Title: {Colorado} Police want a complete download of my phone because of a Discord Server

Question: I'm a cam girl. I was recently added to an e-girl group. I didn't know there were minors in the group until one of the admins privately told me. This means that there was child pornography in the group. I did not access it except for when I went in an deleted my own information from the server and then left. I reported it to the police and they asked me if I would be willing to bring in my phone for a complete download of my phone. What are my legal rights here? Should I lawyer up?

Answer: “Warrant”. They have no rights to anything without it, and you’d be a fool to allow them access without a court order.


Title: Moving out of state with child?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Yes you can move. He can file an emergency order to have the child returned to his state. He has 6 months to do this from when you move.


Title: [Massachusetts] Landlord wants us to kick out a roommate or we all get evicted

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >What the fuck can we do?

If you are all on the same lease then pay that roommates portion when rent is due and have that roommate pay you guys back. Unless the roommate is willing to change his practice, thats the only sure method to not get evicted for non-payment.

If you are all on different leases, reply to landlord saying that its a private matter between them and the roommate.

Answer #2: There is nothing you can do in this situation. It is also illegal for you to kick them out so I don't know why they're asking you to do that.  Are you all on the same lease or not? If you are all on the same lease, you may all end up getting evicted because of their breach. The only way to save your situation in that event would be to pay their portion of the rent and sue them for it.

If you are on separate leases they can start eviction proceedings against your roommate but can't do anything to you guys.


Title: Can You Actually Get A ESA Letter Online?

Question:
As the title says, I've been seeking getting my ESA for my pet because I recently moved into a place that allows no pets; I do suffer from depression and anxiety, and have tried to get professional help but it's simply too hard for me both personally and financially. My cat is usually the one to comfort me when I need it, so when I got a notice on my door saying that I had 3 days to either get rid of her or leave, I had a huge mental breakdown and searched all over the internet, and that's where I stumbled upon the ESA letter.

I was told it was "easy" and "simple" on some of these websites, but even in my state of mind I KNOW that it really can't be THAT simple.. Right?

Answer:
 Not a legit one.

Any landlord worth a damn is going to follow up on the letter. A real ESA isn't registered. The letter you get is from your doctor or therapist.

You cannot claim that your cat is an ESA because you violated your lease. It is NOT an ESA until your doctor says it is.


Title: Apartment Discriminates against, stay at home mom with low credit score/ single income family

Question:
My husband and I are in the  process of moving from Texas to Indian. He starts his new job Mon. June 17th. We found one apartment within our price range, that also has a move in date before his start date. First thing Monday we called to make sure the unit is still available they gave us a move in date, Sat June 15th. As long as we pass the background/ credit check. We paid the 2x application fee, and while waiting for our applications to be approved, we were putting together his proof of income, cause I don't work I stay home with our 2y daughter, we were getting our renters insurance all ready so all we need is to give them our new address... ect. We waited till last min and now everything is being rushed but we have everything they required, we thought... so my husband get a email stating he's been approved, but then he get a second letter explaining I was denied because my credit score is too low? I was confused because in Feb of 2017, my husband and I needed a car and it was at that time we found out my credit score was on the low side of average. So after being denied I found that its a few unpaid medical bills affecting my score...but what does that matter? My husband makes more than enough to pay his/ our bills, and apparently the apartment agrees or they wouldn't have approved him. So because of past due medical bills I'm not a suitable renter to live with my husband under the roof he pays for? I'm so confused, the lady in the office is supposed to talk to her supervisor 1st thing come 9am. Mean while I'm so stressed I can't sleep, because we haven't found another apt and the moving truck has to be unloaded and turned in, by noon on Sun. June 16th. I have proof of everything I've stated, depending on what happens over the next 12h... do I have a law suit?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: No, bad credit is a reason to deny someone. They don't need any reason to deny you, as long as it isn't based on race, sex, religion, national originAnswer #2: No, you don’t have a law suit.   Credit score is a perfectly reasonable reason to deny someone’s apartment application.   There was zero evidence you were discriminated against because you are a stay at home mom.Answer #3: How is this discrimination?   Improve your credit score, it’s important.


Title: UPDATE: Landlord burgled my friends and I. We have evidence of this. We no longer live in the same country. What can we do?

Question:
The original thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3rzxvf/landlord_burgled_my_friends_and_i_we_have/

We took the advice of user /u/neuhmz and sent the police our findings. The police officer who filled out our report went down to the house and recovered one of the stolen MacBooks.

We're still waiting on some of the details to come back to us so now I want to find out what our options are. We're all still back home in Ireland and our thief of a landlord is still in Washington. One laptop is in an evidence locker and the other computers have likely been sold by our landlord. We'd like to go about pressing charges on her for the theft.

Would anyone be aware of how we could go about doing this? Would it be best to contact solicitor in Washington to take her to court for the theft?

I wouldn't be familiar with law in the united states so I'm hoping this subreddit can give us one more bit of that sweet legaladvice on what we should do next.

Answer:
 You are confusing two things.

1.) Criminal charges.  You don't "press charges."  The police take the evidence of their investigation to the prosecutor, and the prosecutor decides whether or not to press charges.  If that happens, you would almost certainly have to come back to testify at the trial.

2.) A civil lawsuit to recover your money.  If the amount is small (Under $5000 US) then you don't need a lawyer (not called solicitor in the US) to sue in "small claims" court.  But again, you'd have to come back, at least for the trial.Answer #2: Congrats, I am really glad it worked out for you. Dealing with the police is never fun or easy but come in with your paper work together makes it easy. Nobody likes to do a lot of paperwork and fact finding, the more you can present the case as mostly layed out for them the better.


Title: I want to add a clause to my contracts that make the contract binding even if it hasn't been signed, if the client has paid the invoice.

Question:
I own a company that rents out party equipment for weddings and other events. I have never had an issue with it before, but I'm really trying to solidify my legal security. Would a judge automatically assume the contract signed so long as it was sent before the invoice was paid in full? I often have clients that simply don't send back the signed contracts I send them, but I need to feel protected legally.

If not, is there a way I can add a short clause at the end of my rental agreements that says something like "Payment of outstanding balance binds client to the rental agreement."

Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Plain and simple: don't give people any equipment until the contract is signed.

If I don't sign your contract, I am not bound by any terms or conditions in your contract.  It doesn't matter if I paid your invoice or not.


Title: Condo neglected repairs and is charging us owners for repair cost

Question: Hey all, I am a recent first time home buyer of a condo, I have lived there about 5 months. A flyer a day ago landed on my door talking about repairs to the property that "we" are responsible for and that the estimates range from 1-2 million dollars, and that we need to vote to split the cost either into lump sums or via a loan spread put monthly into our HOA payments. Upon further investigation, the ex-president of the board informed me that maintenance had been ignored for years on vapor barrier, siding repairs, balconies, etc. And the board sued the management company responsible and is now dealing with the aftermath. I understand I signed a ton of paperwork to get into this place but I was never verbally made aware of anything of this nature existing on the property, nor was I going to tear through many hundreds of pages to find where it may or may not. Have been at the time under my certain circumstances. What are the odds I have a case to not participate since I have been "an owner" for less than half a month and am now being told that I am responsible for potentially upwards of 20,000 bucks in charges for something that I didnt have anything to do with? I really need help here this could take me for everything I am worth and then some if I cant find a solution.

Answer:
 > nor was I going to tear through many hundreds of pages to find where it may or may not.

Somebody needs to- either you or your attorney.
If you signed a standard condo contract then yes, owners are indeed responsible to pay for any repair assessments.
Review your documents *closely.*


Title: (Nashville, TN) my neighbor has had their own survey and states that their property rides right to the edge of our driveway.

Question: We came home today and found a huge boulder ( about 2H x 4W x  6L) between our mailbox and right on the corner of out driveway. He hasn't shown us any survey or property line papers and I believe is intending on building a fence right on the edge of our driveway and we are curious if we have any recourse.

Answer: Get your own survey. If it matches his; end of discussion. If it does not; take him to court and challenge his version.


Title: Girlfriend and I had a falling out because of her beating on me and our daughter.

Question:
Sorry I'm on mobile and will try my best not to be completely illiterate. My girlfriend and I have been together for 7 years, had our daughter for 3 years and is pregnant again as of 3 months ago about when our downwards slide began. The abuse had started a year into our relationship over the years of endured cheating, beating and plenty more even after our daughter was born but being young I thought I was being a good person by sticking around for her but that all ended the day she struck our daughter. So I just have questions that have been keeping me from properly applying for custody.

1. What is the deciding factors in these cases?

2. I have a job, driver's license, home and transportation and she doesn't but will it help?

3. She has told a doctor and therapist the abuses she's committed but can they be a factor in this?

4. What can I do about the current one she is carrying?

5. I have Facebook messages of her apologising for things I explained were the reasons I was ready to end it (which has happened more then once). could it be considered admission of guilt?

Sorry for the long post one more thing to add is her mother has threatened to help take my daughter several occasions I've tried to end it before and will most likely be paying her legal fees.

TL;DR Me and my girlfriend are done I'm terrified of losing my kids.

Answer:
 If you can't work something out between you then you will end up in court.  A number of factors can be considered when deciding what is in the best interest of the child/children. You will want to discuss the specifics of your situation with a family law attorney.

> What can I do about the current one she is carrying?

Nothing at the moment because legally there is no baby until there is a baby. I would suggest a paternity test once the baby is born and I would also suggest a full STD panel immediately.


Title: [CA] Neighbor has built a compost in his yard and the smell travels into my house and its unbearable.

Question: My neighbor has built a compost in his backyard. The smell travels over makes it increasingly difficult to live in my home because it always smells bad.I can't get good sleep and my doctor says im starting to develop acute stress. I've asked my neighbor to remove his compost. He says no. What remedy can I seek in a situation like this?

Answer:
 Your neighbor needs to learn to compost correctly. Compost piles don't stink (most of the time. Sometimes they do for a bit after a summer storm) Most of the time it's stinks when someone puts meat in it. Have you talked to him about it without saying "get rid of it!"? Maybe have a conversation and share with him some information and resources like... http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/basics/compost-smells-bad.htm?

(I'm working on the catching more flies with honey angle here)

You could call the city and ask if a nuisance ordinance covers smells or general yukAnswer #2: Is the compost pile violating any local ordinances? May want to dig through this and see if the compost pit is up to code.

http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Laws/Regulations/Title14/

Specifically, chapter 3.1 Compostable Materials Handling Operations and Facilities Regulatory Requirements  Answer #3: Not a lawyer; child of a man who kept a totally non-smelly compost heap for decades...

Ask your local coffee shop for left-over grounds from a couple days' worth of coffee making.  Help your neighbour stir this into his compost.

Ask him to keep turning the pile regularly (weekly at least).  It will turn to soil much faster and wont' stink.  Also; leaves and other drier materials will help keep the pile aerated so it smells less.


Title: General question about underage sexting laws

Question: I have a friend who's child (16) was recently caught sexting her boyfriend and is potentially facing some pretty serious  charges.  They already have an attorney and everything so my question really doesn't pertain to them specifically, but it made me curious about something.    Kiera Knightly was 16 when she was nude in The Hole, and Thora Birch was 16 when she was nude in American Beauty.  Why is it OK for Hollywood to depict a 16 year old nude in a sexual way for a wide audience, but it's not ok for a 16 year old to share a private photo of herself with one other person?

Answer:
 > 16 year old nude in a sexual way for a wide audience, but it's not ok for a 16 year old to share a private photo of herself with one other person?

IANAL, but one could easily see that a movie is art, while sexting teenagers are not.


Title: Something off about hiring a contractor... (INDIANA)

Question:
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask a question like this but I figured I'd ask, just in case anyone has experience with this type of situation...
So I hired a contractor to repair my roof. Now I first had someone come out and look at it and the first guy told me I needed an entire roof replacement. Said the roof was destroyed by hail. This sounded a little wrong because we haven't had any real hail in years and none of the soft metals on the roof (gutters) had any dings or damage.
So I had a second guy come out (the one who ended up doing the repair) and he said that all it was was some flashing issues. Sounded more like what I thought it would be. So he came out and I got financed to pay in installments through a 3rd party that the contractor worked with. I signed a contract and only later realized the contractor dated the contract in several places 93 days ahead of the actual date I signed. I asked him about this and he said it was a mistake and that he'd email me an updated contract. I thought nothing of it at the time, he (even now) comes off as very trustworthy. (never got the updated contract, by the way)
So he did the repair and said I'd get an email with information on paying him through the 3rd party. It's been several weeks since the repair and still no email. I've texted/called him a few times and he has said it'd come through but nothing yet. I can't imagine he doesn't want to get paid but something seems off about this. I am a paranoid guy by nature but, like I said, most people are in a rush to get paid.
Does anyone have any suggestions/advice/warnings about something like this? Is there anything glaringly off (from a legal standpoint) about this? I feel like some sort of terrible scam is imminent but I have no experience with this sort of thing.

Answer:
 Try calling the finance company and see if they have financed anything yet.

If payment from them goes directly to him, it's quite possible he's already been paid and is in no hurry to give you a copy of the modified contract.

However, it is also possible he submitted another updated contract to the financing company, possibly with a modified (read: higher) cost and doesn't want you to find out yet until some deadline has passed for correcting it.


Title: My boss want's me to write a letter of apology before he gives me my paycheck. (Ontario, Canada)

Question:
I recently quit my job job the spot and when I asked when I can pick up my last check he yelled at me on the phone saying I caused damages (which is not true). I had my father go in and talk to him later but apparently got the same response I got.

After that he seemed to want to give me my paycheck but he wants me to give him a letter explaining everything "I have done".

Update: I have told him that I am not writing his letter. He responded with "take it to the ministry of labor" and so I filed my complaint.

Unrelated good news is that I got into a paid employment program today so my job search will probably be shortened greatly.

Answer:
 Demand, in writing, that he pay you within a set number of days, and include a statement to the effect of "You're legally obligated to pay me my wages and you cannot condition that payment on any further action by me. If you do not pay, I will contact [relevant wage enforcement authority]."

/u/theletterqwerty you're up. Talk about the great hat of America.Answer #2: From the ESA:

>When Employment Ends

>If an employee’s employment ends, the employer must pay his or her outstanding wages, including vacation pay (plus any payments due to the employee because the employment has ended – see Termination of Employment and Severance Pay) no later than:

>seven days after the employment ends;

>or

>on what would ordinarily have been the employee's next regular pay day;

>whichever is later.


Title: Dentist's office is threatening to sue over a negative Google review.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Removing your review was the right choice for you, it sounds like.  If you were willing to go through the hassle of fighting the guy, you would have had a valid argument - the truth is an absolute defense against slander accusations.  Can't be slander if it's true.

That said, you're very likely right - this guy has probably sent the same threat to everyone who had anything less than glowing praise for him.  It may violate the terms of service for the sites in question, and a report might get him and the rest of his office banned from commenting, but that would just antagonize him further.


Title: Parents controlling me at 18 (almost 19). Please help.

Question: My parents have taken controlling me to far. They're forcing me to get a job by this Friday, and if I don't do this they decided without talking to me first that they're moving me into my grandparents. They also decided that they're taking away my laptop that my mom gave me as a graduation gift. Can they move me if I'm 18 to a place that I don't approve of living in and do they have a right to take away a gift? Or anything at all? Can they force me to get a job? I have good reasons for not getting a job yet. My body and brain are tired and I fall asleep at random times in the day and I can't control it. I want to go to the doctor and see what's wrong with me first, then get a job. The appointment is early November and they apparently can't wait until then. Also my parents are divorced, we live in Kansas. I'm turning 19 in 2 months.

Answer:
 They can't force you to live with your grandparents, but they can give you notice to leave their house, which is 30 days in Kansas.

If the laptop is a gift they can't legally take it, but you need to prove it was a gift.

If you are too disabled to work, apply for disability. Perhaps your grandparent's house will be easier for your condition or conditions. Either way, unless you are legally declared incompetent, your parents do not need to support you.

Answer #2: They can't force you to work or move to your grandparent's house, but they can stop supporting you and kick your butt out of the house. So if you enjoy having them provide for you, do what they tell you to do. Answer #3: Have you graduated high school? It is an important distinction.


Title: Texting While Driving Hypocrisy

Question:
Hi all- state is MD.

I was let go today from my personal assistant job for texting while driving, one of my employers children saw me texting my employer while in bumper to bumper traffic and later privately complained. There was no close call, no accident, nothing. I was told that the reason for me being let go was for that sole reason of texting and driving, nothing else, and was given one weeks severance.

Then, my employer offered me a ride home, and with my only other immediate option being Uber, I reluctantly accepted. In an unbelievable turn of events, my employer texted, emailed, dialed and spoke on the phone during the drive to my house. Someone honked heavily at us because we almost hit them, and I then pointed out the irony. My employers response was "but you arent my chlld it is different".

There is no employment contract, no documents signed, nothing formalized whatsoever. The vehicle in question was owned by them, not me, if that matters.

Do i have some sort of case to get my job back, or get more than one weeks severance? neither of us have hard proof of each other texting and driving, but the sheer hypocrisy of it all really ticks me off.

Answer:
 There's no law in Maryland prohibiting employers from being hypocrites.

>The vehicle in question was owned by them, not me, if that matters.

It doesn't change the legality of what happened so much as it makes you appear dumber. C'mon man, it wasn't even your car. Answer #2: Unfair but legal.


Title: Is this a misdiagnosis case? [OR]

Question:
Hi All, at the beginning of November, my mom was diagnosed with a grade 4 brain tumor. She was given only a couple weeks to a couple months to live. We have had to sit and wait until the pathology report came back before we could start treatment. The report finally came in today and we will be starting treatment in the next couple days. Thankfully she is still here, but rapidly getting weaker and weaker.

Looking back, the symptoms started showing probably around mid summer. She was always really tired, she started not really caring about things like cleaning the house or going to stores, and she was having memory problems and just 'off'. She's on several medications for pain, blood pressure and diabetes and we just thought she was accidentally taking more meds than she should have. What prompted us to take her in to the hospital was she was really confused and not making sense, couldn't hold a coherent conversation.

We recently got her medical records from her doctor which included a couple doctors visits in September. In the notes, the doctor noted that my mom was confused, having a hard time comprehending things and being able to hold attention (Even after noting that my mom was having these symptoms, she didn't even stop my mom from driving home) . Also, there were about 2 weeks between the visits and she had lost almost 10 pounds from the first visit. Even the notes said that my mom was eating a lot of junk food, not paying attention to diet, and was not exercising. Shouldn't losing weight while eating like crap be a red flag??? Also, my mom has been on antidepressants for a long time. She is currently at the highest dose for a certain antidepressant and the doctor noted that she tried offering my mom another antidepressant which my mom refused.

So from the looks of it, my mom was showing these symptoms and the doctor just tried giving her more antidepressants and sending her on her way. Now me and my family know that the brain tumor is a death sentence no matter what and that this doctor couldn't have prevented it, but it just seems like she didn't take the correct steps in finding out the true issue. Sure she probably couldn't have diagnosed the cancer, but she could have referred my mom to a specialist, or sent her for an MRI or something that would have allowed us to catch this thing sooner. Since her doctor visit was in September, we probably would have finished up with her treatment by now. Instead we are barely just starting. We just feel that this doctor is just negligible/careless. Another reason we believe this is that a few years back, she prescribed my mom an antibiotic that she knew she was allergic to all because she didnt double check the med and just assumed it was another antibiotic. My moms throat swelled up and she had to be rushed to the hospital.

I am not sure if this is a true malpractice but was just looking for some feedback. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 The important thing to focus on right now is making the most of whatever time your mom has left.  The legal stuff can wait.  The statute of limitations for malpractice is [two years](http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/12.110) in Oregon.

Beyond wishing you and your mom the best, there's unfortunately little we can do to help you.  Malpractice is one of the most complicated subjects in law, and certainly one beyond the scope of a simple forum like this.

You have to understand that malpractice requires more than just being a terrible doctor.  Rather, it requires behavior that so deviates from the standard of care that no reasonable physician under the circumstances would do the same thing.

And a lawyer can only come a conclusion after a fact-intensive inquiry that involves an extensive understanding of the local law, access to local medical professionals in the relevant field(s) who can provide the standard of care, and an exhaustive review of all of the medical records.  That's something that none of us have here.


Title: [WA] When can I stop worrying about owing my ex-boyfriend money?

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice!

My ex-boyfriend and I are not on great terms - long story short, he messed up bigtime and now I'm only speaking to him when absolutely necessary.

The problem is that I owe him some amount of money, but only he knows how much, and he won't tell me. We used to split the monthly bills in half - he would pay the whole thing, then he would send me a "bill" for my half of it, and I would transfer the money to him. The bills varied every month based on utility usage.

I still owe him money from the last month that we lived together, but he won't send me the bill, so I don't know how much I owe. It's in the vicinity of $500. When I try to bring it up with him, he changes the topic. I get the impression that he feels like he should eat the cost as "punishment" for him screwing up at the end of our relationship. This makes no sense to me, because from my perspective, I'd rather just give him the money and move on.

At what point can I just stop thinking about this money? A cursory online search showed that the statute of limitations for this is 3 years (IANAL, might be completely wrong) - does that mean that I have to keep this in mind for 3 years in case he comes out of the woodwork wanting money?

Answer:
 If you don't mind paying him what you really owe, then tell him you'll pay if he gives you the amount.

If he won't, don't pay him.

His recourse will be to sue you, and he will have to give the court an amount to do so.Answer #2: If he won't tell you how much you owe him, stop worrying about it and move on with your life.


Title: Potential 'bad batch' gave me disability - what should I be doing?

Question:
Three and a half weeks ago, my doctor put me on a new prescription for depression. Wellbutrin, as the genetic Bupropion.

Within a half week, I developed acute drop foot, but didn't recognize that what I was experiencing WAS drop foot until my foot went numb and I list almost all mobility in that foot about two weeks later (2 1/2 weeks after beginning treatment).

About a week ago (2 1/2 weeks after beginning treatment), I called my doctor to let her know Ive lost feeling and mobility in my left foot and shin. She said this is not, nor has it ever been, a side effect of Wellbutrin but that I was the fourth person to call her about this in the last week. She told me to stop taking it immediately and that it will remain in my system for about a week and a half. She hypothesized that it may have been a manufacturing error with the medicine and that she hoped this would wear off as the medicine did.

It's been almost a week now, but I haven't regained any mobility. Not even a centimeter of increased movement. No feeling has come back either. Anything online says that this is typical of strokes and neuropathy, and with physical therapy can take 4-6 months to correct or can be permenant.

I'm terrified - when I'd started taking depression meds, I had hopes of taking up dancing, since I'd always wanted to and had never had the energy. I can't do that if my left foot doesn't work. I have no idea what to expect or how long this will last because this has never happened before. I can't afford the time off or the medical bills for PT, so I'm not sure that that's an option.

What should I be documenting and who should I be calling? I haven't had health insurance nor have I sought treatment for anything in my entire adult life, so I'm 100% out of my element with what resources I have available.

Any guidance or advice you have is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Follow your doctor's advice and treatment plan for this.  Ask her if she's filed a complaint with the FDA.  If not, you may do so directly.  https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm095859.htm

Do not discard the medicine but make sure it's safe from potentially being used.


Title: Local business owner says he is suing me for defamation over Facebook comments

Question:
So, long story short. A guy owns and operates a warehouse liquidation business in my town. Since he opened doors two years ago, he has constantly advertised "going out of business" and "final days sales." some are paid advertisements and most are then posting ads to various local Facebook pages.

I always comment saying it's a sales tactic. In fact, most people who comment on these posts also acknowledge how shady this guy is. It'd common knowledge. He never closes, yet advertises it. He has come after me now and threatened to sue, and file a restraining order.

We all think it's a scare tactic but a small part of me does worry. Any advice?

Edit. Minnesota.

Edit 2. I have never been to this business, never seen this guy either. Until he showed up at my door with this harassment paper threatening to sue.

Answer: Most likely trying to scare you.  I would ignore it, but if you are served, then you have to respond.


Title: Manager of my work completely voids any hours after the shift ends.

Question: I work at a retirement home, i work with servers about the same age as I am and they also know that this happens. I have been working over here for almost a year. The shifts are for lunch and dinner and it only goes for 3 hours, in between we get a 2 hour break. Practically, a full day is only 6 hours for this job. It goes from 11-2 4-7. I dont even get a lot of hours, but if i go clock out later than 2 or 7 it doesnt even matter... I’m from California

Answer:
 IANAL, but I know a fair bit about CA labor law.  (Yay shitty previous employers!)

In California, that is completely illegal.  (Unless the boss told you to leave and you hid/stayed on anyways just to clock out late, in which case I have no clue as to the legality.)

Edit: the 2 hour break with only a 6 hour day is legal, but a dick move.Answer #2: Location matters if you want specific advice, but you should make a report to your state's department of labor about a wage dispute and they'll investigate.Answer #3: The 2 hour break is legal.

However, you must be paid for all time worked. If your boss feels like you worked too late, then it is on them to either tell you to stop working, or suck it up and pay.


Title: Apartment flooded and items damaged and missing, landlord did not contact me and later entered for the purpose of showing new tenants without permission.

Question:
I live in Washington State. I was out of town when I received notice from my upstairs neighbor that his water heater had rusted through the bottom and all of the water had leaked down into my apartment. He said that my landlord was moving everything that had gotten wet into the back yard. I called my landlord to see what was going on and she said that they had caught it early enough that everything should be fine, asked me if I had planned on renewing my lease (to which a responded I wasn't, that I had already let the other landlord know this) I'm also pretty sure its too early for them to be asking this,  and she stated that she would wait till I got back a week from them to start showing the place to perspective tenants. I let her know to keep me posted on what was going on and any damages and that I had full access to my phone where I was so not to hesitate to contact me, and that I was a bit frustrated that I had to reach out to her about the flooding and the status of my home.

A week goes by and I hear nothing from her so I assume all is well, land at the airport and get a text from my neighbor that the landlord is showing my apartment. I arrive at home and the place is a disaster. The bathroom is covered in dust from construction, my things were in piles all over my house, 4 pillows, 2 stuffed animals and some jewelry were missing, there is some of my laundry and bedding folded on my bed (including underwear which made me feel totally violated), and there's grass all over everything that was moved into the yard. I start tidying up and realize all of the damages and things missing, and a I start a list of everything that's wrong.

I call my landlord the next day to touch base and see what's going on, and she informs me that there must have been a miscommunication  about my return date and that she'd bring my stuff that night. She comes over with most of the things that are missing but not all of the jewelry. I let her know how frustrated I was with how this was being handled, her not contacting me (to which she replied she was under the understanding that my neighbor was speaking with me and filling me in, who is not on my lease and she admitted that she did not try to contact me at all), that she has no way of knowing the condition of my apartment before I left on my trip so the dust and grass very well could have been there before I left, so she can't be held responsible for the cleaning, that she did me a favor by laundering my things (even though there is no way my pillows or bedding got wet because it's raised high above the floor on the opposite end of where the flooding occurred) and that she doesn't know what jewelry was here before I left or what she took but she brought me what she found (which doesn't make sense for her to remove from the property in the first place because it's not susceptible to water damage). She was very defensive and then stated "If you pay your full rent this month I'll write you a check for $200. Our renters insurance deductible is $5000 and $200 is the most we can do."

I then reiterate how violated I felt, how I'm not understanding why they removed things from the property and that there are still things missing, that my deceased great grandmothers coffee table is damaged beyond repair as are 3 of my Harry Potter books, and that even though we had this same conversation twice last year that she still had strangers in my home to view the place without 24 hour written notice which is a legal requirement in my state. (24 hrs for prospective tenants, 48 hours for anything else with the exception of emergencies such as this flood). She then stated that she stood in the doorway while people were viewing it so she would have been able to see if they'd taken anything and that again the most she's willing to do it write me a check for $200 after I pay full rent. I let her know that was unacceptable and that I'd be contacting someone for legal advice.

Problem is a lawyer here is $245 an hour and I can't risk paying that for nothing. All I want is for my stuff that's damaged and missing to be replaced or repaired, and for her to follow proper laws about notice to enter the property. I'm already looking for a new place and don't plan on breaking my lease or doing anything petty in the meantime. Where do I start?

Answer: I would call the police to file a report theft of your belongings. See if that helps move her along.


Title: (VA) Why do public schools need permission to search cars but not backpacks?

Answer: They don't need permission to search your car either if it's parked on school property.


Title: While I was away for National Guard duty, my brother's girlfriend drank hundreds of dollars worth of my alcohol, put a shock collar on my dog, and is playing the victim.

Question:
I am not on the lease. She and my brother are. I have lived here for several months now, and pay 1/3 the rent. My brother pays the rest. She doesn't work or contribute any of her own money to this home.

Before I left for annual training, she had a freakout and screamed at my brother and I for 2 hours in the middle of the night, despite me never saying a single rude thing to her. Before I left for AT, I had a full bottle of Jack Daniels, a full bottle of Glen Livet, a full bottle of Johnny Walker, as well as various levels of 18 year Glenfiddich(my 21st birthday present and something that means a lot to me), Sailor Jerry's, Captain Morgan, and American Honey.

When I got home, every single bottle was bone dry. The Glenfiddich alone is more than 100 dollars, but the sentimental value is irreplaceable. She claims that she didn't drink them, but alcohol doesn't magically disappear, and she is a blatant alcoholic.

She also put a shock collar on my dog, without consulting me, which I consider animal abuse. The look on his face when I took it off is testament to that.

Do I have any action I can take here? The landlord is unreachable, but I desperately want this woman gone.

Answer:
 You can sue her for the retail value of the alcohol if your brother is willing to testify she drank it.  There's nothing you can do about the dog if he wasn't physically harmed.

Obviously, you should find a new place to live.Answer #2: She's on the lease, and you are not. Is the landlord even aware that you've moved in? At best you'd be considered an "unauthorized tenant" and I don't know any landlord that will side with an unauthorized tenant and evict a contracted one. You could be potentially risking their tenancy if the landlord finds out you've moved in.

Realistically your only option is to move out and find your own place.


Title: Received citation in mail for passing a school bus, even though school bus attendant instructed me to pass. (Dallas, TX)

Question:
On my way home I drove by a school and approached the bus loading area which is essentially just a street in the neighborhood. I stopped behind 2 cars ahead of me that were also stopped while the school busses were loading. I waited for about 5-10 minutes until the busses were finished loading and then the school bus attendant waved at the stopped cars to go ahead and pass.

A few days ago I received a citation in the mail for passing a stopped school bus while the stop arm is extended. It appears that the last bus still had its stop arm extended, in the video you can see the cars ahead of me passing it and then the stop arm folding back as soon as I passed it. Unfortunately I have no evidence of the attendant instructing me to pass, but the fact that the video shows the stop arm folding back shows that the bus was finished loading.

I would like to contest this because I fully stopped while the busses were loading and I was following the attendant's orders. I have the option to request a hearing in court or by mail with a letter. I would prefer to write a letter but I am wondering if that is as effective as a hearing in person or if my story and the video is enough evidence to appeal the citation.

Answer: Long shot, but you can try calling the school to see if the attendant can be identified. If so, she may be able to testify that she waved you and the other drivers on.


Title: [Michigan]Dad died, will left possessions to me + siblings; family withholding property

Question: [Michigan] My Dad passed away last Friday. There is already family drama over his possessions. The will states everything is to be divided between me and my two siblings. His gun safe is at my grandmas with a lot of expensive guns, old money, and gold jewelry in it. She is saying we can't have it. Her and my aunt also took they keys to his p.o. box and airplane hanger where he has a lot more valuables. What course of action can we take to get this stuff? These people had previously written him off and just started coming back around when his health started to decline. I don't want them to get their greedy hands on anything they aren't entitled to.

Answer:
 I'm sorry for your loss.

Find an estate attorney and get a consultation.  Many will offer a free initial consultation.


Title: As long as I credit a painting to the original artist, is it illegal to sell handmade copies of paintings for a charity?

Question:
I enjoy painting copies of famous works by my favorite artists instead of buying posters. I've done it as gifts and for my own decorations for a few years. Recently a good friend's daughter was diagnosed with cancer and the community is collecting money to help with expenses. I offered to sell some paintings at $20 apiece with proceeds going to the fund. Is anything about that illegal? I've never sold anything before so I don't want to break any law while trying to help my friend.

Edit: I'm in Texas
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 This depends on the specific work that you want to copy. You need to determine if there is an existing copyright on the work, and if so, who owns it and what licences (if any) they give to others.

For example, if you want to reproduce The Scream, go ahead; it's in the public domain.

Crediting the author makes no difference, unless you're trying to comply with the conditions of a licence that the author has used.


Title: Can School Punish Me For Facebook Posts

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I never thought I would use this word in a serious context but... you're basically cyberbullying.Answer #2: > Can School Punish Me For Facebook Posts

Yes.

You can get a "yes" from /r/LegalAdviceUK as well.


Title: My rights as a mother, married to the father

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They are right. As the holds father he has the right to be able to take the child as you do. You also could've taken the child and cut all contact with him. You need a lawyer to do the divorce. Look for legal aid in your area and see if they can help


Title: [Virginia] Cop "cut me a break" on a speeding ticket and didn't charge reckless driving. Should I still go to court, or just pay?

Question:
Was pulled over and cited for 82 in a 60 (I don't think I was going that fast but that's besides the point) which in Virginia qualifies as reckless driving. However, the cop told me that he would only write the ticket as a plain old, regular speeding ticket, even though he still listed my speed as 82 in a 60. This means I'm not required to appear in court, only if I choose to. I can also just pay the ticket and take the resulting increase in insurance.

So here's my question: if I go to court, are my odds decent of getting a better outcome? Could the judge up the charge to reckless (a more serious charge which carries possible jail time)? Or is it possible that the cop "cut me a deal" because there was an issue with his equipment and he's trying to make a quick buck for his small jurisdiction? I'm not opposed to taking a day off work and driving down there (it's about two hours from DC where I live), but if it's gonna end up even worse I'd rather not have to skip work and drive all that way just to get fucked.

Background: I was driving downhill when I passed the cop. He was pulling forward out of a driveway when I passed him, but I'm not sure if he had been sitting with a radar gun and was pulling forward to pull me over, or if he was moving and just happened to get passed by a speeding car. He claimed he had me on radar but couldn't show me proof.

Thanks in advance!!

Answer:
 The judge can 100% take back the cops favor and give you reckless driving. Just pay the fine and slow down.Answer #2: I would probably not try in Virginia. It sounds like committed a misdemeanor and have only a traffic ticket.

VA punishes speeding pretty harshly in general and treats speed enforcement as more of a safety issue than just a revenue generation tool. I would be wary of court and just exercise more care in the future.


Title: (Virginia) Mom and stepdad moved into Grandma's downstairs with a minimal contract and now I want to force them out - what can I do?

Question:
My mom and stepdad foreclosed on their house and moved into the downstairs of my grandma's house, where I have been living upstairs for the last 5 years to help take care of her while she gives me a rent free place to live.  When they moved in they were opposed to my idea to get a formal agreement drawn up and notarized so they have a very minimal agreement (ie, $1000 a month flat rate and no structural changes without expressed consent), and I believe the 'contract' expired recently.

My stepdad is a contractor and has taken it upon himself to fix up downstairs (though that has become more of an issue than help since he doesn't finish most of his projects), which I'm not sure is a relevant detail but I thought I'd mention it.

My mom and grandma have a tumultuous past and my stepdad is a slovenly redneck so it has become a real problem having them in the house since my grandma is quiet and obstinate and my mom and stepdad are bullies, which makes it hard for my grandma to stand up for herself in confrontations.

I am in the process of getting the deed to the house put in my name and will be working to pay off the balance of the reverse mortgage so I will effectively be the owner of the house in the years to come.

My question is - is there any legal way that I can give them an ultimatum to change their behavior and clean up their mess or leave the property?  I will obviously try to reason with them and help to correct the problem without taking it to that point but I wanted to have something in my back pocket in the event that they become more of a problem and refuse to leave.

tldr; any way to legally remove tenants from a house in my grandma's name when no real contract currently exists?

any help would be appreciated!

EDIT - I know I don't have the legal ability to do anything. to phrase it more correctly - what can my grandma do?

Answer: They have just as much of a right to be in the house as you do at this point. You have no standing to do anything. Your grandmother can terminate their tenancy, of course, but you can't. At least not unless and until the home belongs to you.


Title: CANADA [ONT]- Finding an Inmate

Question: Hello everyone, this is my first time making a post here and I'm not even sure if this is the right subreddit but I figured I'd give it a try. The title says it all. A person I grew up with landed himself in prison and I'm trying to figure out if there's a way I can find him with the minimal information I have. I know his name, date of birth, his charge, and when he was charged. I've done numerous Google searches and they have all failed miserably. Is there anything else I can do?

Answer:
 The Canadian Privacy Act ( which is federal legislation ) forbids the release of such information. Period. Only a  Police agency that is conducting an active criminal investigation about the individual can access inmate information.

Inmates have the same right to privacy as any other person in Canada.

In addition, in Canada, it is illegal to sell information about prisoner locations and parole or probation conditions. Unlike the USA, in  Canada the idea of being able to buy information about individuals is both illegal  and repugnant.

xxx.


Title: Friend renewed his brothers license for him, now being investigated for identity theft

Question:
British Columbia, Canada

Two brothers, lets call them Adam and Dan, may be in some serious trouble and I'm just wondering how serious it is and whether they should get a lawyer or not

Adam is 25 and has a class 5 license.

Adam lent his license and visa to Dan who is 18 and has his learner permit so that Dan and his 3 friends could rent a van to go camping (nobody had a visa to rent the van and the visa needs to match the license)

When they went to rent the van, Adams license was expired so Dan went to ICBC to renew the license thinking that they would just pay a fee and get the yellow piece of paper stating the license is active

Long story short Dans photo was taken and he forged Adams signature on Adams licence.

Adam finds out about this after the camping trip, and before he can do anything about it he gets a call from the RCMP ICBC fraud department(?) telling him that his identity was stolen.

Adam tells the RCMP officer the truth, that he gave his license and visa, and that his brother Dan was the one whose photo and forged his signature on the license, and the RCMP officer looked him up and discovered he only has a learner permit.

The RCMP officer now wants to meet with Dan and Adam on Monday, how much trouble could they possibly be in? They seem to think they will just pay a fine and be done with it but I wonder if they should at least speak to a lawyer first before going in on Monday.

UPDATE: They called a lawyer who said that they should seek legal counsel if they get charged, but the charge is not a felony because aparaently Adam gave Dan permission to forge his signature on the license.

Answer:
 Not familiar with Canadian law, but they are both likely in a heap of trouble.

Lawyer.  Now.


Title: [Idaho, Immigration Law] My friend's mom was arrested for allegedly entering the country illegally, even though the entry itself was legal and the fact that her visa expired made the entry illegal retroactively. What can be done?

Question:
My friend posted a blog entry with the full story, and I'll copy-paste it as the first comment with identifying details removed. The gist of it is, though, that her mom was arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement because she'd allegedly entered the country illegally in 2000. At the time, they entered the country normally and didn't have any trouble going through Customs. When this was brought up at the hearing, though, the response was that the fact that my friend's mom hadn't renewed her visa made that entry illegal. She wasn't allowed bail as she had a criminal history (at one point, she was caught shoplifting to support herself and my friend).
Since 2000, she's worked hard to support herself and my friend, including trying to fix her legal status, but she was arrested in October of 2014 and is being held in immigration detention while the removal proceedings take place.
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 TL;DR: Subject is an overstay with an expired visa, has previous conviction for shoplifting.

OP, your only answer here is to work with her existing attorney.  There's no magic formula to toss out an immigration charge.


Title: Could I be fired for failing a drug test after trying marijuana in Colorado/other legal states? (TN)

Question:
I have heard that it is legal to smoke it and that your employer cannot do anything about it if you smoked marijuana once on a trip to Colorado or other states out west.

 How true is this statement, and, if true, could I have enough for a case to file against my employer?

Answer:
 Your employer can fire you for failing a drug test, no matter where you smoked it.Answer #2: Yes you can. There is no federal job protection for marijuana usageAnswer #3: That's not true at all. If your employer has a policy to fire people with pot in their system, then using it in another state doesn't give you a loophole.Answer #4: It depends on the laws in that state. Marijuana is illegal for both recreational and medical purposes in TN so yes, you can get fired for it.

> I have heard that it is legal to smoke it and that your employer cannot do anything about it if you smoked marijuana once on a trip to Colorado or other states out west.

You heard wrong.Answer #5: Yes you canAnswer #6: There are lots of legal things you can be fired over: sleeping, wearing nothing but a bathing suit, cursing excessively, watching pornography, etc.

Just because it's legal doesn't mean you cannot be fired for it.

Some states make limited exception for medical use.  Tennessee is not one of them.


Title: [PA] non-profit malpractice lawyers for forced chemo on child?

Question:
Hi, my sister is in a precarious situation and we don't know where to start with dealing with it.

My nephew is being held against his family's will by a doctor that lied to a court to keep him there for unnecessary chemo. There's a nodule in his sinus that is small and can successfully be mitigated through surgical intervention per standard procedure in handling this type of issue.

The doctor lied to the court about the size and stage of nodule (gave information that didn't exist as he hadn't even ran tests yet!). As well as other things.

This started when my sister wanted to get a second opinion about this doc's assessment when she first came to the hospital. The doctor told DHS that she was going to "flee the country to avoid treatment" when that was far from the truth. He verbally assaulted my sister in front of nurses multiple times just because she asked normal questions about my nephew's care. (The nurses didn't understand why he would treat her like that. He called her "delusional" for asking if there were alternatives to chemo for treating the nodule- which there are.)

They had a hearing today at a child abuse courtroom that ruled my nephew has to stay with this doctor and get forced chemo. She was given a court appointed lawyer and wasn't allowed to bring her own.

Any idea on where to start to tackle this? We want my nephew to be able to see a different doctor at a different hospital. She didn't want to be seen at the one she's at as it coincidentally has a history of abusing people. They were taken there by an ambulance to treat a terrible reaction to an antibiotic as it was the closest hospital.

They're starting the chemo therapy today. We do not want this to continue to be forced on him. My sister's right to a second opinion and access to the best care for his physical, mental and emotional wellbeing was denied. What can I do to help? Are there non-profits that exist that I can appeal to for help?

Answer:
 There is approximately a zero percent chance the courts refused to hear your sister's attorney unless your sister's attorney is not admitted to practice or unless their filing was extremely out of order. The courts do not make decisions regarding who may represent competent adults. The court-appointed lawyer is almost certainly _your nephew's_ lawyer, not your sister's, and represents your nephew's interests.

If, in the unlikely event she really was told her lawyer could not speak, she needs to ask her lawyer why, and work with them to determine strategy. Malpractice is well past the competence of this sub, especially in combination with child custody and welfare issues.


Title: In Nebraska, can employers not pay you for your last day of work if you quit?

Question:
I quit my job 6 hours into an 8 hour shift on a monday and I didn't receive a check for that day. Is that normal or legal, and if not, what should I do? I was an hourly w2 employee.

UPDATE: called HR like the comments suggest, they said the computer system did something weird and they should have it to me soon. thanks everybody!

Answer: Did you ask payroll/HR what happened? It was likely a simple payroll computer error.


Title: [USA] I finished writing a book recently, the name I want to use is already taken from a company in Japan. Am I still able to use the name, or do I need to rename my series?

Question:
Recently I wrote a book, I'm hoping to write about 20 books in the series before I die.

The name of the book series is "Star Ocean". I really liked the name, because in the series I've wrote pilots of starships have to join the navy. So it made sense to let that be the name.

I didn't bother looking it up,  thinking about another name, because my main focus was to write the first book and let that be the main goal.

Now I see that "Star Ocean" comes from a video game company based in Japan. However, I do not know if they own that name here in the USA.

Will I be able to use "Star Ocean", or do I need to change the name of my series?

If it comes down to me having to change it, that's no problem. I haven't published the book yet and I'm just about to read over the entire book and let some friends read it as well, always good to get some thoughts before fully publishing it.

Thanks everyone!

Answer: It’s a range of video games inside USA as well. Rename.


Title: Fired court appointed Said I would get an attorney Didn't; court soon..

Question:
Question: case is unauthorized use of vehicle
With no attorney, what may be my options?
Anyone know? State of Texas.

Answer:
 Why did you fire your attorney? When you say "court soon" do you mean your arraignment or your trial?

If you are charged under 31.07 that means 6-24 months in jail...and a felony on your record. Unless you get a 12.44. If you don't already know that, and even if you do, you really, really need an attorney.Answer #2: That is no info.

You go to court and either plead if you havn't or present your case.

No one here can be your attorney so you will have to do whatever you think is best since you decided to go pro se.


Title: (Tennessee) I run a gaming club. According to my college, I have to have a license for every video game that we play. Is that true?

Question:
This is my first time posting on reddit, so I'm sorry if anything is messed up.

I am the president of my college's first gaming club. We cater to video games, board games, card games, and RPGs. We have run into a snag with the video game portion, which is a problem since it's the most popular category for my club. It has the most people attending.

Today I found out that in order for my club to play video games, I need a license from the company/publisher. So for an example, we are going to have a horror game themed night. That means for RE4, Silent Hill, Death Road to Canada, and whatever video game we might use, we need a license for each game. This also means we might need to pay a license for each game. The college is basically using the movie licensing terms and applying it to video games.

This makes no sense. We are a non-profit. We just want to hang out and play games. It's extremely impractical. I've never heard anything about this. I've even looked around online, but I can't find anything. I've looked at Nintendo's licensing page and saw nothing about needing to contact them. What about streamers and such? I'm pretty sure they don't have a license. The more I think about it, the more I'm convince the college as no idea what's going on. They are also refusing to give us money to buy video games for the club. They say we can't advertise, but if an individual wanted to do host something, it's fine.

This can destroy my club. We won't be allowed to hold our biggest events. We don't money to buy licenses. It just seems so overly complicated. One of my board members works at a library, a truly public place, and they don't know anything about playing games with a license. They just do it under PPR.

So my question(s): Is this true? Do I really need a license? If so, what are the odds of getting one? Do I have to get one for every single game? What about tournaments like Smash? We're interested in doing a fundraising Smash tournament for charity. Will that be a problem? What if other members want to bring their own games? Will we get in trouble for that? Does this effect board games and the other categories?

Here's so helpful information:

*At the beginning of the school year, the Programming Club puts on a Retro Gaming Night. I know for a fact they don't ask for licensing. The college has never bugged them about it before. They hold it in classroom, not a private dorm. They also have two projectors and several TVs going on in the same room.

*There is nothing in the Student Organization Handbook about video games. There's a section dedicated to movies, but nothing about video games.

*I go to a private college.

Any and all advice is welcome.

TLDR: Do I need a video game license for my college gaming club?

Edit: Deleted a part that I was just misunderstanding. If you're curious on what it is, it's in the comments.

Edit2: Just for clarification, I'm female. Hence Lady.

Answer: The university is trying to protect itself from liability. You should convert your university club into a facebook group and plan events there.Answer #2: Owning the game is buying a game licence. Unless you are making money then no other licence is needed, but if you are making money then that is a different story.


Title: [US] Airline didn't place luggage on connecting flight. Have important medication and everything I own in the bag.

Question: I had a flight from the west coast to the east with a layover in Chicago. I took the same airline the whole time. They did not place my bag in the return flight to the east coast. The bag has very important medication and all my stuff (keys etc.) I talked to baggage assistance filled out a missing luggage form. They brushed off the idea of putting me up in a hotel or compensating me since I have no way to get in my apartment or no way to take my meds. I took down their names and titles. What paths do I have to go down for this?

Answer:
 You likely do not have legal recourse at this time.

Nearly--if not all--airlines tell you not to put essential items such as medications and essential items like keys in checked luggage.  Because mistakes happens and bags get temporarily lost.Answer #2: Not much.  This is why they tell you never to pack important items like this.  Your should always carry such items with you onto the plane.Answer #3: Well, that was stupid. Everyone knows important stuff should go in your carry-on bag incase the airline loses your luggage.


Title: [PA] Is it legal for employer to force employees to work unpaid?

Question:
Normally I would say no, but I wonder if they found a loophole, or if what they are doing is illegal.

I'll try to explain as much as I can while keeping it brief.

I've worked retail nearly a decade. I've always worked for a huge company, presumably with a shit ton of lawyers, a huge (if ineffective) HR dept. Something like this would never fly at my old job. I transferred recently to a small local gas station chain. Local as in, they have gas stations and grocery stories in my state and a few in the state over. It is definitely a SMALL COMPANY. Like there are many things that they don't do "by the book" because they can't afford that book. It's good and bad. Anyway.

They don't pay to the minute, they pay to the nearest 15 minute. There is nothing in the handbook about this, but this is what they do. I don't know if it's company wide or our store, I would assume its a company decision. When I say to the nearest 15, I don't mean "if you work 9 minutes it gets rounded to 15." I mean, if you don't work 15 minutes you don't get paid. So for our paid breaks we need to clock out. But we need to clock for 14 minutes to get paid. If we accidentally go for 16, we don't get paid.

So onto the dynamics of the workplace. The cashiers count their own drawers at the end of the shift. So I typically work 2-10. When I go in, the day shift is counting their drawers to leave, I recount to make sure it's correct, I open. So this takes all of 10-15 minutes. Then at the end of my shift the same things happen. I gathered that as to not inconvenience the day shift too terribly, I should show up a bit early so they can leave on time. So I typically start work 5-10 minutes before 2. Sometimes my manager doesn't get the evening tasks done by 10, or the night cashier doesn't show early, so I leave 5-10 minutes after 10. I figured whatever, it's retail, you don't come and go right on the dot. But then I realized...  I'm not getting paid for those 10 minutes I'm coming early and staying late!

The first day I realized this, it was 10:11, and my supervisor said "Ok you're good, go home." I told her I was staying the extra 4 minutes to get paid for the 11 minutes I had to continue working. She was okay with it. And then it happened again the next night. She gave me a little hesitation. Like she didn't say "no" but she said "well store manager would rather you come in 15 minutes early than stay 15 minutes late so that the morning shift can leave on time." I explained that A) I can't practically show up 15 minutes early and B) I was already staying late, so I wanted to get paid for it.

So I checked the handbook. It says "Employees are paid for all the time worked per their schedule. [for me, 2-10] All time worked beyond your posted time must be approved by your manager."

My understanding of that, is that last night, at 10:11, if my supervisor had said "you need to leave now" I would not have gotten paid for those 11 minutes I had worked.

It sounds petty, it's only 11 minutes. But figure for me personally it's 10 minutes at the start and end of my shift. Times 4 days a week. That's an hour and 20 minutes of work a week I'm not getting paid for. Figure that they have around 20 employees working on average 5 days a week. If my shitty math is correct that's like 30 hours a week they're getting away with not paying people. Just in our location alone. Is this allowed? I'm going to just show up at 2:00 on the dot and if I don't leave at 10:00 continue to stay until 10:15. But I feel like this isn't ok.

Answer:
 * Rounding is legal if done fairly. Rounding solely in the employer's favour is not. Contact [DLI](http://www.dli.pa.gov/Individuals/Labor-Management-Relations/llc/Pages/Wage-Complaint-Form.aspx).

* If you have an established rate of pay per hour, you must be paid at that rate for all time worked, _not_ only for the time scheduled. You are also owed any applicable overtime. There are no "free hours." Again, contact DLI.

* Your employer is allowed to set your schedule, including ending your shift on the spot. However, doing so in ways that flagrantly manipulate the company's shift rounding in the company's favour isn't going to go well for them.Answer #2: If you need manager approval to work past 10, then ask for approval every single day, and if they don’t give it, clock out at 10 and go home.  That way, finishing closing isn’t your problem anymore, it’s the managers problem.  If your manager is smart, they will back off and make sure you get paid the extra 15 minutes every day


Title: [OH] Can I do cam modeling work if I am on disability?

Question: Hello, I am wondering if I am able to do cam modeling work on a website like Myfreecams, or chaturbate while receiving SSI or will they deem sex work unacceptable and kick me off? I know I am able to work and work from home, I just need to submit the necessary information which I am willing to do.

Answer:
 Cam work would be treated like any other job, as long as you're not violating any laws.

You will need to report your income. That income will reduce your monthly SSI benefit. If you make more than a certain amount per month (substantial  gainful activity) or exceed the resource limit for SSI, that can affect your SSI eligibility.


Title: Can a merchant who loses a credit card dispute subsequently go after the consumer through a collections agency?

Question: I recently had to have body work done on my car at a distant out-of-state dealership (thanks f**king deer) and the paint job on the new body panels ended up with a lot of dirt/grit at various spots, though I didn't realize until after I got the car home. When I contacted the dealer they offered to pay $100 or so to a local shop to have them fix it, but according to the estimate I got that won't nearly cover the cost. And since they dealer is so far away I can't just take the car back to them to have them fix their shoddy paintwork - so as the advice of another dealer (local dealer), I initiated a dispute for the $1000 deductible I paid to the out-of-state dealer (and insurance paid out $7k more to them). I had it in my head that if I win the dispute I can then just use that money to have the paint re-done correctly, but then it dawned on me: even if I win the dispute, can the shop just hire a collections agency to come at me over the same $1000 that the credit card company gave me back? FWIW, the dealer that did the bad work is in Missouri, and I reside in Minnesota.

Answer:
 Even if you do NOT win the dispute, you can/should sue the in small claims (if the value of having the work redone/fixed is within that limit).

Make sure you take pics/have the bodyshop who corrects it write a report/etc.


Title: Parent threatened to kick me out of home and call cops on me if I don't stop arguing with him - WA

Question:
I am a 21-year-old living in a house with both my mother and father. Things have always been tense living at home but it tends to get worse if my mom is out at work while I'm stuck home with my dad.

I cannot, unfortunately, move out for about another year or so once I have enough funds from working and saving up.

Yesterday an argument took place involving all 3 of us. My mom shrugged it off for the most part since it only involved my dad and I. We had at it throwing some (mild) insults at one-another, telling each other off due to him taking frustrations/anger out on us verbally for his own bad habits (bad sleeping, not getting along with strangers, etc. No drugs/anything of the like involved).

When I finally told him to be useful and quit arguing so much and stop throwing lies around, he threatened to attack me with physical force saying it would "shut [me] up for good." I simply told him to do so if he was really going to and I recorded the conversation with my phone (without his consent, however).

This morning began easily till I met him in the hallway where he continuously talked about yesterday and belittled everything I had to say. I simply said to him "You don't want to get into this again and I should be done with it too. Let's just stop." Afterward, I walked off while he was talking, attempted to close the bathroom door to use the restroom and he stopped the door, forcefully opened it and said he would be calling the cops to take me to jail immediately unless I cooperated with him and stopped being such a "case".

I pleaded with him to stop but he continuously made fun of me for being afraid and said "kids like you all deserve to go to jail till you treat us with some respect. I'm calling the cops on you now and there's nothing you can do about it. Afterward, you're gone from my house for good."

I am scared if I really will be taken to jail or if my recording the other day has any value. I take note of any (verbal) fights we have and (attempt to) write it down verbatim in a small diary by memory alone immediately after the fight takes place.

Having a clean record and never even spoken to the police before, is there anything I can do in this situation if he really goes through with it other than not argue?

Answer:
 Arguing with another adult isn't illegal. The cops aren't going to care.

Your parents can decide to stop housing their adult child and give you a notice to quit, followed by an eviction, pretty much whenever they want.Answer #2: Sounds like you need to make plans to move out sooner than you hoped. Answer #3: He can call the police if he wants. They wont arrest you for arguing.

They can also give you proper notice to vacate and you move out. You have no right to live there. You are a tenant. Answer #4: You get a couple of your friends and get an apartment.


Title: (LA) Can I get out of my lease if my roommate has been adjudicated mentally ill?

Answer: Since you provided basically zero information or context, I'll go ahead and say no.


Title: Can A Vindictive Employer Really Do This?

Question:
Been 2 years since I was employed.  Employer heard I was doing well in a competing field and filed arbitration stating that I could not be doing well without misappropriating undefined trade secrets.  Everything is very nonspecific and I honestly don't know what they are even referring to because they didn't define any of this.

I don't have very much money so the thought of having to hire a lawyer for arbitration that may take a year is daunting.  It seems like they are just trying to get me to cry uncle because in my field it's impossible to market myself and get a job somewhere if I have an ongoing arbitration.  So even if I could afford a lawyer, I certainly won't be able to now because I won't be able to attract work.

Is the system really this messed up?  What options do employees have ? Even if I win the arbitration, I still lose a lot of wages and lawyer fees.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: You talk with an attorney about it and see what options there are to get attorneys fees and lost wages if it is done in bad faithAnswer #2: You need a lawyer. Even if the accusation is bullshit, you need someone to represent you. There are legal aid societies our there who may be able to connect you with low cost employment lawyers.


Title: Received a signing bonus but resigned before hitting 1 year

Question: Now they want their signing bonus back as it is stated in the contract.  Am I legally bound to re-pay it?  Do they have to send a warning e-mail before sending off to collections?  It's due today.  Please help. (ATLANTA)

Answer:
 > Now they want their signing bonus back as it is stated in the contract. Am I legally bound to re-pay it?

You signed a contract and got money. You didn't uphold your end of the contract; yes, you need to repay it.


Title: Is my driving instructor scamming me?

Question:
I wanted to hire a driving instructor in order to practice before my actual driving test, but I got this Polish guy who barely speaks english and insults me at every turn. I just wanted to drive for an hour (since he’s an asshole and his rates are $50/hr) but now he’s saying that I have to drive another hour and pay $100 to get his car for the test

He’s saying that I have to drive a minimum of 2 hours to get the car, and demanding $200 for that, but we got into an argument and I don’t want to be in a car for another second with this dick. Is it true that I have to drive 2 hours with him to drive that car for the actual test? (PS, I live in CT and have already done more than 2 hours in that car, but it was like 5 months ago)
Topic:
Douche

Answer: Why can't you use a different car for the test?


Title: [PA] My subletter moved out early and insists that I do not have any legal right to keep their deposit

Question:
I'm in Pennsylvania and am on the lease for a house. I am currently out of the state for the summer so I subletted my room from mid-May to mid-August (3 months). The subletter and I are both university students.

Long story short, my subletter tells me that they're going to move out after 1 month because they do not feel comfortable in the house due to seeing 1 mouse and some ants. They paid one month's rent and half a month's rent as a security deposit to me before I left the state with the promise of sending over the rest of the 2 months' rent subsequently afterwards to my new mailing address for the summer.

I felt like their reason for leaving was a bit unreasonable just seeing as they had viewed the house and understood that it was an older rowhome and most houses do get their share of pests in the summer. Especially for the rent, it didn't seem like it was a deal breaker.

I was upset but I rolled with the punches and have found a new subletter for the rest of the summer but I told my old subletter that I wanted to keep the security deposit since they broke our contract two months early. They insist that I have no legal right to do so. Because I didn't foresee this issue, I didn't draw up a proper written contract, but they did fill out a "Subletter Information form" that had their personal information, the three month duration of their stay, and their signature. I have the emails and the cashed 1st month's check to prove that there was an offer, agreement, and consideration to make this a proper contract even without an explicit legal document.

So last week I deposited the security deposit anyway but today I found out that the check bounced and the amount of the deposit plus a $15 bounced check fee was deducted from my account.

My questions are:
* Am I in the legal right to keep the amount of the security deposit?
* If I am, how can I go about getting back the security deposit? Is the amount worth going to small claims court in PA?

Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 So you already have another subletter lined up, meaning there's feasibly no gap in rent for you to cover and another deposit coming your way, and you want to keep the deposit just because the person violated a hypothetical contract? It sounds like you're an asshole unless I'm missing something here.Answer #2: Wait. So you took a security deposit check but never cashed it?

What are your monetary damages?Answer #3: > So last week I deposited the security deposit anyway

Where? A landlord in Pennsylvania (which is what you are in this case) has two options with a security deposit. You can either place it in an escrow account or you can post a guarantee bond for the amount of the security deposit. You can't just deposit it into your bank, not legally at least.


Title: [TX, USA] Gender Marker change for a minor?

Question:
Hello! I'm a 17 year old MTF girl in the DFW area in Texas. Right now I'm in the process of legally changing my name before college, but me, my therapist, and parents are unsure of the possibility of a gender marker change.

The largest issue right now is that my ideal college right now lacks gender neutral rooms, and doesn't allow trans folk to room with the dorms of their gender identity. By the time I began school here, I would have been on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for over a year. The half-year to one year marker tends to be the time frame for transwomen to 'pass' so rooming with guys would be incredibly, incredibly uncomfortable.

I found an article from a local LGBT-news site that said thanks to the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, Texas has somehow become more lenient on gender marker changes. (Just a side note, I can give a link to this, I'm just not sure if linking to it would be considered an ad.) Prior to this, a Surgeon Letter was required, but now that restriction is gone. I wanted to know that, if I were changing my name, and had been on HRT for roughly half a year, would I be able to replace my Male marker with a Female one?

Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: It's a possibility.  Does this institution have a LGBTQ/GSM center?


Title: CA. Child Abuse. What do you do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Call the police or CPS in your county.


Title: [California] Is this extortion by my kid?

Question:
I just bought my son a new phone a few days ago for $1 through a sale (Phone retails~$250 to $300) and today he comes with a new phone. Obviously I question where he got it from and where is his old one. He tells me that a kid in school broke his phone and my son told the phonebreaker to pay about $275 for him to get a replacement. He showed his old one full of cracks and scratches and it won't turn on. Did my son just extort another kid out of their money?

EDIT: I'll update the post when necessary but I think my kid is fine legally

Answer: No. For this to be extortion he would need to threaten consequences beyond rectifying the initial wrong. Like "Replace it or I will kick your ass" or "Replace it or I will tell the principal that you are dealing drugs".Answer #2: Generally, "you owe me money, pay up" is legal.  "You owe me money, pay or I'll take action to recover my money" is generally also legal.  What's not legal is threatening to report a crime or embarrass someone for it.Answer #3: Smart kid. The fact that you paid $1 for it doesn't change the fact that it's worth about $250.  If the other kid doesn't pay, the next step is to send a demand letter and then small claims court after that.Answer #4: How old is your kid?


Title: (Ohio) Overtime rollover when paid bi-weekly?

Question:
Hello,

My wife is an hourly, full-time employee of a non-profit.  She is paid biweekly.  For the last several weeks, she has worked more than 40 hours a week and her employer has rolled the extra hours to the next week.  She has not been paid any hours at time-and-a-half.  I believe this is illegal, but am not sure.  She has not worked there for very long so I am concerned about her getting fired if she raises a stink over it.  Could this be reported anonymously? Is she at all protected from retaliation if she raises this issue?  Ohio, USA

edit for grammar

Answer:
 This is illegal.

&#x200B;

Yes, she would be protected from retaliation.


Title: How does this work? You aren't allowed on private property, why would the police take issue with free speech if they've been asked to leave?

Answer:
 It's likely here that the store doesn't actually own or control the property these people are using, at least not in whole.

In many(perhaps even most) areas, the common area outside the store's physical boundaries is shared or still in the primary possession of the landlord.  In other words, the store doesn't have the sole dominion to bar someone from that property.

Given that, the police would only be able to take action for some other form of criminal activity.  That would be an anti-solicitation charge, or a harassment charge, or something like that.  And those turn on banning some form of speech, which immediately raises 1A problems.

Reading between the lines a bit here, I'm guessing these solicitors have a political agenda of some kind, one that the company disagrees with.  Effectively, the police would be removing them from the property **solely** because of their political beliefs, with no other criminal activity, which is a gigantic no-no.

In short: they probably aren't trespassing, which means the police can't remove them without another issue.Answer #2: Police officers can be wrong about the law. Also they are not required to take action.
There may be other issues. Is the area outdoors? They may not know if the area is privately owned or not and decided they don't hqve evidence.


Title: My friends mom destroyed his ps4

Question:
I bought my friend a ps4 a few years back and his mom destroyed it today, on purpose. Since I did not buy it for her and I believe it is still technically my property what could I do about getting the money for a new one from her. Is she in the right? I don’t think the whole my house my property thing applies to the law...
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 The moment you gave the PS4 to your friend, you no longer had any ownership interest in the PS4.

You cannot sue the mother.Answer #2: How old are you and how old is your friend?

&#x200B;

If you bought the PS4 as a gift (and especially given he's had it in his possession and been using it for a few years) than it's almost certainly going to be considered a gift - and therefore your friends property.

&#x200B;

So this doesn't really involve you at all (legally speaking). Your friend may be able to take his mother to small claims court for the cost of the PS4 but you can't.


Title: [NM] Is it OK to store firearms for someone who may not be able to legally own firearms?

Question:
Friend has been served a (not well justified) temporary restraining order. He believes this means the cops will be around shortly to retrieve his guns. A brief Google indicates this would only happen if the petitioner asked the judge to include this stipulation in the final restraining order, but I haven't seen the paperwork and am not sure. In any case, he will be going to court later this week over it, presumably so the temp can be converted into a final RO.

He has asked me to hold onto his guns, in my home, until the RO is lifted, to avoid having them taken by the police and potentially lost/damaged. I am a gun owner, have a CCL, have adequate gun storage, and don't mind doing this. Just want to make sure this won't a) hurt his case or b) leave me legally vulnerable in any way.

Does your advice change if he ends up unable to own guns due to a domestic violence misdemeanor? This is unfortunately also on the table. I've advised him to just sell them, but he's a bit of a gun rights nut and isn't interested.

Answer:
 You should not participate in *any* scheme to hide weapons from the police.  At all.  Ever.  For any reason.

If it turns out that the order is that he merely not possess them, it's very possible that they'll allow you to hold onto them.  You should wait until you see whether that's a possibility.


Title: Car was towed from my workplace (Ontario)

Question:
17(M) I work at sobeys and without getting into too much detail there has been a tow truck working our parking lot towing a lot of cars. With what I've gathered they have a spotter sitting in one car waiting to see if anyone goes across the street and NOT into sobeys. Once they have spotted that, another person will come around in the tow truck and tow the car away to the lot. This has been going on for 4 ish months now and I have encountered no issue. Until tonight. I got to work at 4:00pm, parked my car and went straight into sobeys, I did not walk across the street, I did not do anything to suggest I was going anywhere but the store (I was wearing my work uniform like cmon). At around 6:30pm I went to may car for my 15 minute break and went back into the store when my break was over. Again, I walked DIRECTLY into the store. At 8:00pm there was a customer with two children not older than 8 years old at the front desk complaining his car got towed. I saw this customer in the store buying groceries at around 7:45 ish so when my co worker and I saw him complaining we knew something was up. When I walked out of the store at 9:00 at the end of my shift, my car was gone. I argued with the tow driver who had just gotten back with the mans car who was towed earlier. He said I needed to be displaying a parking pass if i worked there so I wouldn't be towed (I have never been told of such thing) and that i would need to pay the full 400 DOLLARS FEE. Now keep in mind I'm a 17 year old high school student who doesn't have that type of money available. Now there was a lot of BS in the middle that included my co-worker driving me to the lot and my parents coming but I'll skip over it. Long story short I got my car back without any charge FOR NOW and he said he would be calling my boss in the morning to sort this out because he needs to be paid. I don't know what to do, any advice is welcome :)

TL;DR : While I was working my car was towed by a towing company who is contracted by my work to tow cars of customers who aren't shopping at the store. After a long dispute I got my car back but I was told the bill needed to be paid somehow and he would be contacting my boss in the morning.

Answer:
 NAL but if the tow company gave up the car without charging you or your parents any money then that’s probably because they realized that they didn’t have a leg to stand on. Hopefully your boss tells them to shove the bill up their ass. If the company is towing costumer cars for no reason then your employer might be inclined to see if another tow company will handle their lot.

Good luck!


Title: How much will a restraining order to keep my father away from my 4 month old son cost me? My son has my last name but his mother and I aren’t married yet. She has blocked his number but doesn’t want to get involved. He sucker punched me in the jaw today as hard as he could because he was angry.

Question:
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You are talking about your sons grandfather? As his parent you and your partner have an absolute right to keep your children away from anyone unless they have a court order enforcing visitiation.


Title: [NY] What are my options if a family court judge is biased?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: New York has a commission on Judicial Conduct. You likely also have appeal rights.


Title: Should I contact a lawyer or just move on with my life? (Michigan)

Question:
In August of 2017 my father got into a car accident and died.  So much has happened since then that I've put off trying to comprehend what actually happened since that day. I'll share a few details of what happened.

My dad was picking my younger brother up and then was going to come visit me for the day. This day had random rainfall but when it was raining it was large raindrops. My dad not speeding hydroplaned into oncoming traffic in his car, and managed to turn his car just enough so that my brother sitting in the passenger seat was able to walk away from the crash with only a few scrapes and bruises. My dads tires were very bald which I think contributed to the accident. I don't blame the driver of the truck who didn't swerve, he had his child in the back seat and had no good options.  However, and here is why I am here. While the heli was trying to land to medi-evac my dad to the nearest hospital a professional drone pilot was flying/filming the accident preventing the helicopter from landing upwards of 30 minutes.  My dad died in route to the hospital. Do I think my dad would still be here if that drone pilot hadn't prevented air rescue from helping him sooner? Maybe.

Unfortunately in the police report they put down that my dad wasn't wearing his seat belt, which is wrong. My dad always wore his seat belt, my little brother tried to unbuckle him so he could help him. But the police never questioned us or anything after that day. All in all it was a tragic accident. But over a year later I still go to bed every night shedding tears for my dad. He was 49 years old and would have been 50 this year.

There is also a lot of reasons as to why I haven't done anything up to this point. If that matters I can go into the reasons why.

Answer:
 What's a professional drone pilot and how do you know that the drone pilot was a professional? Do they have his name? Was he working at the time? Do you know his employer?  Does he have any money or insurance?

If someone with money or insurance screwed up or was careless or violated an FAA drone-flying regulation, and this delayed life-saving medical treatment to your dad, then you might want to talk to a lawyer about it.


Title: Bouncer punched me for no apparent reason

Question:
At a club in Canada, I’m with a group of 4 friends, the girls go in and my buddy goes in. I’m the last one and the bouncer decides he won’t let me in. Not intoxicated out of my mind, didn’t instigate anything.

He just punches me 4 times and says “what ru gonna do about it”

What can I do??

Answer:
 You can make a complaint to the owner.

You can make a complaint to the police.Answer #2: Speak to the owner and speak to surrounding establishments for video evidence.


Title: Who would a judge decide should leave?

Question:
Im not on the lease officially but I’ve been here since day 1.

Me and my daughter’s mother have finally decided to call it quits. We’ve been struggling since she’s been dealing mental health issues. We’ve been together for 3 years and have a 2 year old daughter. I’m aware we had a kid very quickly but at the time she was a completely different person.

We decided to end this officially and today after much resistance I stood up and said that I deserve the apartment. Now she has a son who’s 6 to go along with our daughter but I’m not his biological father. In our city rent is super expensive and I have the ability to live comfortably off minimum wage while I go to school for the next 2 years, due to this apartment being low income housing. And college being free if you make under a certain amount a year which I definitely do.

I told her that I don’t feel that it’s fair that she be unemployed for almost a year by quitting her job by choice, and me been working and scraping to get by with my low paying job. At the age of 27 she still doesn’t have much life direction and have no idea what it is she wants to do in life, even though she is the proud mother of 2 kids.

 I am going to be getting a considerable amount in taxes and I can clear out debt and change things to my name. I told her that if we are truly over it isn’t fair to me that even though I’ve been struggling to make ends meet in an apartment if honestly I pick up a second job I can upkeep on my own until I land a job with my degree (2 years)  after back in forth she finally said “if it means so much to you stay here” and now she’s in the bathroom crying her eyes out and I’m here feeling like an asshole for bringing this pain onto her because even though we’re over and she’s caused me great stress I do still love her as a person and want her to be well. Just no longer at my expense like I been doing.

Who should leave the apartment? Should I have to rebuild my entire life because I got tired of seeing you waste yourself away? Or should she pick up and leave and understand that this a result of her own actions.

TLDR: Who gets the apartment Mom who quit her job for year and let us struggle in debt because she has 2 bio kids to care for. Or Dad who has been working to pay the little bills he has and is gonna use income tax money to put himself in a position where he can fix his life and live in the apartment with the 1 bio kid they share?

If I take this to court can I win?

Answer:
 >Im not on the lease officially

Then a judge doesn't get to decide anything, it is her apartment and she could give you notice to move anytime she likes.


Title: [IN] Kinship guardianship visitation question

Question:
Hello all. I am in Indianapolis, Indiana. My sister was recently arrested for a domestic dispute with her boyfriend. She has twin babies that are eight months old. Long story short, she has a long criminal history and the babies were placed in foster care by DCS. I have obtained kinship guardianship of both children and they are currently living with me.

The issue I am having is with my sister's father (we have different dads) and his wife. Let's call him Scott. Scott is a convicted child molestor. He is also an alcoholic who gets drunk and beats his wife. I was around 5 when he was married to my mom and I witnessed him to do the same to her. He would get drunk, they would argue, and he would beat the hell out of her. Some of the more extreme examples that I remember include him hitting her in the head with a 2x4 and her having to get stitches, busting a beer bottle across her face and breaking her nose, pouring boiling hot soup water on her, and repeatedly slamming her face against the counter making her eye so black that she wore an eye patch for weeks. Mostly what I remember though is waking up in the middle of the night to my mom screaming and crying and running to find her just to see him mounted on top of her punching her in the face repeatedly and seeing her face covered in blood. These experiences have had lasting trauma on me and my sisters as you can probably imagine.

Anyways, Scott and is wife are requesting to see the babies. I am obviously not allowing them to. However, I am worried that they are going to contact DCS and force me to.

It seems pretty obvious that DCS should be on my side and allow me to keep the children from him. However, they gave approval to my sister to allow her to live at his house with them! As I mentioned previously, she has a long criminal history and has had issues with DCS in the past. While under investigation by DCS, she moved into her dads house and brought the babies with her. DCS completed their investigation, which included an inspection of his house, and deemed it a SAFE environment for her to raise her children, despite his criminal past!

That is part of the reason I am worried that they are going to force me to let him see the babies. I have read the documentation I was given about kinship guardianship in Indiana, but it seems to only specify policies for visitation with the children's biological parents. I am wondering if I have any rights to block him from having visitation? Does he even have any right to see the children under kinship guardianship? If DCS does tell me to let him see them, will I get arrested if I refuse? I am unsure of my rights in this situation.

Answer: Unless he has a court order allowing visitation you can prevent him from coming to see the kids. I would speak to an attorney if you're able to afford it to help protect yourself and the babies.


Title: 19 yr old Son went to jail. First Offense DUI 0.10, Disorderly, Leaving scene of accident w/damage

Question:
My 19 year old was arrested last night n South Carolina. Any advice on what to do or how to handle this? The jail is absolutely no help at all..

Should we lawyer up for a DUI? He was arrested last night. Still haven't spoken to him so we dont know exactly what happened. His GF told us he called her at 2am. Said he had taken "acid" and was driving home.

Given the charges. Is he looking at any serious jail time? Any idea of what the mandatory jail time or bail is for charges like this?

He's got finals this week and hes in jail, kids are so stupid!

Answer:
 He’s an adult. As far as the jail and court will be concerned you aren’t part of this.

You can get him a lawyer. He can talk to no one about this but his lawyer and who his lawyer advised.