Title: Mentally ill mother is lying about domestic violence to make me leave the house. I am worried about being arrested or getting a criminal record.

Question:
I live in Australia.

I'm currently a teenager and am too young to leave the house or become independent. My mother is very eccentric and is mentally and emotionally unstable. In the past she has beaten me (when I was small) and psychologically abused my sister and I. Today she was upset that I was taking too long to do a chore and began yelling at me and berating me, I tried asking her to calm down but she charged into me and hit me a couple of times before saying I had attacked her. I'm a male and she's smaller than me so I wasn't hurt, but she then proceeded to call the police and say that I was violent and that she was worried about me being in the house with her because one of us was going to get hurt (which is untrue, in the past she's said she would slit my throat, but she's too weak to hurt me and I won't hurt her). Her boyfriend always backs up her claims no matter what she says, so it was two against one. The police said that I would have to leave and if I didn't she had the right to call the emergency number if she felt she was in danger, so the police could come take me away. I calmly asked her to let me talk to the officer but she wouldn't let me. Before I left, mum began crying hysterically (she had angrily stated earlier that she might be  having a nervous breakdown). I ended up leaving. The rest of our family (who are no longer living with mum) are able to defend me if anything happens, as they know what type of person she is and have suffered her abuse and mistreatment. Mum does this fairly often, but today she was it her worst. i have never seen her snap so quickly and so bizarrely. It was the first time I had seen her in almost 2 weeks.

Where I need advice: Am I legally obligated to leave if my mother tells me to? I had not been with her for a long time and she has custody of me. Is it possible that I will get a criminal record if she tries this again and the police show up? We (my family who no longer live with her) are going to tell her that what she did was wrong and that she mistreated the police by lying to them and using them as a weapon. What should I do if she tries to claim I've assaulted her? I felt frightened because I had no defence against her claims. She never has any bruises or marks as I never hit her, but other than that it's her word against mine, and since she's a small, middle-aged woman I doubt they will listen to me.

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

edit: words
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 If the police turn up you tell them exactly what happened as you've told us here. She can't stop you from talking to the police and you'll have a much easy time talking to officers face to face than to a 000 operator.

Remember she's the one that beat *you* up and you're the one with the bruises. In fact if I were you I'd walk down to the station now, explain the situation and have her charged.

Also which state or territory are you in? Location matters when it comes to criminal and housing law in Australia.

You can also call the Child Protection Crisis Line Australia wide on 131 278.


Title: (NE) My mom is threatening to sue me to take back an heirloom ring...

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 When your mom gave your now husband the ring it was a conditional gift. This means that it was revocable, and your mom retained some degree of ownership, until the condition (him proposing) was fulfilled. Once he proposed, the ring belonged to him because the condition was fulfilled.

When your husband proposed it was a gift in contemplation of marriage, which is just another way of saying it was a conditional gift to you. Once you fulfilled the condition (marriage) the ring's ownership was transferred to you.

Your mother lost all claim to the ring when your husband proposed and your husband lost ownership when you married him. So this is all a long way of saying no need to worry, the ring is squarely within your ownership and no one else's.


Title: (AL) City has ordinance making it unlawful to sag pants

Question:
https://law.resource.org/pub/us/code/city/al/Lanett,%20AL%20Republication%20with%20placeholders.pdf
Sec. 18-15. Wearing of pants below the waist in public, unlawful.

Basically, my hometown has an ordinance stating it is illegal to sag your pants (walk around with your pants waistline below your waist, exposing skin or undergarments) punishable by fine and community service, but I question the constitutionality of said ordinance - wouldn't sagging one's pants be an expression of Freedom of Speech? Is this ordinance enforceable?

Answer:
 It's likely not enforceable and still a law because it hasn't been challenged.Answer #2: Almost certainly unconstitutional.

And the ACLU would likely support anyone arrested.

https://www.laaclu.org/press/2014/031714.htm


Title: [IP] Poster I designed was copied/modified and sold on Etsy (USA)

Question:
Three years ago, I created and published [this poster](http://minimalmovieposters.tumblr.com/post/31804419722/moneyball-by-andrew-millen) on the Minimalist Movie Poster tumblr. I've since started selling the print on Society6 [here](https://society6.com/product/moneyball-f4d_print#1=45). Today I found a blatant ripoff of my design that doesn't use any elements directly from my poster, but copies the same idea and layout: https://www.etsy.com/listing/182299350/moneyball-minimalist-poster

I didn't specify any copyright license when I first published the work. Do I still have grounds to contact the shop owner and/or Etsy to demand he take it down?

Thanks.

Update: The infringing item was taken down by the owner. Thanks for the help.

Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 The basic standard for infringement is whether it is substantially similar, it is not necessary to literally take individual elements. If they based their design off of yours it is likely they are infringing. Assuming you have the files from when you originally created this, you should not have an issue proving you are the artist and therefore the automatic holder of the copyright. You are free to send them a DMCA or a cease and desist without having registered your copyright. You can also send a demand for licensing fees if you want.

The other artist may respond that he or she created a similar work independently, and may have his or her own time-stamped files to bolster that argument. Indeed, it's possible these two works were created independently.


Title: Appealing a plagiarism offence. Not at fault but there is questionable evidence.

Question:
(CANADA, ontario) thanks bot
Hey there! I'm wrapping up my final year at college, taking computer programming.

Now everything I am about to talk about is going to sound like a complete joke to you guys, and that is because it is. But my teacher is taking every step possible to screw over my friend and I. I'll just try and bullet point through as fast as I can because I'm terrible at explaining things.

- 2nd year SQL class.
- Week 10 assignment.
- Assignment: Write INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE statements to do this and that.
- (Yes, 2nd year, week 10, we're learning about DB insertions.)
- Friend and I skype up and work through the assignment together. Much more fun this way.
- Teachers encourage this act of helping.
- There's not many ways to write an SQL statement differently when we're all asked to answer the same question
- Friend copies snippet in skype chat to me so I can see what he's having trouble with. I explain to him whats wrong.
- He fixes it up to how i say he should do it
- Turns out i'm wrong
- Our error outputs are the same, and the line of code in question is the same.
- Think nothing for 2 weeks
- *actually* go to class because I have to hand in a different assignment in in paper form.
- (Yes we can't submit online... we print our code out for our teachers)
- Teacher pulls me aside in front of whole class
- Pressures me into admitting I plagiarized with my friend.
- I admit that we worked together on skype
- Shows me line of code that was the same
- I say I helped him with it
- Tells me theres no way that should be the same error
- I tell him **again** that I helped him with it and its probably my fault
- He asks if I copied code
- (All this infront of class, a fellow teacher said he should have had a private meeting)
- I tell him friend sent a code snippet for me to review (If I screen shared, i wouldn't have said this)
- Teacher hears "sent a code snippet" and uses that against me for remainder of conversation
- I continue to explain that other teachers encourage helping each other
- He closes his brain and says nothing but "Your paper is going to be reviewed and acted upon for academic dishonesty"
- Sends me e-mail stating if I admit to the plagiarism he will make situation a *ghost situation* meaning if another instance of this happens, I will be busted
- My morality conflicts with being able to admit to plagiarism in e-mail
- Am now going to have to stand infront of people and appeal this situation
- There are about 8 to 10 lines of code here and there that are the exact same because it is a SQL INSERT STATEMENT FOR THE SAME DATABASE. We didn't copy each other's code, we ended up writing it the exact same!!!!!!!!
- Could be at risk now for something so small

I just want this situation to be gone. I'm terrible at standing up for myself infront of people, mostly because I could give a rats ass about the outcome of situations. (Except this one).

I spoke with a teacher that I knew would side with me in the situation, but unfortunately she's friends with the teacher in question, and as such I can respect that she doesn't want to be part of the situation.

Can any body provide me tips on how to handle myself in a professional manner against this 2 year old teacher. I have a perfect academic record, my and my friends marks are all above 90, we excel in programming. We have respect from lots of other teachers, (though this guy probably hates us because we never show up to class, and can do his assignments in 20 minutes).

My friend and I's main points that will be discussed (If thats even how it works) are the way he approached us in front of class, the way he twisted what we said and used it against us, and will bring up our academic records with good marks. I want to avoid the actual document it self because there is code that ended up being the same :(

Sorry for my disability in writing, my brain just goes every where when I try typing things out! (But damn watch me code! It makes up for it!)

Thanks guys.
-Andrew

EDIT: tl;dr friend and I's code has similar errors because we worked together, is this a just cause for a plagiarism offence??

Answer:
 > - Friend copies snippet in skype chat to me so I can see what he's having trouble with. I explain to him whats wrong.

> - He fixes it up to how i say he should do it...

> - Our error outputs are the same, and the line of code in question is the same.

And

> - Pressures me into admitting I plagiarized with my friend.
> - I admit that we worked together on skype

Sounds like you broke the academic integrity guidelines.  You admitted as much.  You have no recourse.


Title: Sticky Rental Situation

Question: Me and my husband have lived in our home for over 5 years. We have never missed a rent payment to our private landlord. Our lease expired 4 years ago and we are basically "month to month". The lease states our landlord cannot make us move without 60 days notice. It says he cannot place a sign to sell the home only within the last "30 days" and cannot show the home without 24 hours notice. Well he wanted us to buy it but we did not want to buy it at that rate. He called July 3rd to say he was coming Wed. July 4th to place a for sale sign. He then called 7:30 a.m. July 5th to say he was showing house at 9:30 a.m. that same morning. I was home with my children and furious! One we paid rent for month of july why is he showing home when he has not given us "official notice" nor has he given us  day to move out, and two that is WAY less than 24 hours notice. I am beyond livid and wonder what my options are.... Atlanta, GA, USA.

Answer: Those lease terms likely don't carry over to your month-to-month tenancy, unless the lease has some auto renewal or the lease specifically says they do.  You're likely held to the default terms of Georgia's landlord tenant act, now.


Title: NY State, NYC. Auto mechanic adding about $500 onto the bill after repairs are done.

Question:
To make a long story short, I bought a used car, which now needs a new transmission. Took it to a dealership, was given a final price which we agreed upon over the phone (GM is paying 60%.) No, I (foolishly in retrospect) do not have the price in writing.

Now that the repairs are completed, they're telling me a "mistake" was made in the pricing, and the cost is much higher. GM is still paying 60%, but my final bill is about $500 more. At no point was I consulted about the price change. What are my options?

Answer:
 Im not positive about NY, but in most places if the repair cost exceeds the estimate, they have to get your permission to proceed.  If they do it anyway its normally on them.

a quick google brought me here, might be a good place to start

http://dmv.ny.gov/org/brochure/know-your-rights-auto-repair


Title: My Commercial Loan Was Sabotaged.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I retained counsel.

Your lawyer has a better understanding of the situation than we possibly can.


Title: Employer is claiming they can patent my machine

Question:
Hello Everyone,

To preface, I will say I work for a university in Florida as a multimedia assistant. I produce multimedia content for courses such as video lectures. I have been working outside of my job description for at least half a year and trying to make my department more innovative (in hopes of a raise). Although I have an assistant role in the department, I have been doing specialist work.  I have had some issues at work as of late regarding a machine I programmed and built. The machine was built outside of work, with my own money and with my own tools. I built the machine in order to make my life easier at work and automate my process. One day, the director of the department decided to bring a patent lawyer to look at the device and tells the lawyer that he wants it patented. The director never approached my supervisor or myself to discuss this. I went along with the meeting as to not make the situation uncomfortable (even though I was). I later went and spoke to my direct supervisor about this and told him that I was uncomfortable because I was not approached about this. Two weeks pass by, and a meeting is scheduled to meet with the director and my supervisor's boss. In the meeting the director was extremely unprofessional, disrespectful, and pretty much said that he can take the patent if he wants to take it. I do not get paid to create patents, inventions, do research, etc. I simply have an assistant role to create and edit media for the department. During the meeting, the director implied that he will have to consider whether to keep me or not because I'm not a "team player". The director never tried to work it out with me, but simply said that he can take it if he wants. Am I wrong for not wanting to give up the patent in this situation? Is it legal for him to take the patent? Any thoughts and comments on the situation are appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:
 Complicated case and it might be worth a chat with a lawyer, tbh, and I hate giving that advice here. Also, IP and patent laws aren't a strong area of mine, but I've worked at a University before and the IP stuff gets confusing there. I do have some personal experience with them; my old grad prof owns one of my personal designs...

I'm not sure about Florida, but some universities have pretty strict IP clauses in their contracts and the fact that you built this specifically for your job complicates things. Your employer could claim that you came up with the idea on company time, or you worked casually on it.

There's questions a lawyer will ask, like (in no particular order):

1) Did you work from home on company time?

2) What does your contract say about IP?

3) Did the machine use any propriety code of the university?

4) Why did you bring it to work and did you use it to perform work duties?

5) Why in the hell would you think it was ok to let your director and a patent law attorney look at it without first patenting it???

Those are my initial thoughts. I hope others chime in on this one.  Answer #2: Well, you built it, on your time, with your money.  Take it home, its yours, you own it.

Or, you used their resources and facility to build it. Then they own it


Title: A question about Character Statements at a sentencing.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Ask his attorney for advice.  There's nothing inherently good or bad about expressing belief on his innocence, but generally character statements are intended to be an opportunity to say why he deserves a light sentence because of his overall value as a person, not to espouse innocence.Answer #2: Generally speaking, every time a character witness says that it's out of character for the offender, or he isn't the sort to do this, or whatever, it doesn't go well. The prosecutor will say, well, since he's admitting having done it, you're obviously not as familiar with his character as you claim, or else he's very good at hiding that part of himself, which makes one question what worth your statement is...

If it's a crime of deception/dishonesty/sexual abuse which involved concealment or grooming of the victim and the crime, think hard, because that may really piss the prosecutor and judge off. You end up making him look like a deceitful, manipulative sort who can convince people to claim he's innocent even as he stands there having admitted the crime.

To actually deny he did it, you might as well shred that statement before handing it in. IMHO.


Title: Child support without knowing much about father (US - TN)

Question:
Hello,

I'm hoping somebody here can give me some advice on a potential child support case in Tennessee. I'm an unmarried single woman that is now about 5 months pregnant and don't have much information on who I very much believe is the father. A little backstory first:

I met a man on a dating app last year and we hooked up several times before I found out I was pregnant. Once I found out, I initially went to have an abortion that the potential father paid for as neither of us wanted to have a child, especially not together. We were sexually compatible, but that is honestly it, and I originally only hooked up with him because I was in need of some financial assistance and he gave it to me. Other than that, I would not want to be around this person for any amount of time. After going to the initial consult at planned parenthood, I just realized there's no way that I could live with myself if I had an abortion. I also am not willing to place the child up for adoption - I have worked in this area in the past and it's not something I'm willing to subject another child to.

My fuckup - I told the father that I went through with the procedure and only recently decided to come clean to him and tell him I'm still pregnant. I was scared how he would react but knew he would eventually find out. I do not want him involved in the child's life, and he doesn't want to be involved either, now I just want him to help financially support the child as I can't do it on my own. As can be understood, he was extremely upset and went through a range of emotions but seems to be willing to help to an extent. Neither of us want him on the birth certificate or to be involved in the upbringing.

Here are the problems. I do not know hardly anything about this man.

Information I have:

\- First name

\- general location (metro city) of where he lives and works

\- possibly his birthday or birthdate

\- phone number, but it's a google voice number, not a cell phone number

\- one venmo transation where he sent me money

\- maybe his profession

I can't find him on Facebook, or any other social media app as I'm pretty sure he never created profiles on them. I have looked very hard but there is just nothing out there. For all I know, he could have been lying about any of that information as well though.

I originally requested that he just pay enough to cover daycare and a bit of extra spending totaling $1200 a month because he told me he makes 6 figures, but come to find out that was not the case. I make a bit over 40k, he makes a bit over 50k. He showed me a recent paystub with his personal information covered up and it looks real. He also showed me his bank account balances and I don't believe he makes any more than he showed me. Because of this, he says that $1200 is not physically possible, ran through his finances, stopped his 401k contributions, and is telling me that he could not pay more than $700.

I do not want to go to court because I'm afraid of how expensive it will be. I'm in a lot of debt, have maxed out credit cards, and no way to pay for court costs unless my parents help out, but don't even know that they can because of my father's health issues. The father's told me that if I decide to take things through court that he will just delete his number and disappear. I'm concerned that this could actually be true and will have no way of personally tracking him down. He also said that if it ever ends up going to court that he will challenge the paternity, and if proven his have the birth certificate changed and ask for parental rights that I know he doesn't want, but I'm not sure that what I want matters at this point. If it's taken through the legal system I just know it will not be easy at all.

My questions:

Can the child support system could find this man with the limited information I have available if I want to pursue him for more?

What should I expect to pay in legal costs to establish paternity and an order for child support?  How much time should I expect between filing the order and receiving my first payment?

Is his offer of $700 in child support reasonable based on the income he provided?

Thank you all so much for any help you can offer me.

Answer:
 He’s going to need to be on the birth certificate probably. And to get child support you’ll need his information (name and address).
Honestly, over 18 years child support will be much more than the 400 bucks it’ll take you to hire a private investigator to do a background check or “locate.” And I think that’s what you should do upon the child’s birth if he ghosts you.

I am unsure as to timings and the income tables. Consulting a family law lawyer in your state is a good idea here.

I’m speaking very generally here and am not familiar with TN itself.


Title: Using intellectual property mould to make an item to sell. What can I do to cover myself until I get can licensing?

Question:
Hello,

I am in Canada and I am starting my own business. I sell many different nerd things bath products being one of them. I have moulds of the TARDIS, Serenity (the ship from Firefly). I use these to make soaps and bath bombs.

I just found out that I have to apply for licensing, which I will eventually do but I do not have time or the funds to do it before my business launch which is in 15 days (which I can't cancel or push back) What can I do to cover my butt for that one event?

Thanks a bunch

EDIT: Thanks to everyone who answered I will be pulling my stock and frantically make new stuff over the next little bit.
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer: Don't make or offer for sale any potentially infringing items?


Title: My best friend killed his cat.

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons but my friend killed his cat a few days ago and just admitted to it.  I live in the USA (Illinois) and I know this is a Class 3 felony.  I have no idea what to do now.  I am trying to get him to seek mental help but he just won't do it.  He has a lot of family issues and I am really scared right now.  Thank you for whoever can respond.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Scared of what?  Either call the police to report it or don't. Not much else to do.


Title: Is it illegal for Bungie to resell us cut content from TTK in RoL?

Question:
Okay in leading up to the launch of The Taken King some items where shown off. These items where believed to be obtainable in game. Shown on Bungie's Armory as well(now removed by Bungie without notice)

With the release of Rise of Iron coming soon, if Bungie decides to release those items then would that be legal?
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer: Yes, that's legal. The assets belong to them and they can use them however they please. You have no legal right to things that are in promotional images (and before you say it, no, it isn't false advertising). You have the option to not purchase Rise of Iron.


Title: Incorrect Item Received.

Question:
I ordered an item online and I received another as the one I asked for was out of stock, not labelled as such on the site. The site is now saying I have to send the item back before getting a refund/substitute. Can I escalate things via paypal/ hold out for a refund?

EDIT: Location is UK

Answer: What's your objection to sending the item back?Answer #2: PayPal is going to want to see that the item was returned before you escalate it.


Title: 12 year old on bike collides with moving Tesla- driver wants us to pay.

Question: My in-laws, who are in their 70s, are watching my 12 year-old nephew for the summer. While biking in his neighborhood, he was crossing a street and hit a Tesla that was driving by. The driver wants my in-laws to pay for the scratch/dent on the car. Child was not injured. We live in Utah and I don’t want my in-laws to be pushed around and pay for something that they might not be responsible for.

Answer:
 > he was crossing a street and hit a [car] that was driving by

That could be the vehicle driver's fault.   Or it could be the bicycle rider's fault.   The facts of who was in the roadway first, who had the right-of-way, and other aspects of the collision are critical.

Children between the ages of 7 and 17 can be civilly liable for negligence in Utah.   Presumably the 12-year-old does not have insurance or assets, so it is impractical to sue him directly.

In Utah, a parent's vicarious liability for damage caused by a child is limited to $2000, and the damage must be caused by the child's willful or intentional acts.   Hitting a car while riding a bike is ordinary negligence.

The prudent way to handle this is for the driver to make a claim against her own collision insurance.

The fact that it's a Tesla is only important in an indirect way because it infers that the car is well insured and that the cost of bodywork is very high.   Teslas built in the past few years are mostly running their built-in camera recordings from all sides, so there may be very strong evidence about the circumstances of the collision.


Title: Fired After Resigning

Question:
Hi.

I recently handed in a notice to my employer that I was resigning and my last day at work would be 4 weeks after the date on the letter.

The next day I had a family emergency and had to rush out of state. They shut down my work email and sent me a message saying that they were only going to pay me for 2 days of the whole week I had worked as I had used leave in advance and hadn't gained it back yet. They then said in the same message that my last day was going to be Friday (the day I handed in my resignation)

Are they allowed to do this? Can they terminate my employment without notice and can they take away pay for days I have worked if I had used annual leave in advance?

I must add that I am in Australia and I understand that this sub is mainly for the USA but I am stuck and don't know what to do!

Any help would be greatly appropriated.

Answer:
 >Are they allowed to do this?

IANAL, but according to this Australian government website your employer may only terminate you after giving notice for "serious misconduct", which as defined as one who "causes serious and imminent risk to the health and safety of another person or to the reputation or profits of their employer’s business, or deliberately behaves in a way that is inconsistent with continuing their employment". A family emergency most likely does not constitute this. Also, your employer must pay you for the notice period as if you had worked the entire time.

>If the employer pays out the notice, the amount paid to the employee must equal the full amount the employee would have been paid if they worked until the end of the notice period.

Source:
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/ending-employment/notice-and-final-pay


Title: [Canada] Meeting with the GRC for a bad Troll [Urgent]

Question:
I made a joke about the Islamic State to a old woman, which she didn't took. She was being racist and I told her if I wanted to make a Mosque near my house it was fine if my god told me to kill any infidel stopping me from doing it.

I have a meeting with the GRC tomorrow at 1pm.

Answer: Well, was it as funny as you'd hoped it would be?


Title: Can Warner Brothers claim the rights to the word “Patronus”?

Question:
Hi all, first time poster here. I run an Etsy store that sells handmade goods. I don’t make much income, but it helps pay the bills. My number one seller is a dishtowel that says “My patronus is a cupcake.” I also have other variations that include “My patronus is a unicorn, a cat, a pit bull, etc.” Each listing was separately flagged and now my shop is in danger of being closed entirely, removing 3 years of sales, positive reviews, etc.

The reasons they gave me for reporting me included a list of numbers that I have tried to research, but otherwise I am at a complete loss.

Do I have any ground to stand on? Is there anything I can do to defend myself in this case or am I truly in the wrong? Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 Generally you can't copywrite a word itself, only a usage of it.

You are very clearly using the word in the exact same context and in reference to the copyrighted work, so yes in this case you would be infringing on their IP.Answer #2: Yeah, unfortunately in this case you’re making derivative (I think that’s the term) work. It’s not the word exactly that’s getting you in trouble but that when you’re saying “my patronus is a cat” that’s very definitely from the Harry Potter films. If you were just selling the word Patronus on a hat or towel then it wouldn’t be an issue. Etsy unfortunately gives people a false sense of security. Since there is *so* much of that type of copyright and other infringement going on in the site people think they must be in the clear. Sadly though, they aren’t. All those people selling Harry Potter cross stitch patterns, Mickey Mouse birthday outfits etc are all at risk of getting shut down as well. It’s just a matter of when.


Title: Pharmacy Dispenses Expired Medicine 2nd time

Question:
I take insulin and this is the second time they dispensed me expired insulin. I didn't even report it last time but now that it has happened a second time, I think I should. If it has happened to me twice it has probably happened to others too and they should have fixed their issue by now (last event was 60 or so days ago).

I live in Florida. Can you advise who to report it to?

Answer: If you're asking who *beyond* the pharmacy itself you can file a report with, you're looking for the [state board of pharmacy](http://floridaspharmacy.gov/).


Title: Massachusetts - Negligence in the Emergency Room

Question:
My husband (30) and I had a horrible experience in the Emergency Room and we're wondering if we should pursue legal action even if the hospital cancels all of their bills regarding our stay (but not costs we've encountered after the stay).

Last Wednesday night, my husband had an asthma attack and his rescue inhaler wasn't quite doing the trick.  Back in 2008, the same thing happened and we went to an ER.  Respiratory distress is a rush case, so we were in an out in under 90 minutes after he was given nebulizer treatment with albuterol.
This time, to make a long story short, we were forced to wait 4 hours and during this time my husband lost the ability to speak or walk, and his fingers had gone blue.  His skin had turned very pale and he was struggling to maintain his breath.  I asked for assistance from the Triage Nurse between 8 and 10 times, and was ignored.  I called his pulmonologist 2-1/2 hours into our wait to see what we should do and they said based on his symptoms he should've been seen at least 2 hours ago.  I told this to the Triage Nurse and she continued to dismiss me saying she had phoned the ER and that's all she could do.

 When we had first walked into the ER lobby on our own, my husband was very normal, just rapidly breathing and a little wheezy.  In the 4 hours we were ignored, he had gone form normal to hypoxic with oxygen saturation levels at 82%.  The treatment had been delayed so long that the nebulizer treatment was ineffective since he wasn't able to breathe deep enough to get the medication to the lower portion of his lungs.

After admission to the ER,  the ER doctor said he wasn't going to involve pulmonology (respiratory), and after giving my husband 8 nebulizer treatments showing no improvement, he discussed intubation as the next step - an incredibly drastic treatment that shouldn't happen for someone with such mild asthma who only needs a nebulizer once every 6 years.  It was another 12 hours after we were admitted (16 hours after we walked in) to the ER before we saw respiratory, and it only came because we kept asking our nurses to send them in to see him (the nebulizer treatments were not helping).

When Respiratory finally showed up (the nurses and I continued to ask the doctor to call in the consult), they were livid at the doctor for not consulting them, they said 4 hours was far too long to make a rush case wait in the ER, and that they should have seen my husband at least eight hours before they did.  Thankfully, they started my husband on a treatment that began to actually help him.

With all the damage done in the 16 hours it took for the hospital to get us to see Respiratory, my husband ended up needed an additional 2 nights in the hospital.  He is now weaning off large dosages of steroids, and the hospital Doctor put him on an expensive asthma maintenance medication.  We have a case open that has been getting to department heads and they acknowledge they're issues with handling my husband's emergency.  Based on what I've heard so far, I am fully expecting a $0.00 bill from the hospital. (If not we are 100% getting a lawyer)

My question is should we seek more since he is still very much struggling to breathe as he did before this incident.  He can't lift our two-year-old daughter without getting winded.  He can't walk up stairs without needing a break.  He's a completely healthy 30 year old with zero medical issues outside of seasonal asthma that kicks in a little when he gets a cold (this is what started it this time).  We have to pay for new perscriptions ($420 out of pocket so far) and additional follow up doctor's visits ($200-$400 out of pocket).  So...do we see a lawyer?  Or do we call it even when the hospital hands us the $0 bill?  What's our next step?  We've never been involved in a lawsuit and we're nervous about what we should do.

Thank you for your time and guidance.

Answer:
 First of all, based on what I've read, it doesn't sound like you have any kind of case, either for cancelling bills or for a malpractice lawsuit. If you feel that strongly about it, you can review with a malpractice attorney, but I would not expect a positive result.

I'm not sure why you believe that you should have any bills cancelled. Your husband received life-saving care. Why shouldn't you pay for it?

Moreover, it appears that his old asthma medication was not working, hence the change to the new medication. Again, I don't know why the hospital should be responsible for that either.

Your husband is not a completely healthy 30 year old. He has asthma. His symptoms are consistent with someone who has that diagnosis. It's a chronic disease that flared up, and he received treatment and what sounds like appropriate followup care.


Title: roommate 'can't commit' to not stealing from me

Question:
Hi all.

I was on a lease with an emotionally manipulative (at best) roommate from August 2017 to July 2018. I moved in a bit early and paid my roommate $1167 for the security deposit on July 12, 2017 because she had paid the total when she moved in prior.

I moved out of that apartment on July 17, 2018 and she moved out about a week later. We agreed she would return the security deposit I paid her when she got the money from the management company. The company was taking longer than they said it would, so I went into their office two weeks ago and asked about the hold up. I was planning to use that money to pay for an August sublet. The person I subletted from isn't super stressed about when I pay it, but I want to get it done since I already moved out.

Today the management company called me asking when I could pick up the security deposit, and I went and got it. I told my roommate I got it, and asked her if I could keep half of the $2300 and send her half digitally or by check, allowing her to keep the money I already paid her. She would make $17 off of that but I'm really not worried about it.

She said no, and that I needed to return the check to the management company or mail it to her "for legal reasons." My name is also on the letter and check so I'm unsure about this argument, but whatever.

She also said she'd "let me know" when she got the check. I said that I need the money ASAP, so I'm happy to put the envelope with check and records in the mail if she'll pay me digitally as soon as she gets it. She responded saying she "can't commit to anything" until she gets the money. I clarified that I literally just want her to confirm that she doesn't want to keep the all the money forever (I don't trust her due to other incidents) and now she's not texting me back.

I know I can't hold this $2300 hostage, but it makes me nervous that she won't commit to paying me once her own check arrives. Is there anything I can do? Do I just mail it and then sue if she doesn't pay me back? And if so, how long after a post office-confirmed delivery do I have to wait before I can begin legal action? I have really awful PTSD from this roommate (à la panic attacks when I hear someone that sounds like her on the street) and I just want this to be over.

Thanks.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 If your name is on the cheque then just cash it and digitally send her the share she is owed.  She might be mad but who cares.Answer #2: NAL, former banker. If both your names are listed as payees\*\*, both of you have to endorse it. Can't be cashed by just one of you unless it's endorsed by the other. I say meet her at the bank.

\*\*This is assuming it's made out to "John Doe AND Jane Roe". If it says "OR", either of you can cash it.Answer #3: > My name is also on the letter and check so I'm unsure about this argument, but whatever.

IANAL but if the lease is in both your names and the letter/check is in both your names, then the check is just as much yours as hers. The fact that she is the one who actually made the $2300 payment (after getting half from you) isn't relevant. You cashing it shouldn't be any different than her cashing it. This is the key component, so hopefully somebody confirms.

In that case, you should be fine to cash the cheque and send her 1150. The key thing is document things - in particular, that you originally paid for half the deposit and that you have asked her how she wants her 1150 (or even just send it electronically). Worst case, she can sue you for the 1150 and you can happily give it to her.

Again the only issue would be if the check is not in your name and only in hers.


Title: Had a promotion ripped away from me

Question:
I have been working for a company as a route driver for a year on November 7th, 2018. On Monday of this week (Monday, October 29, 2018), the owner offered me a position as a service tech. The other driver, who has 4 year of experience more than me, found out he wasn't offered a chance to get the job. He promptly went and complained to the owner. Today Friday, November 2, 2018, my boss called me in to his office and told me that he had to interview me like he did the other driver. The owner then explained that the other driver had seniority over me and he deserves a chance to get the job.

Is it legal to do this? Can I do anything to fight this decision?

I understand they should have posted the job and gave everyone a fair chance, but he already offered me the job and I accepted.

Answer:
 Yes, it's legal.

You're not legally entitled to a promotion, unless it's guaranteed in a contract or something somewhere.

It's not illegal to be told, "Hey, you're getting a promotion," and then later on be told, "Oh, sorry, no promotion after all."

Your location is not optional.  Assuming you're somewhere in the USA for the time being.


Title: My van was stolen. Inside my van was the title to the van, and now someone else has registered the van and possibly sold it.

Question:
This is in California. I have a van that I had converted and was parked in a residential neighborhood. My van had disappeared on Friday, and I just assumed it had gotten towed (it had been towed once before but I had spoken to neighbors who originally thought it was abandoned and they said it would be fine to park there). When I called on Monday, the I left the title inside of the van, like an idiot (alongside other things like the most recent registration). The registration had expired in January and I wasn't using the van so I never re-registered it.

Well anyways, I called the towing company and they said they had no record of it being towed. I called the police department and they said they had nothing on record of that vehicle having been towed. They then informed me it wasn't even registered in my name. So I tried to file a stolen vehicle report, but they won't let me file a stolen vehicle report because I don't have proof that it's my vehicle. I've tried whatever I can to get a report filed but the police keep telling me their hands are tied.

Today I went to my bank who I have the auto-loan from to inform them my vehicle was stolen and they pulled up history that showed that the registration was never 'perfected' which I don't know what that means. But basically when he pulled up his little report it said that the last registered owner of the vehicle was the lot that I bought it from in January of 2018. I paid for registration when I drove off the lot, they wouldn't let me leave the lot without mailing in a registration form, and they then sent me my registration when it came in the mail to them.

What should I do? I'm currently waiting on the dealership that sold me the van to send me back a "registration history report" or something, that shows that I had it registered in my name. Everyone tells me to get back to them on Monday but I don't know what the hell to do differently on Monday that I'm not doing today on Friday...

Answer: Have you contacted the DMV? Whoever re-registered it must have forged your signature at some point, right? That is a crime a DMV investigator will work. That might be a jumping off point.


Title: Moved in with my best friend, she moves in her fucking useless boyfriend 2 weeks after I signed year lease.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Jesus christ that is a long and wordy post.

>How do I proceed?

Contact your landlord? Is the boyfriend on the lease?


Title: Family member called a liar by the doctors

Question:
First time I’ve posted, throwaway in case anything gets taken further.

(Sorry for format, on mobile)

So for a few years now a family member of mine has had and been diagnosed with a rare disease, (a sort of invisible illness) and recently been re admitted in to hospital. He has just got new doctors who have called him a pain killer addict even though he only started heavy painkillers after going in to hospital. The new doctors basically called him a liar and said he was faking it for attention even though this has messed his life up. They put it in his official notes and sent him home as “ok” while he’s malnourished with proof.

we have requested medical records so we can prove this but we’ve spent money converting our house for disabled access expecting to get it back from disability payments, (we’re not a rich family) and now this is all messed up because of one doctor not believing her. Also they are trying to block him from seeing a specialist about the illness who would prove them to be liars.

I’m just wondering what we can do to get this removed from his medical records as it is just going make life harder on us to get his Medical needs seen too.

Also is there a way we can recoup the costs for house conversion?

Answer:
 > I’m just wondering what we can do to get this removed from his medical records

You can't. The doctor's opinion is not yours to control.

What you *can* do is get other docs' opinions.


Title: 16yo Locked in Contract

Question: Hello, I have a 16 year old locked in an Esport contract. He had 1 parent (mother) cosign this contract. They've been treating him like trash treating to sue him for every small thing that they don't allow. They also put a clause in there that'll allow them to keep extending his contract without his signature so he's locked in there and he's only 16. Him and his mother didn't know what they got him into. Is there anyway to get him released so he can go back to living a normal life?

Answer: The adult that signed the contract should read it and figure out how to get out of it


Title: [FL] Is blasting dirty or inappropriate songs while driving the car legal?

Question:
My friend thought it would be funny to get the reaction of other drivers when playing inappropriate songs from the subwoofer of his car. By dirty, I mean songs with sexual lyrics and stuff.

Is it legal? Will we get in trouble for playing them while we are driving?

Answer:
 You might violate some kind of noise ordinance in the process.Answer #2: Theres likely some law they can through. Usually theres a "public nuisance" law on books for just such nonsense.

You wanna know whats really funny? Going about your life while not bothering strangers.


Title: My family has had enough of my grandmother paying her share of the bills, could we kick her out?

Question:
The title sounds kinda mean but i can assure you she's not a "sweet old lady" by a long shot.

She's an abusive, narcissistic, compulsive liar. My mother, step father, and grandmother split the house expenses like rent, bills, etc (im 15 and don't have a job yet but one i do I'll help). However, she consistently neglets to pay the bills, says she'll get it later and never does.

When we first moved in (about a year ago, May 1st 2018) the plan was to put a portion of everyone's paycheck into a joined account. It worked well but then she started refusing to do it and we had to just trust her to pay her portion of the bills on her own (obviously this hasn't worked well)

Recently, she lost her job in a daycare for mistreating a child and didn't pay the electric bill. My stepdad had to use $1500 from the wedding savings (my mom and stepdad are getting married in October). Then, she took $63 dollars from my stepdad's account without asking.

There are also countless other reasons we want her out but i won't get into everything because it's not just family drama. We aren't a very close family and don't have a good relationship with her. The only issue is her name is on the lease. Im not sure when the lease is up but what legal trouble would we run into and how can we get through that?

Answer: Her name is on the lease.  The only one who can evict her is her landlonrd.  Your parents can take her to small claims court for any money owed to them.


Title: Is it illegal to look at other guys' "equipment" in the men's restroom?

Answer: Watch out.   The gay mafia may swoon in and take you away to a world of pastels and fitness freaksAnswer #2: A casual glance-over is probably not, although you take the risk that the man will be the kind of violent homophobe who will assault you in response if he notices. Staring or any other sexual behavior will probably put you afoul of whatever local code is intended to ward off bathroom creepers. Soliciting or peeping or whatever.


Title: [NY] Multiple car accident at a red light, don't have collision, at fault's insurance will only pay $10k.

Question: Hoping maybe someone might have some helpful advice for me. I was sitting at a stop light last Thursday Oct 29th and a car(person A) smashed into a car behind me (person B) which in turn hit my bumper and pushed me into a truck in front of me. My car moves but is not drive-able in fear that the muffler or bumper may fall off completely by the sounds of it, and I'm not physically hurt at all. My insurance does not cover collision since it's a used vehicle that's paid off, so person A's insurance is telling me she only has $10k to cover both mine and person B's damages/rental vehicles/towing etc. and that anything over the 10k limit I will have to pay out of pocket to cover. I should mention that person B's car was totaled. To find out how much money I will be getting for my repairs I must wait about a month (without a fixed car). Can someone PLEASE tell me I'm not crazy and that there's something really wrong with this.

Answer:
 You will need to sue the other driver for the remaining expenses. NY has a $5k small claims limit so if you ask for no more than that you can avoid hiring a lawyer.Answer #2: IMO you still should have gotten collision coverage, unless you can afford to replace your car without it.  Relying on other people having adequate insurance is pretty much a recipe for disaster.

There's not much to be done here except wait and see what they offer.  If it's inadequate you can sue for the rest, but the driver may not have any recoverable assets anyway.Answer #3: NY minimum required property damage is $10K per accident and it sounds like that's all she had.
I was an auto insurance underwriter many moons ago and I seem to recall that in an instance like this your insurance will pay for the car you were pushed into and then your insurance company will try to recover the damages they paid from the insurance company of the woman who hit you. You'd have to sue for anything not covered by her insurance.


Title: Naked Soccer

Question:
So in past years my college has had a tradition in which the seniors play a game of night soccer completely naked. It has been a huge event before, but in the last few years the school has been cracking down on it. (or so the story goes.)

This year they sent out a mass email to all students that local police will be making rounds on the campus every night to ensure this doesn't happen. They threatened of permanent criminal records and placement on the sex offender registry.

So, is there any legal way we can have a game of naked soccer? It seems strange that a group of adults can't congregate and just be naked together. Would forming it as a protest or artistic demonstration make it more legal? Would a private venue be required? Can you think of any creative loop-holes that would work?

Answer:
 Sure, you can rent a location and have all the naked fun you want. If it's on the school property they probably have the right to tell you that you can't do it.Answer #2: >Would a private venue be required?

Yes and must be inside; away from public eye. Naked soccer outside would be illegal in most areas.


Title: [Oregon] Can a landlord be compelled to evict an obnoxious tenant?

Question:
My neighbor has a criminal record that includes harassment, trespassing, and assault, many of those incidents having occurred right on our street.

He routinely screams profanities outside at all hours of the night and early morning. We were trying to sort of let that go, but it’s starting to interfere with our child’s sleep, so we will be calling 911 every time we hear it from now on.

However, I am curious about any legal way to compel his mother, the owner of the home, to permanently remove him from the premises. She knows about all of his behavior, and is apparently contacted every time the police are called to the residence.

Answer: No, you can't dictate who she allows to live in her house.


Title: Does a custody order become bull after marriage?

Question: My boyfriend wants me to give him full custody of our son. We plan on getting married soon after. Will the full custody order become null after we get married with us both getting 50/50 legal custody in case of divorce? Or will he still automatically get full custody? This is in Florida.

Answer:
 >My boyfriend wants me to give him full custody of our son.

Why would you ever do this?  It's a terrible idea.

> We plan on getting married soon after.

Or, you give him full custody and he dumps you, and you have a very hard time modifying the order.Answer #2: This has red flags all over it.  If he gets full custody, then he has full custody.  He can then go after you for child support.  He's not planning to marry you.  Don't do it.Answer #3: > My boyfriend wants me to give him full custody of our son. We plan on getting married soon after.

Uh huh.

Here's a counterproposal: let's get married, and then file to dissolve the custody order.

Yes, marriage usually voids a custody order anyways - but this sounds a lot like he's looking for full custody, and the marriage may be unaccountably delayed or even cancelled outright once he's got it.Answer #4: There seems like zero incentive here for you to give him full custody. If you two get married, custody is moot. So why bother changing custody?Answer #5: What reason has he given to you to give him full custody?


Title: Somebody else's eviction is showing up on my renters history.

Question:
Houston Tx

So just a quick read here. I recently applied for an apartment and for some reason some one else's eviction is showing up on my renters history. It's for an apartment that I never lived at and it is not managed by a company of an apartment I have lived at either. Let's say my name is John Sam Doe. The name of the eviction is for John Williams Doe. I am not related to a John Williams Doe. Please tell me what I can do legally to get this taken off of my record.

Answer: File a dispute with the three major credit reporting agencies.


Title: Blocked from my mom [Fl]

Question: After my dad left one of my sisters began living with my mom. Since she began living with my mom all of my phone numbers have been blocked from my mom's house phone and cell phone. Is this legal?

Answer: It is legal to block phone numbers. If you think your sister did this and not your mom, try calling from another number and talking to your mom about it.


Title: Employer forcing me to commit insurance fraud. What do I do?

Question:
I am a co-op student at a new optometrist office (located in Canada, ON) trying to make my hours to graduate. We sell eyewear and direct bill to insurance companies. The Dr/owner of this brand new business has been committing an absurd amount of insurance fraud by creating fake fees in order to max out a patients benefits and using the difference to cover the expenses of other patients (within the same family). Example she would create false invoices for the children and using the difference to cover the parents prescription eyewear.

I DO NOT want any involvement in this what so ever. I know this is illegal  and I've hinted to her about how we should not be doing this but she does it anyways and gets aggressive when I do not follow through. There has been an increasing amount of friction between us. I quit today but I'm still scared she'll get audited and turn the blame on me somehow. She already contacted my college to try and give me a bad rep. Doctors have so much power and I'm only a student trying to cover my ass. What do I do?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 quit, and don't participate in criminal fraud

if she does get caught 100% guaranteed she will put the blame on youAnswer #2: * Delete this post.
* Get as much documentation as you can.
* Get a lawyer.  Today.  (School/Pro Bono)
* Call the cops.*
* Call the insurance companies.*
* Tell your department (show them police reports).*

*Assuming your lawyer doesn't have a better plan.


Title: [US] I work at a pack/ship store that offers mailboxes. The owner is hoarding customer mail.

Question:
I frequent /r/legaladvice, but for anonymity, posting from a throwaway.  Since this involves mail, I am assuming my state doesn’t matter.  If it does, let me know.

I have worked at a ~3 employee pack/ship store franchise for a little over a year now. The store offers mailbox services to customers.  When customers sign up for a mailbox, they get mail addressed to them sent to the store.  We then put the mail in their mailbox (much like how a PO box works).

All of us -- including the owner -- work the mailroom.  **When I was being trained on how to do the mail, I was told to leave any undeliverable mail for the owner to look at in the morning.**

Recently, I found a stash of hundreds of unopened letters addressed to customers and non-customers stashed away in the corner of the mailroom.  Some were recent, and some were postmarked 2+ years ago.

It would appear that the owner stashes away mail when he gets tired.  I also suspect that when undeliverable mail is left for the owner, he stashes it away instead of returning it.

I brought this up with the owner.  He said he does not want to return ANY mail we receive, even if the addressee is not a customer here.  I told him how important I feel it is that we actually deliver/return the mail receive, and he insisted that I shouldn’t worry about it.

After I discovered the stash,  I stopped leaving undeliverable mail for the owner and instead began returning them myself.  Today, he left a note: “do not return any mail, leave them for me in the morning”.  I suspect he’s going to continue to stash the mail away.

My questions:

* Is what my company doing illegal?

* Does the fact that we are a private mailbox service (and not the post office) matter?

* If I ignore my boss’s instructions to leave him undeliverable mail, and instead return it myself, and he fires me, would I have any recourse?

* Could/should I report this?  If so, how?   Could I remain anonymous?

Thank you for your help.

Answer: Interference with delivery of US mail is a crime. Contact the postal inspectors. You don't need to give your name.Answer #2: Your boss is going to jail. Find a new job and report this to postal inspectors


Title: [NJ, USA] Very complicated situation involving conditional discharge being reopened right before completion on the basis that I was never eligible for it to begin with. Can somebody tell me if I have a solid case for dismissal?

Question:
In 2014 I was put on conditional discharge for a municipal possession charge in NJ.

Two weeks ago, I go to make a payment toward my fees and they inform me I have a "new offense", and that I have to go to court. Today when I went to court, I first paid the remaining $275 of my fees, and then went to see the judge.

The judge told me that my case was being reopened, as I had "acquired a new charge". I told them that I had no idea what they were talking about. She tells me to have a seat while they pull my criminal history. When I am called back up, she tells me that because of a previous possession charge from 2011, that I was never eligible for conditional discharge to begin with.

There are a couple of points to this "fact", and that is that:

* 1. The 2011 charge is a possession charge from Florida. The disposition on that charge was a guilty plea and withhold of adjudication, which in Florida means that it is a non-conviction. The NJ statute for conditional discharge states that, "Whenever any person **who has not been previously convicted** of any offence under section..., is convicted of any disorderly persons offense..., the court upon notice to the prosecutor and subject to subsection c. of this section, may on motion of the defendant of the court...,with consent of the person after [b]proper reference to S.B.I. criminal history record information files, place him on supervisory treatment upon reasonable terms and conditions....

* 2. "after **proper reference to S.B.I. criminal history record information files**, place him on supervisory treatment upon reasonable terms and conditions...." In other words, it is the court's responsibility to determine my eligibility.

Taking that into consideration, I think this might have some sort of double jeopardy implications. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the moment the judge imposed her sanctions and accepted my plea, am I not entitled to protection from double jeopardy?

Even if they try to say that the previous disposition or ruling was invalid, it is entirely their fault for it being so.

I've done a lot of research in the past few hours. I'm wondering if anybody can give me some advice or tell me where I may be wrong here. If I can't get it dismissed, I'm considering taking this to trial, even if I do have to represent myself, because I also think that they potentially have 0 evidence left to connect me with the charge, because upon the initial ruling the evidence should have been destroyed.

This is a fucked up situation, guys. Help?

Answer: I find it encouraging that this is getting as many upvotes as it is. I assume that means that I am not thinking about this illogically or irrationally.


Title: FBI broke down my best friends door and are in his house searching it now

Answer:
 > I REFUSE TO BELIEVE my friend would have done anything like this.

Said every friend of every person ever arrested for possession of child porn.
> Can anyone give me the scoop on what happens now?

They take all his electronics.  They do a forensic search of the items for data.  If they find illegal material, he gets charged with (and likely convicted of) federal felonies.  He spends 5-10 years in prison and is a sex offender when he gets out.Answer #2: >(p.s, I am well aware [...]  any gawddammed other thing the Stasi [...] to destroy his life.

Surprisingly, East Germany is no longer a country and the Cold War is over. It's 2015, and you live in Washington state. If you believe that the Stasi are operational in Washington state, you should see a professional for a mental health evaluation.

>Can anyone give me the scoop on what happens now?

For now, you don't need to do anything. If you're subpoenaed to give testimony, you do so at that time.Answer #3:  just to add, as someone who's been reading this sub for awhile: I recall *at least* two prior instances of posters who were absolutely sure their friend/loved one was unfairly accused of possession of child porn or of child molestation or the like.

Both times they were wrong.

The FBI generally doesn't randomly search people's houses on a whim. If they're there seizing evidence it means there's something that led them to suspect your friend. Is it possible they're totally mistaken? Of course its! Is it likely? Unfortunately not.

Let me put it this way. If you asked anyone with expertise in this to lay down money that this is an unfair accusation, they're sure as hell going to demand longer odds than 1:1. Much longer.


Title: (HELP) I was forced to signing a paper at the vet that if my kitten doesn't get better they will euthanize him this Wednesday

Question:
I live in the UK
Last Thursday (11th October) my 18 weeks old kitten disappeared, we searched everywhere but no one could find him, not long after my father came home with my kitten in his hands, his legs and tail paralyzed.
We went immediately to the vet, he stayed there the whole Friday (12th October).
He was submitted to several exams, and the conclusion was that he had internal bleeding in the lower belly region, couldn't urinate or defecate, couldn't move his back legs and tail and also didn't eat. But he didn't have anything broken, which is strange.
We didn't have money to keep him in the vet more than a day, so with no option we brought him home.
He got a bit better the two days after, he can now urinate and defecate and he can also move his tail a bit.
My mom alone went with my kitten to the vet today to check on him, and the veterinary there told my mom someone probably KICKED him in the street, and that he's suffering, and that my mom was OBLIGATED to sign a paper in which if he didn't get better by WEDNESDAY (17th October) they would euthanize him,  and if my mom didn't sign they would call the police on us.
My mom arrived home and told me what happened, and I was furious and panicking, I don't know what to do, I love my kitten and I don't want to lose him.
What are the rights me and him have in this situation? Do they have authority to euthanize him? What should I do now?

Help please
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: You do need r/legaladviceUK, but you  should consider that this event didn't actually occur and your mom told you this to perhaps spare your feelings/avoid a difficult situation.


Title: Ontario, Canada: Workplace requiring a “no homosexual behaviour” contract

Question:
Is it against the law to require all your employees to sign a contract prohibiting engaging in any homosexual behaviour.

1) the contract applies to non-working off site hours
2) the job is a live on site job which includes room and board
3) it’s not solely regarding sexual behaviour, but all behaviour relating to being homosexual (including romantic, identifying, sexual, etc.)

Answer:
 Yes. This is blatant discrimination.Answer #2: Yeah, this organization is just asking to get sued into oblivion.

Literally every homosexual applicant who applies at this organization, who lets their orientation be known, and is denied a position will have a very good chance of success on a suit. The contracts can be subpoenaed and this would likely be enough to win by itself at the HRTO.

Sexual orientation is a protected ground both under the *Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms* (see [Egan v. Canada](https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1265/index.do)) and under the provincial human rights legislation in every province, including Ontario.Answer #3: I’d be worried about them having cameras everywhere including the bathroom and sleeping quarters.  On you on a oil rig.Answer #4: This seems on-topic. Maybe post to LA? I don’t think even religious employers can discriminateAnswer #5: Is it legal for employers to force various behaviors in general for **non-working** off-site hours? I thought all employment contract stipulations had to end when the pay stopped regardless of what kind of a job it is. And then I guess the employer can make a separate contract for behavior while living in their facilities but again I don't see how that would tie in directly with the job and I don't see how that can extend to the stuff someone does, e.g. out in the woods somewhere.


Title: I think a mattress store is trying to pull a fast one on me... [CA]

Question:
I was unsure where to ask this, but this seemed like the best place...

So I went to a local bed store and scouted out a nice memory foam bed that I planned on purchasing in the near future. I go back a week or two later and purchase said bed, as well as some 100 dollar sheets and a memory foam pillow. I haggled with the guy and got a discount since I was buying a few things and paying cash (I also got free delivery). I pay $900 flat for a Gel Max 12" memory foam mattress with box spring, sheets, and a pillow.

The guy said he couldn't deliver it right away, but his men could deliver it (mattress and box spring) around 2 o'clock (it was ~10:30am at that time). So I take my sheets and pillow home and hang around until 2.

When it gets delivered, I notice how different it felt from the mattress I felt in the store. It was significantly firmer than the one i had tested. So I do a little research on the mattress manufacturer website and see that the bed that was delivered to me was NOT the one that I paid for. I paid for the Gel Max 12" (as stated on the receipt) but got some iRetreat foam mattress.

I think these sleezy douche bags are trying to pull a fast one on me by giving me a cheaper mattress than the one I paid for, thinking that I won't notice.

Any suggestions on how to approach this?

Answer: "Hi, I was in yesterday, bought a bed, and.. Well, your guys delivered the wrong mattress. When can I get you to swap it out?"


Title: [England] I'm living in England for work. Some people claiming to be "TV license inspectors" are trying to scam me out of money

Question: I've had two visits now from random people who say that they are "TV license inspectors". They claim I owe them money because I don't have a license for my TV. I wouldn't let either of them into my apartment and they said if I don't co-operate they will get a search warrant and come back and I'll get taken to court and have to pay them a thousand pounds. Both of them also said that they have equipment they can use to spy on me in my private apartment to to catch me illegally watching TV and that it's totally legal for them to do this. I've lived here for less than a month and I have already had two visits and they are promising to come back unless I give them money. They say they will go away if I give them money. I don't want to give them anything. I don't even have a TV but that's beside the point. I phoned the police here about it but they said to stop wasting their time and would not do anything and hung up. How do I get these people to leave me alone?

Answer:
 Don't let them in. You don't need to let them in. Don't pay at the door. Don't pay anything since you have no TV.

You can go onto UK TV licence website and register that you do not have a TV. Then they leave you alone. I've done this since all the letters were annoying. You should have letters warning you to pay way before anyone visits. I've never had a visit. Register online that you don't have a TV. Next time they come. Tell them you aren't letting them in. You don't have a TV. You have registered as such online with TV license people. Tell them to come back with a warrant or you will call the police next time. Even if they return with warrant you have nothing to hide. If they are legit they will see online you have no TV and leave you alone. If they aren't legit the threat of police call should send them on their way? :)


Title: Apartment complex refuses to move pile of dirt that is causing my apartment to flood (MS)

Question:
I'm located in Hattiesburg Mississippi. A power company dug a hole behind my apartment building and left a large pile of dirt by a ditch where everyone's air conditioners are. Now every time it rains heavily my apartment floods because the rain water cannot flow properly due to the large pile of dirt.

On New Years Eve of this year I came home to my apartment that was flooded. It was four feet from the edge of the back wall that covered my bedroom and closet area. I called maintenance and after several days of waiting due to a long weekend, my carpet got professionally cleaned and the mat replaced.

Several times since then water has gotten in the apartment though never to the degree of the first time. Every time it rains heavily I am hesitant to leave my apartment because I'm afraid that it will flood. I got so fed up with it I bought a can of water sealant foam and sprayed it outside of my building, and that has helped slightly with the flooding problem. I've talked to the land lord about this several times and I always get answers like "Oh we've called the power company and they said they will get to it eventually." I'm tired of constantly worrying. I've suggested that she send the maintenance crew to move the pile of dirt but nothing has happened so far. Is there any thing I can do to make her fix this problem? Is it legal for her to ignore this problem with my apartment?

Answer:
 Definitely not. You have a right to a habitable apartment, and one that has tides definitely doesn't qualify. I am unsure what legal remedies apply off the top of my head, but at the very least your landlord is violating your lease.Answer #2: If you're in the city limits of Hattiesburg, have you tried to contact [Code Enforcement](http://www.hattiesburgms.com/government/departments/urban-development/code-enforcement/) about this?  Standing water doesn't do anything good, and water diversion that's constantly against a building is another big no-no.Answer #3: Do you have renter's insurance? If so, file a claim with them for all of the damage and they will get the power company moving.

Is your power company a public utility? If so, you may have options through your local government.Answer #4: put it in terms they understand.

It's cheaper in the long term to get rid of the pile of dirt than it is for them to have to professionally clean and treat your apartment every time it rains.


Title: My husband moved away and is refusing a divorce.

Question:
My husband and I have been married 3 years. We were married in Cook county and lived in Chicago, Illinois. Back in September 2016, he decided to move to Manhattan with a guy he met and fell in love with. Since then he has lived with this person in New York and I have been living back in Chicago.

I have brought up the subject of divorce before and he gets mad and refuses to acknowledge it. He keeps saying we can't afford a divorce lawyer (I am a nursing student and he is an immigrant with limited work options). I want to move on my life and I don't want to reconcile with him. How can I proceed with a divorce if we live in separate states and he is being uncooperative?

Answer:
 You file in Illinois and have him served in New York. If he doesn't respond, you can still get your divorce. You can ask for a default hearing if he doesn't answer in the time allowed by law. This means you get everything you ask for by default because he didn't show up. Many states have online forms for free. If you have no joint assets or debts and no kids, you may be able to go that route. I don't really recommend  DIY divorce, though, especially with interstate service issues. Call around to local attorneys to get some estimates before you decide you are going to go it alone. Answer #2: Question, is his immigration status going to be at jeopardy by getting divorced?

[Edit] I'm just wondering if he fears getting kicked out of the country if he is no longer married to a citizen. Answer #3: >He keeps saying we can't afford a divorce lawyer (I am a nursing student and he is **an immigrant with limited work options**

I think I see why he is reluctant to get a divorce.

Go ahead and file without him.


Title: The man who molested lives in Qatar, and I want to press charges on him.

Question: My step father molested me when I was 5 years old, and he is now residing in Qatar. I want to hire an international lawyer to write a letter to his boss. With that said, I don't if he will be charged since this happened twenty years ago. I need advice.

Answer: Where do you live? If you live in the US and never plan to travel to Qatar, you can say pretty much whatever you want as long as you believe it's true. However, the Middle East tends to have stinger defamation laws so you may find that you're the one in trouble.


Title: My parents are forcing me to sign a handwritten contract

Question:
I'm 14 and live in New York

I was given by my mother 2 choices.
1) To practice playing the piano for 30 minutes daily from now to the beginning of September and for a unspecified amount of time after school starts

2) To sign and maybe write up a document stating that I would pay her back an unspecified amount of money once I am an adult to pay her back for the piano lessons that she paid for (once a week for about 6-7 years). This is if I decide that I will not practice playing the piano.

I'm probably choosing the 2nd option.

I need to know if the document in question is legally viable and that it can't be voided because I am a minor.

I have researched what I can online, and I haven't found an answer.
I apologize if this post violates any rules.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 This isn’t a contract and is not binding.

But she can punish you (groundings, etc) if you won’t play piano.


Title: Music on YouTube

Question: If I wanted to make a YouTube channel where I would put my favorite songs up with a background image, what would I need to do. Do you need to contact an artist, or make sure to say that I did not create any of the music in the description. What is the best way for me to do this.

Answer:
 NAL.

The short answer: You don't. It's blatant copyright infringement since you do not have permission/a license to play/distribute that music.

Be ready to receive a DMCA takedown notice.

&#x200B;


Title: Not letting me pass on the highway

Question:
Just drove from Los Angeles to San Jose and a Hyundai was driving next to a motorcycle on I-5 N before 152.  I was driving above the speed limit (70 mph) maybe around 85.  The two vehicles were driving at about 75, so I moved into the L lane to pass the motorcycle (assuming the car would drive faster since it was in the L lane).

The car and motorcycle began to alternate which would drive faster resulting in me switching lanes back and forth, trying to get around them.

I have the license plate for the Hyundai, is there anything I can do **legally** to get some closure on this?

I didn't feel safe driving near them, so I slowed down and drove at 70 after attempting to pass them for 5-10 mins.

Answer:
 You want to report to police that other cars aren't letting you speed as fast as you want?Answer #2: You need closure? because vehicles that were obeying the speed limit weren't enabling you to break the law?

Sure... Call the police and tell them that you were attempting to speed at a minimum of 15 mph over the speed limit (~$300 ticket) and that two vehicles would not let you recklessly pass them at a dangerous speed.Answer #3: To my knowledge, it is only ever legal to exceed the speed limit to pass if it's a two-lane highway. So your recourse is to drive the speed limit and not worry about it.


Title: Is a septic system REQUIRED in Tennessee as a State Law?

Question:
I'm curious - we have a family way out in the country who are living "off the grid" (on purpose) without a well, electric, or septic. I think they also have quite a "junkyard" on their lot, but that's not the issue.
Neighbors are going crazy, worried about "human waste leaking into our well water"... and are organizing a group of people to go to the county commissioner's meeting tonight to try to get them evicted from their property.

So they are trying to use the reason "having a septic system is required by TN state law". I can't seem to find any requirement to HAVE a septic (at least not on State level). I can find regulations for BUILDING one, but nothing that says you MUST HAVE one.

Can anyone point me to a specific TN Code Chapter/Paragraph? Or any other reference stating septic is required?

Answer: Well, regardless of whether or not this is *criminal* behavior, the house can be out of compliance with code and could presumably be condemned.


Title: Neighbor shot a gun into my apartment last month and damage hasn't been fixed. What are my options?

Question:
I live in Missouri, USA.

A month ago, another resident in my apartment complex was unloading their pistol when they accidentally discharged it into my apartment. It shattered my balcony door and damaged some of my furniture. The person who shot the gun came forward as soon as it happened and was evicted and the apartment said they were going to replace my door. It has been a full month now and the door is still not fixed. Only some plywood and plastic has been put up over the shattered door. I've had to use more utilities to keep my place warm during the cold nights. I've contacted my manager for updates every week and she has told me each time that the door should be here soon, but it's been a month and still no door. Do I have any ground to ask for my apartment management to compensate me by taking off some (or all) of my rent for this situation?

Answer: unless your apartment is unlivable, they aren't required to give you your entire rent back. you could ask them to reduce the rent by the amount extra youve had to pay in utilities to accommodate for the broken door. they don't have to say yes, but it doesn't hurt to ask


Title: NYC - is it legal to ask entire salary back if I leave before 6 months?

Question: The title basically says it all. I have been hired full time, and have been working at this company for 3 months. My employment agreement mentions that I have to return the net amount received should I voluntarily leave the company. Is this legal?

Answer: No, not a chance. Slavery is illegal. You must be paid for time worked.


Title: [NJ] False Dwi

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Follow the advice of your lawyer and don't seek third party advice that could undermine your lawyer's ability to effectively represent you.


Title: Ex-girlfriend dealing with deadbeat dad...what can I do to help

Question:
Note: Sorry in advance for the rant format

&#x200B;

So I have an ex-girlfriend dealing with an asshole baby father. She is the sweetest person I've ever met and he has been really manipulative and taking advantage of her. To the point where they have had a beautiful baby girl together. He works in the oil and gas industry so he works away from home a lot, he has left her high and dry once she found out she was pregnant and is a general prick to her. She allows him and his family to visit the baby despite them treating her like shit. On his days off, he goes by the home and berates her and cusses her out and degrades her, while calling her a bad mother and basically making her feel like he can take her away (the baby).

&#x200B;

They aren't married and the baby is 6 months old. Well she has come to him and asked if they can come to a civil agreement about visitation rights without bringing the courts into it. He has been an asshole about things and basically told her if she wants to bring it to the courts they will they take the baby from her and give her to him. This has obviously distressed her (she was born to be a mother)

&#x200B;

I am not a lawyer but i told her to (discreetly) record him being an asshole while he is cussing her out and threatening to take the child away from her. Apparently her lawyer told her this isn't worth much, texts are more concrete. What advice can I give her to build a case to keep this dick bag away from her? Thank you for the help.

Answer: Your friend should get a lawyer and sue the father for child support.


Title: Can I legally break my lease if our home is destroyed?

Question: I rent a house in NC with my wife and two children. If the house is destroyed from hurricane Florance, is this cause to break our lease? Or do we have to continue paying rent on a place we can't live in?

Answer:
 No you don't have to pay rent on a place that doesn't exist anymore or isn't habitable

Answer #2: Yes, you can break the lease if the apartment becomes uninhabitable. You need to provide your landlord notice and if he does not remedy the problem with a "reasonable period of time based on the severity of the condition," you can break the lease.

See (a)(8): [https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter\_42/gs\_42-42.html](https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_42/gs_42-42.html)Answer #3: If you don't break the lease then the landlord is required to provide you with a place to live as long as you're paying rent.


Title: Realtor Puts Sign In Front Of My House

Question:
a realtor on the west side of my house is selling a landlocked home (it owns no land that touches a street).   I own the driveway for 400' and so no one can see his house.   He put up a sign in front of my house and so I asked him to take it down (he was a dick about it).   He now has put a sign very close to the road and claims "it's on the road and that is county property".

Do I have any gripe?  What's protocol?  What's the legal?

thx for you help.   I live in California if that helps.

Answer:
 Not a Lawyer

and off topic
If the house is landlocked how were the people coming and going from the house?
I would look into making sure that they don't or won't try to get an easement through your driveway. Sounds like your driveway is the best place to get into the house by what you are saying. (Wouldn't put the signage there otherwise.)
Answer #2: I would worry about the potential that people out house-hunting would roll up to OP's house asking to look around, thinking it's the one on the market. The realtor should be asked to make sure the sign is clear about which house is for sale and which is not. Most good realtor signs have an area at the top where they can be customized - "House in rear" would do it. Answer #3: This is going to vary based on your municipality. Below is a link to some relevant ordinances in Orange County just as an example. A you'll see there, signs generally cannot be placed on the public easement and signs on private property require the permission of the owner of that property. Your best bet is going to be checking for similar ordinances for your municipality to see if that gives you any leverage.

http://www.ocar.org/14-city-sign-ordinances.htmlAnswer #4: If the house doesn't sell or sells for less than it would if the sign was up (less visibility= less potential buys) then doesn't that lower the value of your home? Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.


Title: The city wants to demolish my apartment building. My landlord seems to think it's no big deal.

Question:
[Philadelphia] This was posted to the front door of my building. http://imgur.com/4qRjN3h
I've been living here almost three months, roommate and I just sent of this months rent. As of right now it hasn't been cashed.
My landlord has been made aware. His English isn't great so communication is difficult, but he says he'll be going to Licensing and Inspection on Monday. But even if it is fixable, I don't want to live with construction on my building.
Any tips or advice on what I can/should do?

EDIT: sorry for lack of location flair. Can't seem to set properly from my phone.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You say that the landlord's English isn't great, but the city isn't doing too well itself...in the 3rd paragraph of the notice, Philadelphia is spelled incorrectly. Your tax dollars at work! Answer #2: Your apartment is far from being demolished. It's a *possibility* if your landlord doesn't follow-through with the city.

At this point, there's not much you can do. You've contacted the landlord and the ball is in his court. If substantial construction/inconvenience to you is required to rectify the issues, you should talk to your landlord about a concession from him.


Title: My friend needs help. Apparently his grandparents think that he defrauded them.

Question:
My friend who I’ve known for a while came to me with a concerning issue earlier today. He said his grandparents had called him to let him know they would be pressing charges on him for defrauding them. They accused him(my friend) of using their checkbooks to write multiple checks to himself over the course of about a year.

I do not believe he’s done this. I just don’t think he has the capacity, as bad as it sounds. His grandparents also have Alzheimer’s. His grandfather, who name the checkbook is in from what I understand, is nearing the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

My friend says that every time he asked for an amount of money from his grandfather, he just wrote him a check without question. No matter the amount he asked for. What can he do?

Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Your friend should stop asking his “nearing end stages” Alzheimer’s grandfather for cheques / money. If his grandfather is incapacitated mentally, it’s abusive to get him to give him money.

Your friend should consider asking for legal advice from an attorney with criminal law experience.


Title: [Final Update] Our fake landlord USED to be the landlord, the guy taking the money is pretending to represent him. [Chicago]

Question:
**TLDR:** A bank owns the building, we're all squatting, our lawyer is very friendly, and the potential new apartment allows us to have a cat

So the property was foreclosed several months before we moved in. When the other tenants moved out, it wasn't because their lease was up or anything; they were squatting in a foreclosed building. He never told us this at any point, and still hasn't told us. Our neighbors used some real estate connections they had through their parents to find out everything about the foreclosure, including the bank that owns the property. The bank that has no idea anyone is living here. The guy who is claiming to be the landlord USED to own the place before it got foreclosed. Now he's renting out rooms to people and trying to get the money in cash from the "tenants" without the permission of the owner. The only reason that the police believed he was the current landlord was because the bank hasn't changed the locks on the front door. He proved he was the landlord to them by using his key on the front door (which is apparently enough, even without ID, even when 911 is called because this man is disguising himself and attempting to break in?).

We got a really good lawyer downtown who's helping us properly break lease just to cover any possible shred of legality that the situation holds, then taking us to court. He's a friend of my roommate's dad who is doing this at a very low rate as a favor, he's extremely generous and we're so thankful for him.

I understand how sketchy it all sounds, I even find myself questioning what's going on. That's why we started recording it. We just finished sitting through 17 minutes of footage of them in our apartment tearing through our things. After letting it sit for a day, the footage is all the more insane. Last night, I couldn't sleep because I was so fucking terrified that they would just come back again. Our female roommate spent the night at a friend's apartment out of fear.

We took all of the advice in the comments with a grain of salt. This is the internet, after all. One person defended me perfectly, saying:

 > I thought the whole thing with legaladvice is that all posts must be treated as real, no matter how ridiculous they sound because some people really are that thick.

Well, we are that thick. We are incredibly, incredibly stupid and the severity of this situation is partly our fault. We let this continue on for too long. We got intimidated by this man early on and were too confused and afraid to do anything about it. Besides, we didn't know any better. We're all out-of-towners renting our first apartment. We've learned our lesson, believe me.

**CONCERNING PROOF**

We lawyered up, and he's having us restrict what we share with other people. Especially online. I really want to provide some video clips so you guys can see the insanity that took place, but I want to clear it with him first. I'll call him tomorrow when I get back from the court. I also have months of insane texts and voicemails saved that I want to share at this point, but again I don't know if I should until I ask him.

However I've already posted pictures of the state of disrepair in the apartment, a photo of the rat from the surveillance footage, our plumbing issues, and his car parked outside our apartment right before he pushed his way in to our place. I can't post his name or any photos of him so I know that it makes it harder to believe because of that.

The biggest issue with it sounding sketchy is because IT IS SKETCHY. These men are constantly lying and changing their stories on us faster than we can keep up with. They behave in extremely suspicious manners and are illegally renting the place out. They're just trying to cover their own tracks on this, and that includes changing their story constantly and trying to limit our information.

They still claim to have videos and photos of us dealing drugs out of our apartment, which is absolutely baseless. That's the one thing they keep bringing up though, it's really strange. The previous tenants were the gangbangers in the neighborhood, however there's no resemblance whatsoever.

So we're moving out and into a much nicer, slightly larger place in Lakeview. Turns out you can live there for the same price as in a rat infested, foreclosed slum. We'll be out hopefully by the end of the week.

So thank you for the advice for those of you who honestly tried to help. And if you still don't believe it happened, I don't know how to prove it to you and I'm sorry. But I know it's real, and I know that this experience is going to leave a long-lasting effect on me as a person. Besides, what am I getting out of this if it's fake? Attention? Seriously? It's a low-profile post on a niche sub under a throwaway account

Answer:
 For what it's worth, I found your story believable in part because of the cops 'I don't give a fuck' attitude. I have plenty of family and friends from in and around Chicago. Honestly, the cops taking the word of a guy with a key to the front door is just as believable as saying you saw the phoney landlord give the cops a hundred bucks to go away.Answer #2: Original post:  https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3sot22/landlord_shut_off_heat_demanding_1650_in_cash_by/

First update:  https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3sudg1/update_my_landlord_isnt_real_and_the_guy/

How do I miss all the fun?

Glad all this got resolved for you.Answer #3: But did you get the check cancelled in time?Answer #4: > We took all of the advice in the comments with a grain of salt. This is the internet, after all.

Ha! This is way too true, basically on this sub don't trust to anyone who isn't stared. Even me, especially me...


Title: Roommate salted garden before moving out; legal options?

Question:
I rent a house. I had a roommate who moved out at the end of the lease in August. She did not leave on good terms, and she salted the garden before she left.

I knew that the roommate had pulled up several plants in the garden as well as smashing tomatoes on the ground before leaving, but I didn't know she had salted it.  I was informed of this yesterday by a mutual friend who recently had a falling out with this roommate. The roommate had planted the garden in the spring and was upset that I would not reimburse her for the cost of the plants when she was asked to leave in August. She threatened to sue me in small claims court over several issues and wrote up a complaint, which included a request for the reimbursement of the plants. Thus, I think a preponderance of the evidence would point to this roommate being the person who salted the garden, even if our mutual friend didn't want to get involved.

We were jointly and severally liable on the lease. I paid the entire security deposit (yes, I was an idiot), and would like all of that money back when I move out. What should I do at this point? Replace the dirt and move on with my life? Replace the dirt and start the process of small claims court suing her for the costs? Have the garden professionally fixed and sue her for that?

Edit for location: Indiana

Answer:
 Farmer/gardener here: I'd not replace the dirt but mulch heavily (see: lasagna gardening or sheet mulching) and plant cover crops for tillage (buckwheat, clover) as well as nitrogen fixers (legumes like beans and peas) for a season as well as restorative crops like sunflowers and other annuals.  Sunflowers shouldn't mind the salt as they go deep.  Tomatoes are hearty as well, I'd still try transplants.  Also, you could just install raised beds above the old bed and by the time the plants grow down to the weed barrier above and through the old bed, they'll be fine.  Don't forget to post a pic of your victory garden to r/gardening. Answer #2: That's some biblical stuff there, damn. If you have access to a garden shop or a nursery you could ask them how to fix it, and then take her to small claims for the cost. Answer #3: Wow. That's an amazing new level of crazy clever. Well you can fix it and sue her for the costs of repairs.Answer #4: Salting the earth, a la Biblical times only makes sense when the two parties are in a state of nature against each other. You salt the earth to completely destroy your enemy. so they can't feed themselves and their whole society perishes.

when there's a legal system above both parties, and you can just sue the guy, salting the earth is just pointless destruction that the perp will end up paying for himself.


Title: What constitutes patent infringement for homemade devices?

Question:
I curious what constitutes patent infringement in terms of devices that I make and sell myself.

I like to tinker with Raspberry Pi's and Arudinos to make things- largely they are similar in function to things one can buy on the market, but as far as I understand, simply making them and using them personally is not infringement.

What about if I wanted to start selling my homemade devices on a small scale over the Internet? Does this cross a line?

If this is infringement, what is generally the process for licensing a patent for this purpose?

Thanks in advance!!

Edit for location: Boston, MA

Answer:
 >but as far as I understand, simply making them and using them personally is not infringement.

If what you are doing is covered by a patent this is still infringement (although not infringement that is likely to be discovered or lead to a lawsuit).

Making or using a patented invention is infringement even if it is merely for personal use.