rights, though, he would need to negotiate *with* Reddit.  You're much easier to negotiate with.

> Where do I stand if I give them permission and they copyright the screenplay/film/whatever comes of it?

That'll be outlined in your agreement with them.  For that you'll need an attorney.  The rights to your original work, their subsequent work, and anything in between will be negotiated and written down.  It can go either way - you can sell your original stuff to them lock stock and barrel, or you can just license it to them.


Title: Jeffery Epstein pled guilty to "soliciting prostitution from a minor" in florida how can a minor solicit prostition arent they by definition a victim?

Question: I know the llea deal was unbelievably shady in like 60 other ways bit can minor be charged for prostitution in Florida law?

Answer:
 He was the one doing soliciting,  the minor was solicited.

. The crime of solicitation of prostitution occurs at the moment you agree to pay for sex, and take some action to further that agreement


Title: Wrongful Termination, Free Speech Off the Clock.

Question:
So here's the story, I got hired on at Walmart as a CAP II associate, for those of you not familiar with the jargon. I effectively unloaded the supply truck, sorted the cargo to they're respective departments and then went and stocked the priority goods like grocery and pharmacy/health and beauty. Saturday at the beginning of my shift, I got in the way of one of the assistant managers and she said something along the lines of "god damn it u/polarbearrawr, why are you always in my way" , jokingly. As we did the awkward shuffle to get clear paths. I say something along the lines of "your the best" and I hug her. Now I had been previously working my ass off working the GM side of the machine  sorter. So I'm a little sweaty, She says something along the lines of "Gross u/polarbearrawr, don't do that again" I say sorry, and agree to not do it. And I think thats where its over. Wrong. After we finish unloading and sorting the cargo and before lunch, I get called into the "Mothers Office" where the Assistant Manager and the Direct Underling to the Store Manager are sitting. I get asked to sit down and they effectively remind me of my sexual harassment training, blah blah blah, I now have my first and final warning on sexual harassment issues, next ones termination. Whatever, I go to lunch and after I clock out on the way out of the store. (mind you its April 20th) I set my hand on the shoulder of a passing associate and in the most sarcastic/joking tone say "420 Blaze It, Brah!". Go to lunch, come back and what do you know I'm called into "Mothers Room" again. This time the store manager is livid, "we just talked about what happened before and now this" "do you remember your drug and alcohol training" "You no longer work at Walmart".

Wow, Ok, what can you do, that sucks so I gather my things leave blah blah blah.

I guess what I'm asking is because I was off the clock, am I not protected under the first amendment to say like literally whatever i want so long as its not obscene or incite a riot or panic?

Do I have grounds for wrongful termination or am I just fucked by corporate america like always?

Any reply is a great reply thanks for taking the time to read this garbage.

Answer:
 You're always protected by the First Amendment.  Even on the clock.

But that protection is from the government taking action, not Walmart.  There's no issue with Walmart taking action against you for activities on their property, "on the clock" or not.Answer #2: First, this isn't a speech issue. Depending on your state, you may well have assaulted your coworker - an act which is well beyond speech, and is illegal. In practice, assault charges over a single unwanted hug are unlikely, but to characterize it as speech is disingenuous and will lead you to the wrong conclusions.

Second, the first amendment protects you from government action to suppress your speech. It does not protect you from the social consequences of that speech. Even if this were a speech issue, Wal*Mart and your manager are allowed to take issue with what you say, and can react as they see fit.

Third, if you're in an at-will state (every state except Montana) and not in a union or covered by a contract that overrides at-will employment, the only wrongful reasons are legally protected reasons such as discrimination on protected grounds, reprisals for regulatory complaints, and so on. Your off-the-clock actions - _on company property_, no less - are not protected in any way.

File for unemployment, learn not to hug people unless they want you to hug them, and move on.Answer #3: >I guess what I'm asking is because I was off the clock, am I not protected under the first amendment to say like literally whatever i want

That is not remotely how the first amendment works. The first amendment prohibits *the government* from punishing you for speach, within reason. It simply does not apply to the relationship between you and your employer.

Nothing in your post describes wrongful termination.


Title: WA, USA - A medical office used auto complete on a field for SSN. Is this a HIIPA violation?

Question: I was in an eyeglass medical office, and they have a computer out in the open where the frames are located. When the person helped me, they asked for my SSN to look up my insurance benefits. I noticed that the field they were typing into to search for me was auto completed and I saw a bunch of SSNs pop up while she was typing. Is this a HIIPA violation and how do I report it if it is? Anyone can just hop onto the computer because it is easily accessible in the open and I noticed that it didn’t lock or go to sleep while I was there.

Answer:
 An SSN is usually useless without some other identifying information as well (name of person it's assigned to, etc.).

Since SSNs are determined by location, and are somewhat sequential, you can almost fabricate an SSN using a little bit of information, and it has a good chance of being assigned to some unknown someone.  I believe they switched to a semi-random assignment process a few years ago to address concerns over this.

There are lists of social security numbers widely available on the internet.  It's just a list of numbers, though, probably very similar to the list of numbers you saw.

Were you able to see other personally-identifying information connected to those SSNs?


Title: (Philadelphia) Just mailed about a "slip and fall" incident outside my house - what do I do now?

Question:
I just received the below mail from a law firm in the city:

"Dear xxxx,

Please be advised that as a result of your negligence, my client suffered severe damages as a result of ice-covered sidewalk of your property.

Kindly forward this letter to your liability insurance carrier in order that we may deal directly with them in the adjustment of this claim. If you are uninsured, you or your attorney should contact us regarding your intentions in this matter.

Thank you for your courtesy and cooperation in this regard."

We always salt the sidewalk after snow when we get back from work. The supposed incident took place 11 days ago and this is the first we've heard of it. We also have a motion detector "ring" alarm that didn't catch anything

Answer:
 Notify your property insurance company ASAP. Do not respond to this, at all. Back up any video you have.Answer #2: Location matters, Philadelphia gives you 6hrs after the snow stops to clear it.  There is a section about ice that may cover you.

http://statelaws.findlaw.com/pennsylvania-law/philadelphia-sidewalk-clearing-laws.html

Answer #3: Do you rent or own where you live? Apartment or home?

And do you have insurance either way?Answer #4: Maybe I am naive but does no one else feel like this sounds like a scam?  Not suggesting you don't address it.  It just sounds like a letter that gets sent out en masse hoping to get someone to bite on it and settle.

Answer #5: Look at the link that /u/DoctorDblYou (at the bottom).

Just a guess from the nature of the letter. But looks like a see what insurance will settle for letter (FYI the insurance will likely settle if it makes financial sense for them to after they review the matter).  Part of that review will be proof that they fell in front of your house (do they live near by and etc), proof of damages, and there statement of why your liable (unsafe conditions or whatever). Usually if they find out no insurance exists or will not cover it they go away, unless suing you makes financial sense (which it usually doesn't if they feel like you will not settle, those billable hours add up quick).Answer #6: Is this the sidewalk in front of your property or the walkway up to your front door?  Does the city not own/maintain the sidewalk in the public right of way?


Title: Does this make me a squatter? (NYC)

Question:
My parent rents an apartment and has a leasing agreement which I am not on. She lives there and I've been there for a consecutive months uninterrupted.

Knowing that in NYS squatters obtain squatter's rights after 10 years, but this time is only 30 days in NYC: Do i qualify as a squatter with the associated rights?

*Edit:* Say if my parent or the police, or the company which owns the building decided to ask me leave today, can I hit them with the claim to squatter's rights?

*Edit:* Am in my 20s.

Answer: No. You claim tenants rights


Title: Mother passed away, City won't give out pension

Question:
Houston, Texas
Good morning, my mother passed away in the April this year. We have talked to her case worker at her her job and are being told that because none of her surviving children were 1)married at time of death or 2) under the age of 21 at time of death, we will not be receiving her pension. A couple of questions I have is, 1) where does the money go that is owed to her? and 2) is there a way we can still claim her pension?

My mother worked for the City of Houston for 40 plus years.

any help would be great thank you.

**EDIT: A pension officer called my brother and told him that we can file a letter to the pension board requesting it. She said that while it does not guarantee anything it would be out best/only chance at receiving some of it. Should we go ahead and file this?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 It doesn't really "go" anywhere. It's just a payment the plan doesn't have to make. If you want to fight this you are going to need an attorney, somebody who is an expert in pensions. The city is *probably* on solid ground here.Answer #2: This is pretty much how pensions work.

They only stay afloat because some people will superannuate their benefits and others will die prematurely. Otherwise its a big pyramid scheme that relies on infinite growth. Answer #3: I'm confused.  You are all over the age of 21?  Why would you think you are entitled to your mother's pension?  That would be equivalent to trying to claim your mom's Social Security benefits for yourself...it doesn't work that way.  Am I missing something?


Title: Our neighbor is towing cars legally parked on our street

Question:
Hi Reddit

So we have a neighbor who lives two houses down that's been living in the neighborhood for 25 years. Our street is becoming busier and busier as we live off a main road that is expanding with restaurants and other businesses. People parking out front of our houses has increased, and she is getting pissed.

She has a driveway that is next to one available street spot. There is a no parking sign that points towards the direction of her driveway (northbound) but this spot is south of the sign. There's room for two other cars behind it. One night, she sat in her car in the driveway and honked obnoxiously at anyone trying to park in that spot. My roommate attempted to park there, and she honked and got out of the car yelling and telling her she couldn't park. My roommate explained that it was a perfectly legal spot, and that she lived one house down. The woman said that yes, technically it wasn't wrong to park there, but her driveway has been blocked before and she was unable to go to work. My roommate said she was sorry that that happened but she lives on the street too and needs to park, then noped out of the conversation as best she could.

Fast forward to last night. We're sitting in the living room and see tow lights outside. We run into the street, and can see that a private tow company is pulling a car out of that spot. We don't know who the car belongs to, but start to ask the tow guy why he is taking the car. He said "she told me it wasn't a parking spot" and went back to towing. We pointed out that it was and gestured at the sign but he shrugged and took the car. It was a private towing company.

We live in Oregon and are trying to look up the rules regarding towing on private streets but are unsure what to do about this. We're worried that we will be next. There is limited parking where we live, and that spot is perfectly legal. Mostly we don't want this woman thinking that she can do whatever the fuck she wants. We left a note in the empty spot with one of our numbers in case the person who was towed wants an explanation of what happened. We took photos of the parked car. It was at least a foot and a half from the driveway - she had plenty of room to back out.

Any advice would be appreciated on where to start with this or how to help future victims. Thank you!

Edit: I replied below but wanted to repost here - Okay so I just got off the phone with the non-emergency line. She told me that I can report the harassment, but wasn't very helpful in regards to reporting the towing. She said they cannot tow a car with a private tow company unless it's a private road.  I confirmed we do not live on a private road, and she gave me the number for towing inquiries for the city. I left a message and will see what they say when they call me back tomorrow.

If the tow line can't help me I'm going to file a harassment report tomorrow.

We also have a neighborhood website and email chain and are posting in both of those to make sure everyone keeps their eye out. Thank you everyone for your help!  I love Reddit.

Answer:
 It seems really odd that a towing company would be willing to take that risk based only on the say-so of a private citizen. Answer #2: Call the non emergency line, if it keeps happening the police will crack down on them for car theft.Answer #3: Had this happen to me parking in front of my own house. Private citizen thought it was hurting her business because my car was in "ill repair" as she put it in court.

Paid to get the car out, went down to the city, got the platt and proved on paper it was public parking, not her businesses, took her ass to court, won. Sued again for lost time and wages, lost because I wasn't scheduled for that day, and my argument was that I could have been.

I live in Portland and can't park in front of my own house presently because of this very problem, but I'd never dream of towing a car that wasn't mine on legal parking. The people parking there are living within the law. Help your neighbors and encourage them to sue her.

It's nice to park in front of your own house, and I miss it, but the reward is living in an awesome, diverse, idealistic city.


Title: [Florida] Is my employer allowed to make me stay in the building and supervise while on unpaid lunch?

Question: I work in a government job in FL, I'm salaried but my job is based on a 8-5 workday with a one hour unpaid lunch. I'm being told that I am not allowed to leave the premises for my lunch break because I need to supervise employees. I know in FL I'm not guaranteed any breaks, but should be paid for all the time worked. Does being salaried make a difference in this situation? Is my employer allowed to bar me from leaving?

Answer:
 If you're working then your employer needs to pay you for that time. Your employer cannot force you to do something (slavery is still illegal) but they can make a task a condition of your employment, meaning they can fire you if you don't comply.

Being salaried makes a difference here in that if you're being paid by the hour you'll want to fight for either 1) your hour break or 2) being paid for that hour depending on what's more important to you: an hour unpaid lunch every day or an extra hour worth of income. If you're salaried all it means is that you're working an extra 5 hours a week without commensurately higher pay.

If you want your lunches back you can try approaching your employer and letting them know your concerns. If you're hourly remind them that you're working without pay and if you continue to work as they want you to you'll be over your 40hr for the week and will be entitled to overtime. Hopefully that will help motivate them. If you're salaried you can try to negotiate for a pay bump to compensate you for the extra working time.
Answer #2: Are you salaried *and* exempt or salaried and *non*-exempt


Title: [WI] A friend (18) and I (17) want to start an LLC. How should we go about this?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: First step: wait until you're both 18.


Title: Legality of defending the life of another

Question:
I read the below link earlier today where a cop arrested a man in Minneapolis, MN and knelt down on his neck as he moaned and pleaded, and while onlookers also pleaded for them to reposition and stop. The man later died because of this aggressive action. My question is, as an onlooker that is clearly witnessing illegal police brutality that is going to lead to death, what laws or rights can defend me or justify me from stepping up and stopping the officer or drawing my weapon if necessary?

I realize this is a foolish decision, but at the same time, if you are watching a helpless person get strangled to death by a cop when he isn’t resisting in any way, and I truly have cause to believe their life is in danger, there has to be something that would protect me provided I survive the initial encounter. Serious question, as I’ve seen a lot of police brutality videos lately, and if I’m ever in that awful scenario I want to know what I can do to protect my own life or the life of another that is clearly being abused or about to be murdered. Thanks in advance.

https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/gqv5ha/video_shows_minneapolis_cop_with_knee_on_neck_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Answer:
 This is America. The police are always right and no amount of force is too much. We can discuss the law surrounding it but that law will be twisted and ignored so that the cop is justified. If you interfere with the cop murdering a suspect, the cop will also murder you. Because we live in a failed state.Answer #2: Depends heavily on the state. Some states absolutely never allow you to attack officers executing a lawful arrest. Then on the other end of the spectrum my state of Texas has the following statute:

The use of force to resist an arrest or search is justified:

(1)  if, before the actor offers any resistance, the peace officer (or person acting at his direction) uses or attempts to use greater force than necessary to make the arrest or search;  and

(2)  when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the peace officer's (or other person's) use or attempted use of greater force than necessary.

(d)  The use of deadly force is not justified under this subchapter

So you could straight up kill a police officer here for using excessive force on you or a third person who never resisted.


Title: NYC co-op. Obnoxious downstairs neighbor

Question:
I have an an older lady living downstairs, perhaps in her 60s or so, who responds to normal living sounds by "retaliating." Anything from banging on the ceiling to blaring her own music up at me. She has her ways. I've carpeted 90% of the floor with thick carpet.

Whether I am cleaning the house or walking very quietly doesn't seem to matter. She freaks out and makes noise in response to hearing me live my life. I can hear my upstairs neighbor too so it's the building's acoustics.

I'm curious if I should do anything about this or if any legal action can be taken from my end against her.

Are there any legal actions she can take against me?

I'm *this* close to holding a dance party in my apartment just to show this lady what real noise is.

Answer: Have you tried talking to her and letting her know that you're making attempts to be quiet?


Title: We have a trampoline in our backyard. How can we best protect ourselves against a possible "attractive nuisance" suit? (ON, Can.)

Question:
After reading the stolen bike post on the front page of this sub, I am thinking it might be a good idea to take some precautions. Although many other houses in this neighbourhood have pools, and I don't see that they have any special protection measures in place, it can't hurt to seem like we are taking all possible precautions -- just in case.

A little paranoid? Perhaps, especially in this area. Can never be too safe, though. Would love to hear any helpful suggestions, thanks!

Answer:
 Given that your home insurer will probably be the one who will be doing the legal leg work if this arises, I would check your policy and make sure you have decent liability coverage for occupier liability/negligence, and then ring them and see if they have advice as to what is necessary. Follow their advice and file a note of your phone call in a safe place with your policy in case they try some sneakiness later.

You could build fences higher, keep the trampoline out of plain sight, get one of those trampolines that's fenced with a door and lock.

Or move to Australia, where our legislatures have castrated personal injury law so heavily that you have nothing to worry about!Answer #2: Check with your homeowners' insurance.

When I called ours asking what would happen to our rates if we added one, the response was "Oh, we wouldn't raise your rates.  We would just cancel your policy."

So, no trampoline for us.


Title: CO - How to figure out if wife can legally own a gun without potentially incriminating ourselves if the answer is "no"?

Question:
For some background, I am a gun owner with a concealed handgun permit who owns multiple long guns and pistols and basically have all my life. My wife grew up in a household with guns as well but has never bought her own. Recently, she's been going to the range with me and become interested in getting her own pistol and possibly a concealed handgun permit, but there is a small wrinkle. In grade school, over a decade ago, she was sent to a mental health facility for a week or so(until insurance stopped paying) because of an incident at school - she didn't hurt or threaten to hurt anyone, but she did need help for severe anxiety and other things and got the help she needed. She doesn't have any sort of criminal record, but neither of us honestly know if the mental hold was done in such a way that it would disqualify her or not and we're both worried that I could be in trouble on the off chance that she is a prohibited person if she fails a NICS background check and it gets followed up on since, well, she does currently have access to my guns.

I guess what I want to know is, is there some way we can verify her status without risk of either one of us incriminating ourselves?  Unfortunately we've hit dead ends trying to get hold of any actual documentation of the original incident and it's not possible for us to speak to either of her parents as one has passed away and the other is completely out of the picture.

Answer: You're making this into a bigger deal than it is. Was she involuntary committed? Read form 4473. Go to a gun store. For a small fee they will run a background check and see if she comes back approved. So long as she doesn't lie on the form she won't get in trouble.


Title: Hello, I’m 15 and i live with my grandma. My dad has 100% full custody of me but my grandmas name is on the paperwork though, like if my dad is gone she had custody or something like that. She gets money from the government or for me, is there a way to determine how much she gets and from who?

Answer: Stay out of this, whatever it is. It's not your fought or your money.


Title: WA- I (26f) can’t afford the city we are living in, but my ex and my mom won’t let me move my child (f2)

Question:
I have a great job and get paid fairly well for my age. However, I also live in one of the most expensive areas of the country. I’ve been struggling to find a one bedroom apartment for less than $1700/month.

I don’t get any financial support from her dad (I’m working on it, but he’s doing pretty much everything in his power to slow the courts process). He picks our daughter up once a week for a few hours to play at the park.

I pay my mom to watch my daughter while I work. Because they spend so much time together, they have a close bond. Note that I’m paying my mom enough for her to be able to afford this expensive city, she also live with her brother who she cares for in a senior community, so us living together isn’t an option.

I’ve recently expressed that I can’t afford to raise my daughter and I want to move. I have enough money to buy a nice house outside of our current location, and I have a career that would make it easy to find work elsewhere.

Both my mom and my ex said they’d take me to court so that I couldn’t move my daughter. I don’t know what to do. I honestly don’t want to move her, but even earning a good salary for a 26yo, it’s getting harder and harder to provide a good life for my daughter on one salary. I earn too much to get any housing resources. Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 If your ex can afford an attorney to fight you, he can afford to pay child support. Regardless of where you live, continue to fight for your child for child support.Answer #2: > Both my mom and my ex said they’d take me to court so that I couldn’t move my daughter.

WA no longer has grandparent custody or visitation rights.  Your mother can't obtain anything here... you only have to worry about your ex.

> Is there anything I can do?

Do you have sole custody?  Is there a visitation order?  Options become more limited once there is a court order.


Title: My Girlfriend was removed on the loan of a car owned by her ex boyfriend. He wants it back, but is she obligated to physically give him the car back or can she just leave it somewhere and tell him to find it?

Question:
We're in Wisconsin. A bit of background.  My current girlfriend was engaged to her ex, they lived together, had a car together, ect. They were together for over 3 years. The car she currently drives was bought by her ex, and she was the cosigner on the loan and she's been making payments and driving it for for almost 2 years.

About  a year ago he cheated on her, she left, he felt bad but they still remained friendly because they were financially bound together. We started dating and she moved in with me.  He stared getting really vindictive and mean towards her, and he told her today she was no longer on the loan and it's now his car and he wants it.

Is she legally obligated to give him the car, or can she drop it off somewhere, not tell him where and give him the final "fuck you, go find it?". He's screwed my girlfriend over a lot this last year, and it would be nice to get a little bit of a final jab in.  I just want to know if there would be a legal reprecussions against her by not actually telling him where it is?

Answer: He can’t just take her off of the loan. It doesn’t work that way.


Title: Ex boyfriend is posting my number on Craigslist and using my info for fake dating profiles, how do I make him stop without proof.

Question: I have no way to prove that he's doing all this. He used to tell me he does this all the time to annoy his friends and it won't stop even after I changed my number. Is there any legal way I can go to police about this?  He won't respond to me as well when I try to reach out to make him cease.

Answer:
 He's harassing you. Go to the police and tell them. They have to resources to find out "who" is doing this.

As a practical matter, you want to find a sympathetic police officer. Hopefully, that officer has some free time to call him or pay him a little visit. The officer will politely tell him to "knock it off" or the investigation will continue.

These impromptu conversations seem to be very effective in situations like these. Answer #2: I'm genuinely curious how this is happening, because Craigslist has done away with their personals section (As of March 22nd of this year)... It was done in response to HR 1865, ‘FOSTA’, to fight online sex trafficking.

Of course it's possible he is doing this on another dating website / service, but I don't think Craigslist is an option anymore.

What are the problems that you are experiencing that make you think your number has been posted somewhere?


Title: My dog bit another dog at a public event for dogs and the organization president is threatening us if we don't pay vet bills.

Question: Over the weekend my girlfriend and I took our two huskies to an outdoor event for dogs. Our dogs are very excitable in public so we spent all day playing with them and even took them on two separate walks before heading to the event. Both of our dogs were on leashes that had been tied around them by their back legs to ensure we could maintain complete control over them while we were at the event, this also serves to shorten the leash so my dog was incapable of getting away from my side. When we arrived we approached the check in desk where wristbands were being distributed and I showed my ID before the woman asked me to hold out my arm so she could put the wristband on me. What I did not know is she had her small dog laying in a chair next to her. Her dog was on a leash but the leash was not secured to anything, nor was she holding onto the leash. I know for a fact she was not holding onto the leash because she was using both hands to put the wristband on me when her dog jumped out of the chair and ran up to my dog and jumped onto him placing his paws on my dog. When that happened my dog grabbed him by the back of the neck and I was able to immediately pull my dog off since I had his leash wrapped around my wrist and held tightly in my hand. The other dog ran off to the owner and another employee approached me saying that I need to control my dog to which I replied I had no idea there was a dog under the table but then moved on with my day. About an hour later we were approached by the president of the organization who told us that our dog sent the other dog to the vet and would be held overnight. I told her I'm sorry that happened but I had my dog restrained and never would have let him approach a dog like that, however she was unwilling to hear my side and told us we need to help with the medical bill but if we don't she has our information and will find us. We are currently waiting for her to contact us but I am just wondering how liable I am in this situation and what, if any, precautions I should take as I proceed.

Answer:
 If you are unable to work something out with her she can sue you and a Judge will decide. If you do settle with her, make sure you get a written release that she won't come after you for any more money.Answer #2: Your dog bit another dog at an event. Pay the bills and don't put your dog in that situation again.

NAL, but your argument is not that your dog didn't bite hers; your argument is that her dog was out of control. I don't think it's likely to go well for you if you go to court. Her dog was leashed. Her leash may have been secured to her foot or chair if she were using her hands. It doesn't sound like her dog was acting inappropriately. She was expecting dogs at this event would be friendly. Yours wasn't.Answer #3: Even if we take for granted that everyone agrees your dog was restrained well enough, the issue is that when the other dog got close, your dog attacked the other dog.  The fact that you had to leash your dog in a highly restrictive way to feel okay attending the event tends to back up the idea that you knew your dog could bite other dogs and hurt them.  But instead of keeping away from an event like this, you attended, and what you tried to avoid happened.

Maybe you could argue that the other dog was provoking your dog, but that's not the way it sounds to me.

Answer #4: Your dog attacked another dog. Regardless of how well restrained he was, you are still liable.


Title: Legal Question about Wills and Life Insurance Policies in Texas

Question: My Dad and Step Mom of 10 years were going through a nasty divorce that was never finalized. He wrote a last living will stating that his kids get everything and the will executor would be his mom, my grandma. He was very clear in that everything he owns goes to his kids, not the Step Mom. He committed suicide about a month after writing his Will. My grandparents did not want to deal with selling his house so they gave it to the Step Mom to deal with and keep. The Kids received his $130K Roth account that listed me, his daughter, as the beneficiary. We all found out that he had a $700K life insurance policy through AllState and the StepMom was the Beneficiary. She told my grandma that she was going to do the right thing. Several months later, my grandma's lawyer said everything was done and the StepMom was going to keep the life insurance. My StepMom blocked all of us on social media and on our phones. My question is...would it be worth it for me to hire a lawyer to fight for the life insurance policy since his very recent Will clearly stated that the kids get everything, not the StepMom. I am 100% sure that my dad did not know that the Life Insurance Policy would trump the Will. I am 100% sure that he thought his Will would carry all the weight. Please let me know. Thank you.

Answer:
 I'm sorry for your loss.

Life insurance does not pass through probate, and is not governed by the decedent's will. That asset passes directly from the insurer to the beneficiary, following the directions the policy-holder left to the insurer.

Unless your father updated his beneficiary through his insurer, stepmom gets to keep the insurance payout.


Title: The head of my university gym told me she will not interview me for a job because my membership was suspended once (For forgetting my keycard too many times). She looked into my records, is this ethical/legal?

Question:
LOCATION: Canada, Nova Scotia

Long story short, I contacted the head of my university gym hoping to interview to become a weight room attendent. She replied with

"I am not offering you an interview this time around. I noticed the past suspensions on your membership , along with the reasons for the suspensions, and decided not to move forward."

I have only ever had a one week suspension put in place due to the ludicris policy of suspensions due to signing in (when you forget your keycard) too many times in one month. It also eerked me that she seemed to be speaking about my "suspensions" in plural.

Wondering what I should do about this.

Answer:
 > Wondering what I should do about this.

Apply for jobs elsewhere. Nothing illegal about this (and it's not even unethical).


Title: Someone ran a red light and hit my rented vehicle from Enterprise

Question:
I'm from Oregon and I went up to Washington on Labor Day weekend. As I was traveling back to Oregon on Monday, I was at a 4-way intersection where a car sped threw a red light (it was obvious), as I was slowly making a left. He then stopped to a halt midway and because I couldn't brake hard enough, it led to damage on the vehicle that I was renting from Enterprise.

After the impact, I walked out, took pictures of both cars, license plate, and the individual driving the car. He ended up telling me that he had to go to work and he had to leave which he promptly did. He also mentioned that he had no insurance.

I ended up pulling over to a Shell parking lot where two other cars pulled over so that they could give me their number since they witnessed the whole thing. One individual called the police as well who came about 5-10 minutes after.

The cop then ended up writing an incident report (not a police report) and gave me information in regards to the owner of the car who seems to be the father of the actual individual.

I soon contacted Enterprise damage team within 30 minutes and reported everything.

As of today, they told me that they tried getting a hold of the individual back and they mentioned they had nothing to do with it. Because of this, I would end up having to pay for the damages.

I don't have a family and I've lived on my own since middle school. I have a job that requires me to drive but I can't afford insurance. I go to school. I cannot afford to pay for any amount they are requesting me to pay.

What can I do?

Answer:
 Pay up and sue the other driver for your damages.Answer #2: You will need to pay Enterprise since you foolishly did not have insurance. (which is illegal in Oregon, there is minimum liability you have to have).

> I cannot afford to pay for any amount they are requesting me to pay.

Too bad. You drove without insurance, and got into an accident. You're responsible for damage to their car while you are renting it. You can sue the other party. Enterprise will send you to collections, damage your credit, and probably sue you and garish your wages. You may have to drop out of school for a while so you can work.
Answer #3: Some credit cards include car rental insurance as a perk. Check to see if the card you used for the rental does.Answer #4: How did you even rent the car? I've always had to show proof of liability or buy their deal.


Title: Landlord took his own life and the future of our lease is unsure.

Question:
Our landlord unfortunately took his life a few weeks ago and was the sole owner of the house we are renting. We have continued paying rent to his SO and going on about our business. We were notified today that our landlord has unpaid debts and the house must be sold.  Our lease has 5 months left and the landlord's SO wasn't sure if we will be able to stay here for the duration of our lease. She said that she is getting a lawyer to help figure this out. In the meantime I'm not sure what I should do.

My questions:
Will our lease contract hold up in this situation?

If our lease isn't going to hold up am I still binded by it or can I get out when another house becomes available?

Under either of the situations above how do I assure I get my security deposit back?

Thanks!

Answer: The lease should still hold and the new owners must abide by it but its more than likely they will not re-new the lease.  You can also see if the new owner will buy out your lease to get you out earlyAnswer #2: At the speed probate and the court systems move, the odds that any house sale will be final before your lease ends in five months are slim. However, as others note, you should probably be putting your rent money aside until you know for sure that SO does have the legal right to collect it. Has SO been formally appointed executor of his estate? Until that happens, she doesn't have authority to collect the rent or to put the house up for sale, and it typically takes at least four to eight weeks for an executor's appointment to be official once the petition is filed (although the time frame varies by state).


Title: Are you going to pay for that??

Question:
I walk into a 7 eleven I grab a cup to pour soda I start to drink it while I’m waiting for my friend to get his coffee the cashier comes up and follows me for a minute and then comes up to me and asks “ are you going to pay for that” I say “yeah” and walk away. At the cashier I get the same guy and I stare him down because I’m mad that he just said that, then he looks and says “ Why are you looking at me” I say “why can’t I look at you ur the cashier” he then says “ you can’t look at me and don’t come back or I’m calling the police” i said “ you can call the police” and walked out.  Can I come back in?... I feel as if I was racially profiled but idk if I was at fault
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 >I feel as if I was racially profiled but idk if I was at fault

 You entered a store, drank the product before purchasing it, and then acted like a butthole about it. Rest assured, it was certainly your fault.Answer #2: > Can I come back in?

Formally, no, you would be trespassing if you returned. Practically, if you give it a few months, staff turnover will probably mean they've forgotten about you entirely and it'll be a non-issue.

> I feel as if I was racially profiled

Based on…? Does the store have a pattern of harassing patrons of the same race as you, or something? It's hard to show racial discrimination from a single incident, unless there's a clear smoking gun.Answer #3: You've been told not to return there, so it's best not to.  They'd be well within their rights to call the police for you trespassing if you do.


Title: NY State: I gave up my parental rights (at her request) in court. Now she has filed for child support (or someone has).

Question:
Resident of NY, but her child support request is coming from Virginia.

I dated a woman for a couple months 16 years ago.  Eventually I learned I was "the other man" and broke up with her. Apparently he also found out about me and broke up with her. She had a baby and put my name on the birth certificate. They got back together eventually and apparently it was a hot topic for a while, but they got married and he was raising him as his own.

They apparently "hoped" the child was his and tried to get it changed in court, court ordered a paternity test, paternity test revealed that baby was not his (and therefore probably mine).  She contacted me, told me the truth, asked me to give up my rights so her husband could adopt him and they could put the whole mess behind them.

I initially fought back and got a lawyer, but in sappy lifetime movie fashion I went to his baseball game and saw his dad was his coach. They were happy and loving and that guy had been his dad for a long time, whereas he didn't know me. So, this probably makes me sound like a bad person, but I agreed and signed away my parental rights. His dad legally adopted him and I haven't ever heard from them again, though I creep on Facebook a couple times a year.  They apparently moved to Virginia recently though during all of this we were in NY.

As far as I can see they are still happily married (and with two additional kids) but the are having financial trouble. That seems directly related to the fact that I have now received a court document saying she is seeking child support and there is a hearing next month in Virginia.

I've been Googling this every which way the past few days and can't find clear information. I did read that I need to make sure I attend the court date no matter what, so I am working on that.  I also read that it's possible she herself didn't file, that sometimes the state will start the process if she had filed for another type of assistance, but I don't know if that would make any difference anyway. I tried to get a lawyer but stupidly got a New York lawyer and he told me I should get a Virginia lawyer instead, I emailed a Virginia lawyer and he didn't understand and told me I should get a New York lawyer, so we are talking on the phone in the morning.

&#x200B;

But in the mean time I just have the question: what the heck? Is this common?

Answer: If your rights were legally terminated and the child was legally adopted, you have no child support responsibility.  You should start trying to track down a copy of the order stating your rights were terminated, and provide it to the lawyer you retain.Answer #2: It sounds like she applied for cash assistance with the state and they're doing their due diligence to collect child support to help pay it back. Since you were the original person listed on the birth certificate you'd get the summons, especially if she never went to have the birth certificate amended. You should get a lawyer just in case, but I have a feeling this is going to resolve itself pretty easily.


Title: [VA+GA] Hurt at work, now facing retaliation.

Question:
I was recently hurt at work due to a third party's negligence.  I was shocked when I made incidental contact with a wire that should have been safe, but had been miswired and had an unsafe voltage present that should not have been there.

[More information here](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3dsan7/vailga_hurt_at_work_by_a_third_party_what_should/).

I just got a phone call from my company (I live in Virginia and work for a Georgia company) which was essentially a three-way ambush call with HR and the owner of the company.  They asked me for my version of events, which I'd already submitted via email immediately after the accident, and then repeatedly grilled me about safety procedure.

They told me over and over that I should not have been working near exposed wiring at all, which is untrue.  They repeatedly insisted that I had failed to follow safety procedure by not testing every single wire inside the panel, even the ones I had no intention of working on.  This is also untrue, the panel had been previously worked on by another engineer and thus "demonstrated safe" in electrical terms.

I reiterated that I had followed training as provided by both my company and the manufacturer that I was subcontracted to at the time.  After that, they stated several times that the incident was "hurting our business relationship with [manufacturer]" and that after I recovered, "we'll need to have a conversation about your future with this company."

Is there any action that I need to take now to protect myself?

Answer:
 Your company is trying to turn a safety violation on their part into something they can blame you for in order to save their relationship to another customer/partner.

If you were not really hurt by this, I would just start looking for another job because they obviously don't give a rat's **s about your safety.
If you were hurt and needed medical assistance and so on, I'd look into contacting a lawyer about this.

Finally, you could suggest that since you have such differing opinions about whether what you did was right or not, maybe you should have OSHA (or whoever does workplace safety inspections) come in and evaluate the company's practices.

This might make them think twice as they could probably imagine all kinds of violations happening that they don't want out in the open. But don't present it as a threat - present it as a training opportunity and how it would be in everyone's best interest to make sure the workplace is safe and everyone knows the rules, etc.


Title: [FL] Home builder keeps dropping "base price" on the house we just bought?

Question: We just bought a new home a month ago, supposedly at a "special" price to move old inventory.  The builder is now advertising the same home at $14k lower than we paid.  Do we have any recourse?

Answer: Supply and demand. Free market and all that.Answer #2: No. A house is no different than any other product. If they raised the price do you think you would have to pay more?


Title: My bank account

Question: So around 3ish years ago, I signed up with my mom for a teen savings account. I had built up around $200 before taking it all out and buying like 3 games (yes ik, that was me back then). Anyways, you have to maintain $25 in there to keep the actual account open, and since I didn’t have any money to put in there, my mom put $55 in there to keep it open. Now I’m wondering, is that money legally mine? Despite it technically being her money is the fact that it’s in my account make it my money and can I transfer that into my other account. Ofc I’ll ask my mom before doing so, but I’m wondering if that’s legal in the first place.

Answer:
 >ince I didn’t have any money to put in there, my mom put $55 in there to keep it open. Now I’m wondering, is that money legally mine?

No - it's your mom's.

The bank will not prevent you from taking it since your name is on the account, and your mom is unlikely to sue you for taking it, but the money she put in is hers, just like the money you put in is yours.


Title: [British Columbia] fired because non work related injury caused friend to miss work

Question:
Summery of events:

- Neck injury on the 8th playing casual men's softball

- Doctors visit on the 9th, doctor referred him to massage therapist and gave him a note saying he may be off work until the 16th with follows up scheduled for today and Thursday. Boss is informed of all of this.

- Friend wakes up today to a text from his boss saying that he was laid off for "not being committed" because he didn't come in today.

Friend has worked full time as an electrician for this company for about 4 years, no prior layoffs, only minor disciplinary talks, no formal written action.

My question is, is it legal for an employer to lay someone off for not coming into work when a doctor has told them that they shouldn't be working.

Will reply/edit in additional information if needed.

Answer:
 > My question is, is it legal for an employer to lay someone off for not coming into work when a doctor has told them that they shouldn't be working.

Employers have a legal obligation to reasonably accommodate employees who are ill or disabled, to the point of undue hardship. A temporary inability to work due to injury is a disability.  I don't know all the facts, but it would be hard for this employer to say they could not accommodate a week of missed work.

Your friend should apply for EI. He can make a complaint to the BC Human Rights Tribunal. The hearing and any remedy he received would take a long time (a year is not uncommon).

He could also inform his boss of the duty to accommodate and the employer might change their mind. Many employers aren't aware of their legal duties.


Title: [PA] Lost check, pay to the order of cash. Is it LEGAL for any schmo to cash it?

Question:
About a month ago my grandmother had renovations done on her home. She wanted to pay the contractor some in advance for supplies, via a check but did not know his exact name or how to spell it. (She's not as mentally sharp as she used to be). She instead wrote a check to the order of cash. Before ever handing the gentleman the check, she lost it. And to this day payment has not been stopped, nor do we know if it was cashed. She just wrote him another, which went fine. I would've done it myself but I had just found out about it today. We'll call her bank soon. And make sure this doesn't happen again. Hopefully it wasn't cashed.

  I've always heard checks made out to cash are risky, because anyone can physically cash one. What I want to know is if any legal recourse could be taken against someone who cashes one, when they are not the intended recipient. Are checks payable to cash solely the account holders responsibility? Or would it be like taking cash that wasn't theirs? Instead of check fraud, is it more or less theft? I've always wondered this but never had a real life experiencd to ask. I don't write checks, myself.

  Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 > Lost check, pay to the order of cash. Is it LEGAL for any schmo to cash it?

Yes.


Title: Husband's dad gave him a stolen gun?

Question:
When my son was born, my FIL gave my husband a little handgun to protect our family. He's a shady guy, but had his moments of sincerity. Now we've realized that there's a high chance it's stolen.

We don't want it. What do we do with it? My husband wants to destroy it, but we just want it gone without getting in trouble.
Edit: I'm in Texas
Update:
Apparently it was "used in a crime." Not feeling too good about this.

Answer:
 Boating accident ASAP.

But on a more serious note, talk to an attorney about turning it into the police. TALK TO A LAWYER BEFORE GOING TO THE POLICE.


Title: [TX, USA] Wrongfully Denied Apartment Lease

Question: zzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c875BrmpOmtQq4tYAFDxzzKJvu4yxql3QDaosQu1XNqaO1JhNMkaYvzInWwex2c8

Answer:
 Discrimination? No.

Compensation? Leave it out.

You should be able to get a refund for the deposit, as for the application form, it depends on the terms and conditions that you agreed to when you paid. Did you sign anything when you paid the fee, what did it say on the application form about the fee?


Title: if somebody asks you to send money to somebody after they send it to you, is that illegal?

Question: We were having a discussion in group for my class for Ethics (business class taken as a elective) and we were wondering if this is illegal.

Answer: That could be considered money laundering, plus if the check bounces, it would leave the initial receipient on the hook.


Title: [CA] Neighbor wants to open a wine tasting room accessed via a private road.

Question:
I live in a an agriculturally zoned area that allows property owners to open private wine tasting rooms.  My neighbor has been growing grapes and bottling wine for several years and now wants to open a private tasting room on the weekend.

I am not questioning whether they can open the tasting room as that issue has already been litigated and the courts have ruled as long as the property owner follows required procedures a tasting room can be opened.

My question is about liability.  The road that will be used to access the tasting room is a private road shared by 26 homes.  Each of the homes has an easement that allows us to use the road.

My concern is can I be held liable if a patron of the tasting room causes an accident, damages property or, even worse, injures someone?  Don't know if this matters but the tasting room is about 5 properties before my home.  I do not share any common property lines with them.

Answer: One issue I see here is that an easement for access to a private residence might not include commercial use (such as the tasting room). Often easements are limited to the type of use that existed when the easement was granted. The people who actually own the road property might have reason to object to their neighbor expanding access in this manner.


Title: Neighbors complaining about my outdoor cat

Question: I live in San Diego county, California. My next door neighbors recently left a note claiming that by allowing my cat to roam outside I am committing "many animal control violations". I tried to do my own research and came up with nothing substantial to suggest I am doing anything wrong by allowing my cat outdoors. I should add that mine is one of at least 6 cats within a quarter mile radius that roams the neighborhood. So my question is, what legal grounds (if any) do they have to make a complaint about my cat roaming the neighborhood.

Answer: Your answer likely [lies here](https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/cob/ordinances/ord9274.doc). I didn’t read it all but I did see that animals at large (including cats) can be impounded by animal control. In addition the person who finds the animal at large can legally capture the animal and then turn it over to animal control for impoundment. At large would be considered not on your property. So while it may not garner you a citation, as I didn’t see a specific violation for cats at large, they can make you pay all associated fees to get your pet out of kitty jail.


Title: A subcontractor was able to cash a check at Walmart that had a Stop Payment, now they're sending us to collections for the return?

Question:
This happened about 3-4 weeks ago.

A subcontractor claimed that he had not received his check. Our A/P department verified his information and put a Stop Payment on the check and sent a new one. They advised him that the old check had a Stop Payment and to not deposit it or it would get returned on him.

He received the new check within a few days. Yesterday we get a letter in the mail from a 3rd party collections agency used by Wal-Mart demanding payment for the funds from the stopped check.

The subcontractor is not responding to us and his phone has been disconnected. It's not our fault that an employee there cashed the check with a Stop Payment. What are our options at this point?

Edit: this is North Carolina (United States)

Edit2: Thanks for the advice folks! We're sending a certified letter to the collections agency and to the Wal-Mart in question to dispute the validity of the debt and to tell them that Wal-Mart needs to try to collect from the guy in question. We also found out that he was using the address to a business that belonged to his friend, not his real address. So there's potential fraud with that too. However, we believe that Wal-Mart should have a photo ID of the subcontractor. I'm not sure about other places, but apparently you're required to give a photo ID if you cash a check over $500 in NC. This should give Wal-Mart the info they need to follow up with the petty scam artist.

Answer:
 Frequently in these cases, the check cashier qualifies as a [holder in due course](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holder_in_due_course) and would be entitled to payment from the check maker, per the Uniform Commercial Code.

You may need to go after your subcontractor for the missing funds, if they end(ed) up cashing both checks.Answer #2: There are two possibilities; one, that the sub was defrauding you the whole time; two, the check was indeed lost and the person who cashed it at Wal-Mart had nothing to do with the sub but somehow got their hands on the check.  In either of these events you need to call the police.

Collections agencies are rather unscrupulous so whether or not the law says you must still pay against the stopped check, they will still pursue you.  You should send a letter, via certified mail, to the collections agency that says something to the extent of "I dispute this debt, you must prove this debt is valid, etc".  You can find template letters by googling.  You should also put your state in your post.Answer #3: At the very least you can get a copy of the check and verify that it was signed by the sub.  An instrument is not valid if it is fraudulently signed.

Next you can demand proof of the individual who cashed the check at WalMart.  Depending on your location there may be a requirement that the individual provides proof of ID and a fingerprint in order to cash a check.  If WalMart didn't follow those procedures then you may not be required to honor the check.

You can, and should, contact the police to file charges for passing a bad check.  Also, contact your insurance to see if they are willing to cover you for the loss.


Title: If male genital mutilation (circumcision) is ever labelled as child sexual abuse in the US, what would happen to those who were victims and abusers before the law was passed? Would they be affected at all?

Question: Some states have no statue of limitations for child sexual abuse, and in some states doctors and police have to report all forms of child sexual abuse, even if the victim is currently an adult. If circumcision is ever considered child sexual abuse, would previous abuses be logged by mandatory reporters of child abuse?

Answer: [Ex post facto.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_post_facto_law)