Title: Need Legal Advise from fellow Redditors for targeted DMCA takedowns filed by a rival news website called Fossbytes.com

Question:
Need help and answers from fellow Redditors for targeted DMCA takedowns filed by a rival news website called Fossbytes.com We are a cybersecurity news website and publish articles under fair use policy using resources from sources like Wikipedia, Reddit, Stackoverflow and sometimes from websites like Forbes, TorrentFreak etc. with proper attribution. A rival website Fossbytes.com with same business as our had threatened us a month earlier and is now targeting us with DMCA notices. They have filed DMCA notices against 25 of our articles. Sadly both Google search and Google AdSense have taken cognizance of their notices ex-parte and disabled ads as well removed the said articles from the search. The temerity of the fossbytes can found from this following fact.
This article > https://www.techworm.net/2017/03/best-linux-distros-old-laptops.html was published on 2nd March and their article > https://fossbytes.com/best-lightweight-linux-distros/ was published on 8th March. It is a fact that they copied the article from us and for which we have no complaints as the article comes under fair use policy. Second thing is that their DMCA (https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/14393435) mentions 30 articles while they have given their 24 articles and mentioned our 25 articles. This clearly shows their intent to defame and harass us. Google has taken ex-parte decision of blocking ads on our 25 web pages without giving us an opportunity to explain our side about how all these articles are covered under fair use and available on probably all cyber security websites including us.
Fellow Redditors, kindly suggest me the ways and means to get the DMCA quashed as well as how to avoid such harassment DMCAs in future.
Need serious advice from fellow Redditors on how to avoid such revenge DMCAs. Any help will be much appreciated.
One thing to note is that both we and the rival websites are based in India and the law process here is really slow.

Thanks in advance
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 Eh, so you put ads on articles lifted from other sources and gain money from that? That's not fair use. That sounds more like theft. You fail at all the [fair use factors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use#U.S._fair_use_factors).Answer #2: > We are a cybersecurity news website and publish articles under fair use policy using resources from sources like Wikipedia, Reddit, Stackoverflow and sometimes from websites like Forbes, TorrentFreak etc. with proper attribution.

First of all, do you have the *rights* to publish every article you publish from these resources? Not all of those resources allow for their content to be distributed freely with attribution.


Title: Got into car accident, now on the hook for $22,000.

Question:
So as the title says I got into a car accident recently. I was at fault and the car I hit was a newer ford suv type vehicle. Thankfully nobody was injured but since their air bags deployed, they are claiming damages for around $22,000. The police wrote the report and sent me on my way since my car didn't have much damage. So the next day I go into my insurance company to inform them of the accident only to find out they had cancelled my policy three months prior. Basically I'm on the hook for everything.
 I had no idea I had been riding around for months without insurance. At the scene of the accident neither cop said anything about my not having insurance. I even went to the dmv later that day and their records had me as insured through my company. My insurance company apparently sent a letter of cancellation a few months back that I guess got lost in the shuffle of mail that I got and I guess I never read it thoroughly enough. So apparently they didn't notify the dmv and I had also been pulled over for a seat belt violation during the period of time in which I was "uninsured" but the cop never mentioned it. I had absolutely no idea I was uninsured and no reason to think anything of it. But now my license has been suspended by the insurance company of the vehicle I hit and they are saying I must pay the 22,000 or enter some sort of payment plan in order to get my license reinstated. I work part time at a golf course and I'm a part time student as well so I have no way of paying this amount of money and I sure don't want to add another 22,000 dollars worth of debt on my record. Is there any other option I can take where I can get my license reinstated without having to basically go broke? Is the insurance company liable to inform the dmv? Or am I just shit out of luck because I missed one envelope from my insurance company?

Answer: Insurance companies don't suspend your license. The state does. I dont know how you went 3 months without knowing you were canceled. That's on you and you alone. You can beg for a payment plan.


Title: Employment Discrimination

Question:
Hi everyone,

I’m posting this just to see what everyone’s advice or thoughts are about this. It’s about my wife, who several years ago, worked for a Christian preschool in Honolulu, Hawaii, but she was not allowed to work there full time. The Director of the preschool only allowed her to work there part time because she does not identify as a Christian. She is an atheist. But she certainly is qualified to work full time with her Associates Degree in Early Education and she has the experience working with children. I am just curious: was it legal for the preschool to do this to my wife and turn down full time employment to her because she isn’t a Christian? Any input would be greatly appreciated! :)

Answer: Private religious institutions are typically allowed to discriminate in that mannerAnswer #2: Yep. Religious organizations can base their hiring criteria on religious beliefs whereas other non-religious organizations cannot (as a general rule).


Title: [CA]Owners wants me to finish a project AFTER they fired me.

Question:
Up until last week, I worked as an Art Director for a multimedia business in California, to which the owners (Husband and Wife) recently informed me that in terms of company workflow and direction, my position was slowly being phased out and they would have to let me go and would require my services on an "as needed basis" allowing me to work from home whenever the company would require my skill set.
So the day BEFORE they informed me of this, I worked on 2-3 different projects for my department, the bulk of that day (3-4 hours) was focused on me video taping/interviewing a client when they came to visit to create a promo video of sorts. Before my time with the company the owners would regularly pay $500 per outsourced video.
The day AFTER my status with the company changed, the Wife called me and asked me if I was interested in completing the video I started at their standard rate ($500), with the catch that they would subtract an 8 hour workday from the total sum since "We already paid you for it when you still worked here."
I know each state law has it's idiosyncrasies when it comes, but is this legal? The deal itself sounds reasonable, but the subtracted day-of-pay caveat feels a little shady, especially since I completed various different work projects that day as well. Just wanted some input on this if possible. Thank all of you in advanced.

Answer:
 Triple your payrate.  You have additional expenses as a 1099 worker, and they only hire you for what they want, no guaranteed paycheck.  Get it in writing.Answer #2: You are a contract employee now. You are free to agree to any fee. It's completely legal for them to offer you a certain rate and it's perfectly legal for you to decline.

Do you have another question?Answer #3: The standard advice for an independent contractor is to charge three times what you would make working on the project as an employee. You're now responsible for your own taxes and equipment, and you should negotiate a premium for not having steady hours or benefits.


Title: I am a fantasy football commish. We have a punishment for the loser of our league but not sure if it is legal (California)

Question:
Our league is trying to find a punishment appropriate for the league.  I pitched an idea where somebody has to wear this thing called "[The Tuggie](http://imgur.com/rpdP6H7)".  They would have to walk up and down the beach with this on for 5 minutes.

Is this legal?  We do not want anybody getting arrested for indecent exposure and have to register as a sex offender.

Answer:
 Generally, an exposed bunghole is legally a no-no. That's why a banana hammock is kosher, but not this weenie-warmer.Answer #2: Nope, not legal.

If you combine it with a speedo it is legal though, I think.

This will not stop anyone from calling the police on you though, and the cops could realistically do anything. Answer #3: You should instead go with the [Borat swimsuit](https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3058/2281932272_f8302804b3.jpg), perfectly legal.Answer #4: This has to be the most creative fantasy football punishment I have seen in quite some time.Answer #5: San Francisco is probably the only place you could get away with this in California as they have very very lax nudity laws. Maybe make a trip out of it.


Title: [MI] Can landlord bill me for towing my car from reserved spot for construction I wasn't notified of?

Question:
The following events all occurred today, May 28:

I live in a rental townhome community which has a shared parking lot for each row of buildings with reserved spaces for each unit. I carpooled to work today, and left my car at home, which I regularly do. Our parking has no time restrictions. My boyfriend returned home around 5:15pm, while I was still out, which is when I received a call from him saying my car was missing and our parking lot had been torn up. He thankfully found my car farther down the street, but while he was outside an employee of the landlord was walking around handing out the following printed notice, **at 5:15 pm dated for today, May 28**:

"Dear Residents, My sincerest apologies on the parking lot re-paving project starting today without notice. The contractor will be removing and replacing a portion of the parking lot. Please be sure to move your vehicle before 7am. Any vehicle remaining in the lot will be towed at the owner's expense. The work will be completed as quickly as possible but could be postponed due to inclement weather. We anticipate the project to be completed by Friday, May 31, 2019."

We were given zero notice of construction, just a notice to move our cars that was handed out 10 hours after the fact. They made no attempt to contact me to ask me to move my car or to ask for my permission. They call me whenever I have a package delivered so clearly they know where I live and how to reach me.

So, to summarize, all of this happened today:

7:15 am - no sign at all of construction. I leave to carpool to work, leaving my car in my home parking lot.

Sometime during the day - Landlord has all cars towed out of the lot and contractor rips up pavement.

5:15 pm - landlord's employee gives out notice saying cars remaining at 7 am today will be towed at owner's expense.

The advice I need:

* They have signs posted saying only **unauthorized** vehicles will be towed at owner's expense. Is it illegal for them to move my car without warning or permission?
* The big question: If I receive a bill for this, am I required to pay it?

Answer: NAL....  but well versed in Michigan and California rental laws from the landlord standpoint.   They didn't give proper notice so they should not have towed your car.  I would contact your rental office to find out if they even plan to bill you.  IMO This is not something they can legally pass to you and if you actually had to fight them in court (small claims) they would lose.


Title: Work owes me 20k in unpaid wages

Question:
California

My work is pretty awful when it comes to paying its workers. Many have left because of this. Once they leave they stop getting paid all together even when they are owed. I'm between a rock and a hard place when it comes to trying to get paid back the money I've already earned. If I leave theres its almost guaranteed I will not get paid what is owed to me based on what I've witnessed with coworkers who have left. My boss is always getting into legal battles and seems to relish in the idea of suing everybody he can.

I'm not high up in the company and do not have any kind financial stake in the company. I'm just a low level employee who thought things would turn around. If anything I feel dumb for staying but do I just let go of the 20k I've earned? Would getting a lawyer be worth it if its only 20k?

Answer:
 Why not file a wage claim with the Department of Labor for the State of California? You are owed money based on the work you performed.

For $20,000, yes, you absolutely should be considering a lawyer after the wage claim. And look for another job.Answer #2: > Would getting a lawyer be worth it if its only 20k?

**Only** 20k?!?!?! That's a heck of a lot of money to me and would be absolutely worth it. Only you would know if it would be worth it to file a wage claim.

Either way, you shouldn't work somewhere for free. All you'll do is keep accumulating "IOU's" that are clearly not coming.Answer #3: First off this will not be a quick battle.

Second, I would file a wage complaint with the Labor and Workforce Development agency.

Third, $20k is a lot, while that is going on I would absolutely get a consult from an employment lawyer.  That will give you an idea of what will be expected and what their share will be (if you win and collect).


Title: Wisconsin. I would like to make the beneficiary of my IRA my daughter remove my wife.

Question: My IRA came from my 401K, was married for the last 10 years that I worked. Rolled that to the IRA. My health is not that good and I wount to make  sure my daughter gets it.

Answer:
 Your wife likely would need to consent to being removed as beneficiary. (because Wisconsin is a community property state)

The firm that has your IRA can send you the appropriate forms.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Roommate threatening to sue over cat allergy

Question:
I recently moved into an apartment with a new roommate. Before moving in together, we discussed adopting cats, and he agreed to allow me to adopt cats from a local shelter. They also came to the shelter with me to look at the cats before I adopted them. We live in a pet friendly apartment, and I got permission from my landlord to own cats before I adopted.

Since the cats have been in our apartment, my roommate has complained of having an allergic reaction to the cats. I've kept the cats out of physical contact with them, and have been taking precautions to limit the allergens in the apartment, however they want me to return the cats to the shelter or move out.

I've refused to do either, and my roommate is now threatening to sue me for endangering their health. Do they have any legal standing?

Answer:
 Hmmm..

https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/75d7m2/im_allergic_to_my_roommates_cats_and_he_wont_give/Answer #2: Your roommate can buy an air purifier that works with cat dander.


Title: [KY] Work 8 days in a row, but no overtime pay?

Question:
I am an hourly employee at a retail outlet for farm supplies in Kentucky. Our schedule week starts on Thursday and ends on Wednesday. Between the most recent two schedules (the next one came out today--Wednesday--and starts tomorrow) I find that I am scheduled a total of eight days in a row; that is, from last Sunday through next Sunday.

&nbsp;

But because of the way the schedules are arranged, these eight days strattle two workweeks, meaning neither period (between Thursday and the following Wednesday) has over 40 hours. This means that I am not scheduled to receive overtime pay, according to my employer.

&nbsp;

I have read elsewhere that on the seventh workday in a row, an hourly employee should receive overtime pay for hours worked that day. Is this the case? Are they allowed to schedule me 56 hours in one calendar week without paying overtime simply because it is split between two workweeks?

Answer: The work week is any 168 hour period as defined by the employer so yes this is legal UNLESS they are changing the work week for the express purpose of avoiding overtime. But if this is the established work week and you didn't work more than 40 hours in either week then you aren't due overtime.


Title: Biological Father "stole" grandmothers television from her house. [Texas]

Question:
I purchased a flat screen tv for my grandmother back in Feb. 2015. Within weeks of her receiving the tv, she was admitted to the hospital and was not home for a couple of weeks. During this time her son, my biological father took said TV to him home and has refused to return it.

I still have the receipt for the TV, and would like it to be returned back to my grandmother's home, and from there I will take the TV back for my own usage. I've given him the option to either return the TV or to reimburse me for the total amount (202$).

I do not live in the same city as either of them, but the home that it was taken from, legally belongs to my aunt (his sister). Thus I have sent him a certified letter asking for return of the TV or reimbursement. From there we would proceed to criminal charges.

Being the jackass that he is, I'm pretty sure he'll destroy the TV before returning it [brand new condition]. Do I have legal recourse to sue him for the damage of the TV?

What are the next steps to take? I already know he is not going to play nicely. Thanks in advance.

Topic:
Douche

Answer: Theft is a crime. Call the cops. And then file a lawsuit in small claims for theft.


Title: Fiancee's ex-husband violating divorce decree, trying to move into a house she paid on for 5 years but recently moved out of.

Question:
We're in Texas. My fiancee recently moved in with me in May. The house went to her in her divorce via the divorce decree, but he is the only name on the mortgage. She paid solely on the house for the last 4 years, he has not lived there in over 5. The divorce decree states the house will be sold after she moves out. No renting, no moving back in. The house was on the market for the last two months, but her ex-husband just turned down the a solid offer and pulled the lock box off the doors and is going to move in. What type of lawyer do we need to consult for this matter? Is there an injunction or any  paperwork we can do to get the house back on the market? 50% of the house sale proceeds are to go directly to her as well as defined by the divorce decree. Is there any quick legal recourse for this? We're losing out on ~$50k with the loss of house sale.

Thanks in advance reddit

Answer:
 >The house went to her in her divorce via the divorce decree

Is his name on the deed at all or was full ownership transferred to her upon the finalization of the divorce?


Title: Wrongfully terminated from job, what can I do?

Question: I was fried from my job in Colodrado with a local medical billing company, the manager stated I was "making to many mistakes" and tried to accuse me of trying to steal checks. 1. I was never fully or formally trained, every day I was told "These are new accounts that we took on and we are all still trying to figure them out, no one really knows." 2. I was never corrected on any mistakes I had made, I went to them day after day asking for feedback and what I can do to be better and was told "Oh you're doing great, none of the mistakes are your fault"  3. When it came to the accusation of theft I asked or more details and specifics as that is and never has been my character, details and specifics were denied from em and I was not able to explain or get an explanation. Can I take legal action against them?

Answer:
 > details and specifics were denied from em and I was not able to explain or get an explanation

You have no right to any of those things. Your employer is not a court of law. You can quit for any reason, and can be fired for almost any reason, included an unproved accusation. File for unemployment and look for a new job.


Title: What happens if a person with a no contact order against you walks into your house and forces contact?

Question:
Asking from Louisiana.

Yeah I am basically worried that my roommate is going to invite them over and let them in. The person with the no contact order was living at my place but not on the lease. I was letting her stay for free because she was in a bind and has a 3 yr old, but my roommate who is on the lease lied to police about something that happened and I ended up getting charged and a protective order put on me. They are trying to get me out of the picture because I didn't want her living with us anymore after I found out she was smoking meth in the house. While my husband was at work, the girl attacked me, punching me several times in the back of the head as I was walking away from her in front of my son. I didn't even defend myself. Her and the other roommate lied and said I came at her with a weapon. Even though she beat me, and I didn't even defend myself. My husband, roommate, and myself are all on the lease. We live there with our nine month old son.

Answer:
 Contact the court, and let them know that your roommate may be attempting to subvert the order, and ask for advice. You can also contact an attorney, or contact the [Louisiana Civil Legal Justice Center](http://laciviljustice.org/) (they have a hotline) and ask for advice there.

/u/Internet_Ghost's advice also applies. If a person under a protective order violates that order by coming to where you are, then you still call the police in the short term. But in the long term, it's the court that holds the real power.Answer #2: You call the police. Answer #3: In my state in order for a no contact order to go into effect, both parties have to state their legal residence. Has the other party stated that your house is their legal residence?


Title: [CA, US] If a driver is speeding and intends to cut you off, and their only line of safety is entering your lane (they will crash into something if they stay in their lane and are going too fast to stop), are you obligated to let them cut you off?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If you are able to avoid an accident and do not then you have a good chance at being at least partially liable.


Title: Can I use an outline of a Marvel superhero for a tshirt with a gym logo above it?

Question:
Was asked to create a shirt for a gym using Hulk as a sort of strength reference only using his outline. These shirts would not be for direct profit but for promotional purposes for clients.

Is this within legal limits?

Answer: The outline of the Hulk is a derivative work and so this is a copyright infringement.  It's also a trademark infringement.  Whether or not you make a profit is immaterial for a trademark infringement suit.  Marvel has probably registered the copyright of whatever drawing you're tracing, so they'd sue you for statutory damages in addition to getting the injunction forbidding you from making or these shirts, and so profitability is immaterial there, too.


Title: Is it illegal to sell somebody else's fan art if I got permission from the copyright holder?

Question:
For example:

-------

A guy draws a picture of spider-man, I take that picture of spider-man and sell it, but I sell it only after getting permission from the original copyright holder (Marvel) that it is ok to sell and distribute the item.

Can the artist now get angry at me for selling his work, even though he never had permission from the copyright holder to do so but I did?

------

Currently residing in US (Illinois) if that is relevant.

Answer:
 Marvel owns the Intellectual Property in the character of Spider Man.

But the copyright of the actual art belongs to the artist who drew it.


Title: I was offered a distribution deal on CrypTV but they get all exclusive rights... (FL)

Question:
I need some assistance. I've recently have been offered a distribution deal for my short film that is currently on YouTube. However, I noticed that on the contract it says that they get all exclusive rights. I asked the content manager about what I would have to do to the version on YouTube and she mentioned that I would have to just put it on private for two weeks prior of the release on their network. If it does well viewership wise than I could take it off private two weeks after.

I'm just wondering if this is a bad deal or not? I'd love the exposure but I can't help thinking that giving up rights to it is a mistake waiting to happen. I'd like to privately share the contract for viewing if need be.

Answer: take that contract to an attorney and discuss it with them. their manager has no duty to tell you the truth nor can they advise you on it.


Title: [Texas, US] hospital refused to take in patient

Question: My friends wife died of a stroke last week. She was 21 and 5 months pregnant, at the middle of the night she suffered a stroke and he called in an ambulance and they took her to the hospital. Once in the hospital they refused to give her treatment because she was an illegal and did not have insurance and the two other hospitals rejected her as well. They finally found a hospital that would take her in another city but unfortunately she died in her way. Despite her been undocumented and him been a U.S. citizen is there any legal help he could seek?

Answer:
 >Once in the hospital they refused to give her treatment because she was an illegal and did not have insurance and the two other hospitals rejected her as well

Your friend isn't telling you (or is misunderstanding) the entire story, because that's the biggest load of shit I've read today.

No hospital is going to turn away someone who is having a stroke, let alone THREE hospitals. EMTALA doesn't distinguish based on citizenship, so all hospitals would be required to provide treatment. If this actually happened, he would need to consult with an attorney.Answer #2: It is against the law for them to turn her away. I find it hard to believe that three hospitals turn her away. Are we talking hospitals with emergency rooms?


Title: My friend got arrested for shoplifting over 1k (Michigan) what's the likelyhood of jail time?

Question:
My friend (mid 20s) is an idiot and tried to steal around $1100 of electronics from a big box store in michigan. He was stopped by security and they called the cops who arrested him. I don't know exactly what he told the cops, but he was caught red handed so I don't think that matters a whole lot. I asked him if he had a record and this is not the first time he's been in trouble. He's had a few minor charges including shoplifting, but never served time. There's a good chance that all happened when he was a minor, but I don't know.

He's mentally disabled and collects a small amount of disability from the government. I think his diagnosis is schizophrenia, but I'm not 100% sure.

He says he wasn't charged, but has court in a month for this (where I imagine he'll be officially charged). His parents might pay for a cheap lawyer, but may not be able to afford one. I talked to a friend that's a cop and he said that the guy is looking at 1 year because it's over $1000. What is the likelyhood that he'll actually spend time behind bars?

Answer: That is a felony. He is looking at up to five years in jail. He needs a lawyer.


Title: In a pickle with a TSA background check.

Question:
Hi folks.

My work place is a part of the TSA program, and I have to go through a TSA background check. I'm a stealth mtf trans woman, have been since 2005, and worried that if I don't give my birth name, it may cause problems for me. **But if I DO give my birth name, it will most certainly cause problems for me.** I've had a legal name change since 2005 or '06. I'd normally say this is good enough, but they also want my location of birth as well, which tells me they are probably digging DEEP.

I don't suppose anyone is a part of a TSA program that needed to undergo a similar background check regarding name changes? I need advice from someone that had to endure a similar process. And I have about 12 hours to play with before I need to submit the documentation. :|

I'm from Seattle.

Answer:
 What's the problem with the background check? What are you afraid of coming out during that process?

If the answer to that question is either 1) your "stealth" status as a trans woman being outed to your coworkers or superiors or 2) past criminal activity under your prior name, then I hate to say it, but it's precisely those sorts of things that background checks are designed to catch. The criminal activity part is obvious, but the first part might not be.

One very important aspect of a background check is to determine if the applicant can be blackmailed in to doing something illegal on behalf of a third party. If your identity as a trans woman is not open knowledge, "stealth" as you say, and you greatly fear being outed at work (or anywhere else, really), then that is a security liability. In theory, someone could use that information to manipulate you into doing something illegal. I'm honestly not sure that there is a good way around this for you if this is the case.

By the by, Title VII prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, so they can't just fire you (or not promote you) for being a trans woman. If that's your fear, then worry not.


Title: Dog ate rat poison in someone else's house

Question:
Someone brought their dog to their neighbors house and the dog go in to rat poison which was in the house. Who is liable?

BC Canada

Answer: Was the dog an invited guest?


Title: Left abusive foreign wife. Now how do I divorce from abroad? (South Dakota Marriage, Non-Resident)

Question:
Hello, I had a tumultuous 1 year marriage with a diagnosed borderline personality disorder woman. We got married in South Dakota, USA. She began sabotaging the marriage from about day 3.  I finally left her 2 months ago and went full 100% no contact.

Now I'm here in a foreign country just wanting the marriage over with. I would prefer keeping no contact with her. And I would also like to not have to travel back to USA at the moment.

I am a USA citizen, but not an SD resident. She is not a USA citizen. We have no assets or large sums of money to dispute. My parents are living in the city we got married in, if that would help things.

---------------
A few ideas I had:
-File a spousal abandonment divorce from overseas.
-Give my dad some sort of full power of attorney so he can file a spousal abandonment divorce.
-Somehow get the marriage annulled.
-Pay a Lawyer in town to push something through and get it done.
-I'm willing to do anything to get this done right now.

**Any creative ideas on how I can file a non-resident South Dakota divorce from overseas, without both spouses present?**

Thank you all for your time.

Answer:
 You can likely hire a South Dakota attorney to represent you, and handle a large portion of that process without being physically present in South Dakota.

I'm not familiar with the specific laws in South Dakota, but in many situations you would need to be physically present at some point to finalize the divorce.  Your attorney can advise you further.


Title: Does this constitute black mail? What are my options? (update)

Question:
EDIT:

First of all ... been PMed by a few people, probably same person on multiple accounts, saying I completely deserved this for being a "harlet", "hooker", "slut", and "whore." (Yes, they said "harlet"). Just thought you'd appreciate the laugh.

Secondly, I did contact the police today, but have not reached out to a lawyer yet. I printed off the emails we've exchanged, brought the audio recording, and multiple screenshots of the messages he sent people I know. They said I can not file for any kind of protective order, as there is no reason to believe he means me any harm.

They took the information, told me they'd look in to it, and gave me a case number. They also told me I do not need a lawyer at this point, or any point during this process, but due to the nature of his claims I plan to meet with one ASAP. A friend of mine is a lawyer, and is looking around to find a good match for me.

---

[Original post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6957bw/does_this_constitute_black_mail_what_are_my/)

I'm going to keep this short.

I did ignore him.

He eventually did email me asking for the money I owed him for the services he provided me, and that if I wait much longer he'd start adding interest, and telling people I don't pay my bills.

I told him, as legal advice so loves, to pound sand, and that I didn't owe him a dime.

He reminded me my invoice would be overduein a week before disconnecting.

A week later he just sent me a "?", to which I responded with the classic thumbs down before signing off Facebook and going to sleep.

The next morning I have nearly a dozen missed calls, many texts, Facebook messages, and emails.

The asshole sent the audio recording to every one of my Facebook friends, family included, and many of my Linkedin contacts.

That was on Sunday morning.

Since then, I've been playing clean up. most of my family doesn't care, they know I wouldn't hurt a fly, and believed me when I explained it was all 100% consensual. Embarrassingly enough, my brother vouced for me to my parents that this isn't that uncommon behavior, and that his wife and him partake as well, roles reversed though.

My colleagues told me that what I do in my personal time is up to me, but if this has any negative draw back on them, they're cutting me out, which I suppose is fair enough.

Someone, I'm not sure who, did go to the police. The police showed up Sunday afternoon, we talked, I showed them the texts, and his Facebook messages, and they said at this time to not contact him anymore, and they would be in touch if they need anything.

At this point, I think I'm in the clear. My question is, can I nail this guys balls to the wall for slandering me?

The message he sent to everyone, which I'll paraphrase here was basically

"On --/--/---- at --:-- --, (my full legal name) invited me over to her home to try out a new card game she had been developing. When I arrived she gave me several glasses of wine, possibly laced with some sort of date rape drug. She then proceeded to assault me with a number of sexual objects, and use me for her sick and twisted games. Fortunately my phone was recording, unfortunately there isn't any proof it's us for the police, but please listen to the attached file, and treat her like the rapest she is."

Answer:
 Yes! He is claiming you gave him a date rape drug and assaulted you. He even tells people to treat you "like the rapist she is". Go to the police and file a report. (Note: In your area it might be civil instead of criminal. Check that before)Answer #2: As it seems implied that OP did not consent to the recording of their encounter in the first post, how does CA being a two-party consent state come into play here? Surely recording and then sharing this encounter on the internet puts him in all kinds of trouble? I imagine you should contact the police yourself and file your own police report about what has happened.Answer #3: Yeah, that is all the blackmails.  Plus defamation.

Accusation of a rephrehensible crime is in a special category of defamation that allows a court to award damages, even if the actual extent of harm to reputation cannot be accurately proven.  (Though it may not apply if you're a "public figure").

It may be worth talking to a personal injury lawyer to see if there's enough evidence to go after.


Title: [CA] Legality/humanity of handcuffing teenage brother with autism when he physically attacks family members

Question: A little background: my brother is 14 years old and he has autism. My family is doing everything we possibly can to modify his behaviors: behavioral therapists come visit and work with him four times a week. He's seeing a psychiatrist regularly, he participates in several sports in Special Olympics. In short, my mom and I do everything we can to make sure he has a supportive environment to learn and grow happily. However, he's going through puberty, and there are situations where he physically attacks me and my mom (throwing things, punching, kicking, biting, spitting). This is alarming to both my mom and I, because we don't know what to do. We DO have an emergency response team that can respond 24/7 within an hour, but in these extremely violent situations, I want to take every possible step to de-escalate the situation, yet, if it is necessary, to restrain him in the least harmful possible way. I am 22 and a few inches taller than him, a solid 50 pounds heavier and significantly stronger. I have had to wrestle him to the ground and sit on his back, yet even then he's still fighting with all his might, trying to escape and headbutt me. I am not so afraid of him hurting me, but more concerned to protect my mother (who is shorter and lighter than him) --- she just had knee surgery a couple of weeks ago, too... In these situations, I am wondering if handcuffing him would be appropriate (i.e. if it would reduce harm to my mom and I, but especially him). Let me be clear: I mean in a situation as a LAST RESORT, when he is clearly endangering himself, me, and my mother. Would this cause more harm than good, or would it be morally/legally permissible? Thanks for your advice.

Answer:
 Handcuffs can cause significant harm even when used by trained professionals. Answer #2: I'd talk with his emergency support team and behavior therapists to see what they recommend. They may be able to show you some safer ways to control or subdue him.

I showed your post to a family member who works with students with Autism and she mentioned that she was taught techniques to safely restrain and subdue students who are getting physical through the [Crisis Prevention Institute](http://www.crisisprevention.com/). She's had to restrain students before and said the techniques are designed to cause the least harm possible to the student as well as herself. She also mentioned that your sitting on your brother's back doesn't seem to be the safest thing to do and could honestly cause more harm than good..
Answer #3: > Would this cause more harm than good

Yes

> would it be morally/legally permissible?

No.

Visit /r/autism


Title: Ex now requested alimony after 17 months after divorce

Question:
I am changing my work schedule to be able to take my kids exactly 50% of the time and my ex wife is seeing how this is going to dramatically change her child support. She is angry now it seems and said that she is going to petition the court for alimony.

I am already paying way more than I should per our states child support calculator.

We did not use attorneys to process our divorce initially, which has shown to be a mistake as I took on all of the debt (50k range) but asked that she not formally request alimony as all of my expendable income was going towards paying off debt.

What are the chances that a judge would grant alimony at this stage of divorce? Important to mention as well that she is not even working full time while I pay for daycare that would allow her to do so.

TDLR: ex is angry that her child support payments will be cut as I take 50% custody from just weekends. What are my chances that a judge would award that?

Answer:
 You have a good argument, but get an attorney. You have a better chance of prevailing if you do.Answer #2: Stop paying her anything that is not mandated by a court, and see an attorney immediately.

No one here can tell you the chances.  It all depends on several factors.Answer #3: I don’t understand; the final judgement for the divorce was 17 months ago, correct? She doesn’t get a redo unless there was a substantial change in the facts, like hiding secret lotto winnings received during the marriage.


Title: Roommate is moved her boyfriend in (San Francisco, CA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >he's claimed that he's a "sovereign citizen" and it's non of our business where he lives.

So no logic is going to work with this person.

Does your lease address overnight guests or additional tenants?  Your best bet is to use the language against your roommate if at all possible.Answer #2: Tell the landlord. I doubt he will kick you all out. Honestly, it's not worth letting yourself go crazy over this, just call the landlord.


Title: [FL] How many consecutive days a week and hours a week can you be forced to work if salary?

Question:
Hi,

I’m sorry if this comes off as naive or dumb, and I want to thank anyone in advance for even reading it.

I understand that salary is much different than hourly, however, I am curious if an employer can require their employee to work 6 days a week putting in over 12 hours a shift as a norm. There are some people being required even to come in 7 days a week. Is there any legal protection against this (no union)? Or is this one of those out of luck type things?

Thanks again!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 If you are an exempt salaried employee, there is not necessarily anything illegal about this.  Some industries might have some sort of guidelines regarding health or safety, but this is rare.

It is VERY common for people to be miscategorized as an exempt employee, when they should not be.  Might be worth looking into.


Title: Involved in bicycle accident, I'm being cited as the cyclist.

Question:
A few weeks ago I was involved in a bicycle accident. I was riding my bike on the side of a busy road, near the shoulder as the speed limit is 35 mph in that area. The shoulder I was riding in was ending, so I always move I to the main lane as to not get stuck next to cars when I lose the shoulder.

Before I made my lane change I looked over my shoulder to make sure there were no cars next to me. In that moment an SUV who did not see me coming, quickly pulled out of a driveway, and came to a complete stop in the lane to turn back into the adjacent driveway.

I rear ended the SUV moving at about 25-30 mph resulting in some serious injuries. The officer reached out to me two weeks later to let me know that I was being charged with following too closely. How do I fight this ticket? What can I say in the courtroom to have this thrown out. The driver of the vehicle lied to the police officer and did not tell him that he pulled out of a driveway, but instead was on the road the entire time. I was unconscious on the scene and airlifted so I never had a say.

Virginia, USA

Throw away account for privacy.

Answer:
 There are firms that specialize in dealing with traffic tickets, call one local to your area and they can assist youAnswer #2: You are going to have some significant medical expenses (including the air ambulance). Consult with a personal injury attorney. Plead not guilty to the ticket and follow instructions from your attnorey. https://www.dmv.org/va-virginia/fighting-your-traffic-ticket.phpAnswer #3: The person that you hit is likely trying to capitalize on the fact that he/she was not cited at the seen.

I'm guessing by your injuries that you were not able to give an account of what happened at the time of the accident. You should call the officer that handled the accident and let him know that you were cut off and ask him what citations would be appropriate to issue for it.

If he refuses, you can ask him why he believes the other driver over you but typically they will just write the ticket and let the court work it out.

It is low that the officer called you up with "Here's your ticket" instead of "Now that your not on the pavement or in a hospital bed, can you tell me what happened".


Title: Why wasn't Caitlyn Jenner found guilty of manslaughter?

Question: IIRC, it was established that Caitlyn Jenner caused the chain reaction of car collisions that ultimately killed a person

Answer: Because Caitlyn Jenner wasn't charged with manslaughter.


Title: [Indianapolis, IN] Bought a car with an engine light...

Question:
So I bought a used car.  The car had an engine light when I bought it.  The dealership inspected before I picked it up and when I picked it up, the light was off.    The light remained off for 3 days and it came back on.   I have a 2 year powertrain warranty with a $100 deductible.

I called the extended warranty company that basically said that the car had a pre-existing issue and they wouldn't be able to cover it since the check engine light was on when I purchased the car.   I would have to take it to the dealer.  I bought the car as-is, no warranty.

I took the car (a GTI) to a local Euro shop that I've had great relationship with in the past and they knew the car and had an estimate already written up for the car before it was traded to that dealership.  Basically the car needs a turbo.  It's a common issue with this generation GTI.

What recourse do I have?  What can I do?  Am I screwed?   I'm positive the dealer isn't going to replace the turbo.    Should I not have said the car had a light on when I bought it, even though they did "something" to the car and gave it to me with no light?

Answer:
 >So I bought a used car. The car had an engine light when I bought it.

OK... that makes the engine problem your responsibility.

>What recourse do I have?

No legal recourse since you bought the car knowing full well is was broken.

>What can I do?

Pay someone to fix the car.

>Am I screwed?

Not if you bought the car accounting for the repair work needed before it was drivable, yes if you thought the check engine light will magically disappear by itself.

>I'm positive the dealer isn't going to replace the turbo.

Yes, they will gladly replace it. You just got to pay them to do it.

>Should I not have said the car had a light on when I bought it, even though they did "something" to the car and gave it to me with no light?

You should have bought the car if the price was good enough to leave you enough to fix the car after you bought it with a known problem.

Not knowing how much you paid for it, that question cannot be answered here.


Title: My cousin accused me of stealing his package that was delivered to my house. (NJ)

Question:
So I have this one cousin who is really shady. He has been sued by best buy before for trying to return a thousand dollars worth of camera by putting rock and sand inside the camera box that sealed it back up. He also shipped bunch of used TVs to my house before by using the same shipping label from usps which caused a FBI agent to show up to my house and questioned me.

Now here is the problem. It all started about few months ago when he said that his packages always got stolen at his place because he lives in a very ghetto area and it is not safe so he asked to have his packages mailed to my house instead. I didn't care at first because he said he will pay me $10 for dropping off the packages at his place. I only did that once, then he stopped letting me know how many packages are getting delivered to my place and he stopped asking me to drop off any package, he just randomly showed up to my house without calling or texting first, then he just picked up his stuff and leave from time to time. Recently he accused me of stealing one of his package. He claimed that it contained a $2k watches in it, and he wants me or my family to pay him that amount of money, or he is gonna do something terrible to me and slander me at my job to get me fired. I have all his texts saved for evidence. Most of them are very threatening and should I sue for slander or emotional distress? I am planning to go to police tomorrow to report the missing package and getting a protective order against my cousin. what else should I do to protect myself?

P.S I think either someone else maybe one of my neighbour stole the package or my cousin already got the package and now claim that it is missing.

Answer:
 Or there is no package, because your cousin is a thief. If you feel threatened, go to the police, and cut this douche out of your life.Answer #2: After all the shady shit he did, that you knew about, the ONLY reason that makes any sense as to why you would allow him to have packages delivered to your house, is because you're in on whatever scam is being perpetrated.

 If I was investigating any of this, that would automatically be my first direction I would go.


Title: dismissed from teaching job for indicating student made me feel uncomfortable. What is administrative misconduct?

Question:
I posted this previously then deleted account bc did not have specific question.  Location: New England, US.

Long story short, I was teaching in a public school, things were going really well, with the exception of a single student, 14 year old boy, who muttered angrily to me and about me both in and out of class in a way I felt indicated a potential threat, and an attempt to bully me.  I put this feeling in writing and was dismissed within five days. No reason was given but I had a good formal evaluation a week or so previous, was told everything was fine.  This was within first 90 days of employment and I know the contract is written to make dismissal easy for administration and difficult to protest.

Allow me to refute the suggestion made to my previous post, that the problem is my disposition if I feel bullied by a student muttering angrily.  I have been teaching for nearly 20 years, and in some really tough inner city schools.  Kids complain but they need their teachers and they know it; they will give me a hard time, steal my stuff, tell me to fuck off, but the undercurrent is 'this sucks but you're an ok guy and there when I need you.'  This was a totally different vibe, very personal and felt like 'I hate you, I hate you personally'.  To support this claim, I note that my union rep has since done some research and told me that my 'colleagues have strong opinions that share your thoughts and gut feelings. Some stated a very real concern about this student.'  I do not feel it was my imagination, and in this day and age of school shootings not out of line to point out an unusually angry 14 year old boy to administration.

However, this happened within the first 90 days of employment, and my union rep says the contract is pretty much ironclad except in cases of 'adminstrative misconduct'.  Also, administration does not admit to having received my letter, though the Special Ed director told me he gave the letter to my principal.

I feel helpless but would love to have recourse here.  Also I wonder if the definition of 'administrative misconduct' (a term I am not familiar with) can apply to this situation.  Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 WRT your continued reference to being "bullied", you should stop using that term because it makes you sound like a student instead of a teacher.  You are an adult with almost 20 years of teaching experience.  Either you perceived a potential threat from a 14 year old boy, or you didn't.  You were not being "bullied" by a 14 year old boy and you have no recourse against anyone for being "bullied".

WRT the term "administrative misconduct", you should ask your union rep what that means, but it sounds like that would be where someone in the school administration itself engaged in misconduct directed towards you, like if the principal felt you up, or something like that.


Title: Paying way more for prescriptions out of pocket than was told by pharmacist. Do I have any recourse?

Question:
In California.  I went to the doctor last year in November for a non-critical issue and they called in a prescription to a mail order pharmacy.  The pharmacist called me and told me that my out of pocket cost would be $25, which sounded fine so I agreed to it.  Then the next month the cost was $5, which sounded even better, so I agreed to that.  Then for January they told me over the phone that since it was a new year things were a little wonky with insurance and the medicine would now be costing $298, down from over $900 but only because they were choosing a generic pill this time.  Shit, okay, sure, it's better than what it could be I guess, so I agreed to that number as well.

I logged into my health plan site this year to discover that they had been billing me for the full cost of the prescription for all three months.  Turns out I had an unreached deductible in my insurance: I discovered that all the health costs I thought went towards my deductible last year didn't actually go towards the deductible at all, the only thing counting towards the deductible was prescriptions, and that this one non-critical prescription that I agreed to receive happened to be an additional $982 and I was paying for all of it.  I never actually consented to paying $982 out of pocket for a prescription, I had agreed to $25 and trusted the pharmacist on the phone to be transparent.  Instead it feels like the pharmacist and the insurance company made a deal behind my back and agreed that I would pay for something I did not directly agree to.

I know my lack of understanding of my plan is my responsibility, but there is little transparency in the system and I really thought I tried; I thought I was covering my bases asking my doctor for a bill up front, I trusted the pharmacist on the phone to have gone through my insurance correctly and to be honest and up front with me, and I certainly would not have agreed to receiving such an expensive prescription if I had been aware that my benefits did not actually cover any of it.  I really thought I was only paying $25, $5, and $298 out of pocket.  Do I have any legal recourse?

Answer:
 > I had agreed to $25 and trusted the pharmacist on the phone to be transparent.

Your confusion in how it works is common. As you figured out, you can't trust the phramacist, especially on a oral phone call. You need to find out the actual cost of meds and know what your plan chagres.

The only real recourse is to contact your insurer and see if theres anything that can be done about the error.


Title: Can we sell grandparents house to parents for $1 to prevent foreclosure when he goes into nursing home with medicaid?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Can you hide assets from the government? No. It won't work


Title: Uncle owns house, wants a dog that will undoubtedly kill one of my cats, what can I do? Details in text

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 > He isn't responsible for practically anything

Except giving you a place to live.

It's his house. If you don't like his pets you can move out.

> Can he legally kick me out?

He'd need to go through the process of evicting you, but yes. If he goes through eviction proceedings he can kick you out.


Title: I can't afford my motorcycle payments anymore due to me losing my job.

Question: I got fired because I separated my shoulder snowboarding and am unable to work. What will happen aside from the repo of my bike if I just stop paying on it all together? I'm in Utah.

Answer:
 You will still owe the remaining money. If it gets repo'd, they will tack on costs for towing + storage + auction costs. After it is sold at auction, you will owe any remaining balance that was not covered by the auction; or alternatively you will get a check for any extra that it was sold for after all debts are paid.

If you continue to owe a balance after everything is done, they may move to collect by suing you or sending it to collections. This can add additional cost in fees/interest and ruin your credit.


Title: I suspect a faculty member from my university has embezzled a large sum of money from a study abroad trip, what are my options?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I would contact the school police department or office of public safety and ask them how to report suspected embezzlement. Further, I would make copies of any correspondence you receive threatening negative consequences for pursuing this issue and find out what your school's whistleblower policy is and how to seek shelter for raising your complaint. If you suffered academic retaliation for asking for an accounting of funds you paid there could be a serious issue in that regard as well. If this is a public university, there may be an office with the state auditor that investigates these types of complaints as well. Keep us updated!


Title: Got hit by a drunk driver (DWI/DUI), totaled car, no serious injuries. High speed chase.

Question: (TEXAS) I was T-boned by a drunk driver not too long ago, car had been in shop so I had discontinued insurance until car was ready. The day I took it out I was on a red light which then turned green for me, I was the third car to cross when I got T-boned on my driver side. My car is totaled and lucky to be alive, no major injuries just bruises and headaches. The drunk driver was traveling at speeds above 100mph, open container, apparently had drugs, crossed over to oncoming traffic lane then hit me. Attempted to flee the scene but State Troopers were right behind him (high speed chase) and caught him. I want my medical bills (10K) and car (21K) paid for. How much can I push his insurance company for and would Dram Shop Law a possible thing I can pursue as well?

Answer:
 >car had been in shop so I had discontinued insurance until car was ready

Was your car in the shop for six months?  Because unless it was, that was penny wise and pound foolish, as proved by what happened here.

You can get a lawyer and pray this guy has good coverage.  Answer #2: You should speak with a local attorney


Title: Can’t go to court due to a blizzard

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Do you have a fear of driving in the snow? Or is there a “suggestion” from a news channel to try and stay inside?

If there’s no state of emergency, they’re open.

Clear your car off entirely. Keep the heat blasting at your windshield to keep snow from gathering. Keep the windshield wipers on. Drive slow. Drive cautiously. Plan to leave at least an hour before you need to be somewhere.

I grew up in upper Massachusetts. And I’ve worked “essential personnel jobs” where we have to be at work regardless of snow, rain, or a large monster taking over the city. Last year during our crazy ice storm, I drove to my grandmothers in upper New Hampshire for our early family Christmas party. A two hour trip took me four hours, one way.

You can make it. Answer #2: > I don’t want to risk my life

Say what? It's a snowstorm, not the zombie apocalypse.

Look, I feel your pain. I had a 0900 hearing yesterday and I had to drive through overnight's unplowed snow and a blizzard in progress. A normally 45-minute drive took twice as long. But I put on my big girl panties and went.

Adulting can be unpleasant at times. But you do what you gotta do.Answer #3: Plan to show up. Keep the news running and hope a state of emergency is declared.


Title: (Louisiana) I just got robbed by my employer

Question: I worked overnight at a firework stand for about 12 days accumulating 150+ hours with a guaranteed payout of at least $400.00. (4.00/hr I know) I repeatedly asked my employer for some formal paperwork to verify his ability to compensate me. I was constantly brushed off with a "My word is law, I never go back on my word."(in hindsight this is where I should have left) Then during the last day, I refused to leave the site until I was compensated, this was answered with him saying "If you do not leave my tent I will knock the fuck out of you." So I left his tent and called the police for what I thought was attempted battery. They basically told me to quit whining, and that id get my money. It has now been a month and a half and even with his constant rhetoric of "I'm on my way to the bank now." for weeks, i still have not received my money. Day after day I ask him. He agrees to deposit it, then promptly ignores all phone calls and text afterwards. I have evidence of text messages agreeing to the payment, I have video of me inside the tent alone which would be impossible considering it was overnight security. Is there any legal action I can take in regards to this. I worked insanely hard for an insanely small wage and i just feel so betrayed.

Answer:
 Contact the dept of labor immediately. This isn't their website but it has the number

http://www.workplacefairness.org/wage-hour-claim-LAAnswer #2: You should contact the Department of Labor. He'll also have to pay you minimum wage, so expect more than $400.Answer #3: It sounds like he was going to be paying you "under the table".  If you think that you can find and serve him, then just sue him personally, and his company (if one actually exists) in small claims court.

EDIT:  I also like the idea suggested by va2up2dn of suing him for the #hours worked x minimum wage.  Let him come to court and explain to the court how he could pay you less than the minimum age because that was his agreement with you. Just remember that suing someone is only half the fun - you still have to find their assets to collect the judgment if you get one.Answer #4: Call the department of labor.  Not only will the DOL be on their ass, but the IRS and Social Security didn't get their money so they will get paperwork from them too demanding their money.


Title: I won Casey Neistat’s Custom Note 9, but...

Question: I won Casey Neistat’s Custom Note 9 but they are asking for a W9 form and a signed affidavit, will I be paying the retail price ($1,000) in taxes? Thanks!

Answer:
 The IRS requires W9's for any recipient of a prize worth $600 or more.

The market value of the Note 9 is considered income.


Title: Is there any precedent for a GAL to listen to "illegally" made recordings? [Illinois]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You want us to come up with a reason why a court-appointed representative, one apparently more familiar with the law than you, is in fact wrong?

You want a second legal opinion from an actual lawyer.


Title: Old housemates threatening to dump trash on my property

Question:
So over a year ago I signed a lease with some 'friends'. They turned out to be crappy housemates, trashing the place and blaming everyone else for it, acting entitled, and would always tell me it was thier house.

 A few months into the lease they told me to move out and threatened my cat if i didnt do so.

I moved out. I shouldve filed a police report, but I didnt. They had someone move in and refused to remove me from the lease and add their friend. I notified the landlord,  but nothing came of it. (Because i didnt file a police report. They werent making me pay rent.)

They kicked me out on the 31st and said I still needed to pay rent for the month on the first, so I did, because I couldnt move all my stuff in one day and i was sure they would trash it. I moved everything important first. Over the week I came back and moved everything into a storage unit.

After a few months I noticed a few things were missing.  I showed up to the house and started going through stuff in the garage (I was respectful, and still on the lease, and had a key.) I didnt take anything that wasnt mine. Eventually, I found a TON of my belongings on the side of the house. It had been out there for awhile. They had to have moved it in that first week when I was trying to move out. It was all water damaged, moldy, thrown behind the house. They never told me they moved it. I told them they were liable for damages to my property and took pictures of it sitting there. I took everything that wasnt damaged and scavengable.

I know itll be near impossible to get them to pay for replacements of items, so I figured, they dumped it, so it's their mess. They can clean it up.

The stuff has been there a year now, the lease was just resigned, and the person that resigned the lease with them already has moved out after a month if signing.

Some girl moved in, and messaged me on facebook. I dont know this girl, and I've  only seen her once. She said I had to go pick up my trash or it would be dumped on my doorstep. She harrassed me for a few messages and I told her that the  other previous residents were liable for the cost of my items and to stop harassing me, and then blocked her.

I'm not worried about her dumping on my property because we have cameras installed, and I have proof she intends to do that.  I don't know the legal status of those items. Can I get in trouble for that trash being there? Do they have any right to dump it on my property? Im not trying to get them kicked out.  There's a single decent person living there that I dont want to screw over. Any advice is appreciated. (Sorry for mobile formatting.)

Answer: OP- You first need to determine if you're still on the lease with the old roommates and the landlord. Your narrative doesn't make it clear if you know if you are/aren't. That's pretty critical to your responsibilities here.


Title: I’m 19, My little sister is abusive to my cat, and my mother refuses to do anything about it. What can I do?

Question:
I’ve just about had it with the state that my sister is in. I got this cat for my 18th birthday, and ever sense then my little sister is abusive to that cat. In a psychological sense. She picks the cat up and squeezes her while she cries. My cat hates being picked up and therefore I never do. I’ve told my mother a million times she needs to respect me and my cat but she just tells me, “It’s not a big deal.” It is when my fucking cat is being tortured psychologically. I’m 19, my cat is my property and I have a right to request how she is treated. Is there anything I can do legally to stop this? I am considered an adult now after all.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You could move out and take your cat with you.


Title: Forced out in 48 hours

Question: I lived in my apartment for 4 years. Two months ago my landlord called me and said someone called the town on the apartment. He said if I moved all my stuff into a storage unit he paid for, I could move back in. He said the inspector would come that week and I could move back in after two weeks. It’s now been two months and he won’t give me an answer. I know we had a lease agreement when I first moved in but he kind of just trusted me and we didn’t do any paper work after that one time. Should I be taking legal action. Everyone I know says forcing someone out of their apartment in under 48 hours is illegal.

Answer:
 Location isn't an option.

Your LL was illegally renting you a room and illegally evicted you instead of facing fines from the municipality.

Find a legal apartment, sue him for damages you incurred as a result of the illegal eviction in small claims.Answer #2: Do you have a key to the storage unit and access to your stuff? If not, focus on getting that first. Find a real apartment and move your things to that, or if you can't find an apartment right now, you need to move your stuff to your own storage unit.

It concerns me that the landlord has access to your things while you wait in limbo.


Title: Someone stole a $2000 virtual item from me

Question:
If any of you are familiar with CS:GO, it is a video game with an economy and some of the items on this game go for thousands of dollars. I was lucky and obtained one that was worth about $1500-2000 from estimates I received through the high-tier traders of this game's community.

&#x200B;

Now, the day the item became tradeable I was offered $1700 and needed the money due to something that happened earlier that day. I said sure, the kid also made sure we got to know each other well during the days beforehand and played his emotional influence card well. He is a freshman in college and he even told me where he went.

&#x200B;

After I traded him the item, I was supposed to receive payment but in actuality he ran away with it. He blocked me and I did not see him again. I tell the high tier traders and they say that they know because they've seen him scam before. I'm out $1700, so I call his school and they refer me to the case because at this point I do not even know the kid's identity. Through some mutual friends and a bunch of digging, I was able to obtain his potential name, email, address, and his father's business information. I call his dad to see if this is son then he corrects me on the pronunciation and says No. To me, that confirms that this may be a solid and the police think so as well.

&#x200B;

I am not looking for serious punishment on this kid, taking him to court over this video game should wake him up enough. However, I want my $1700 I was supposed to receive because I'm in college too and this is hurting me. I could not even get out of bed for a day when this happened, but now I'm trying to be proactive to make sure I can get be compensated for this person's damages.

&#x200B;

What do you think is the best course of action for me, a college student, to get my money back from this kid that scammed me online? The police told me small claims. However, I need some real legal advice as well. They're going to call his father later today.

&#x200B;

I have the following:

\- Chatlogs

\- Proof of ban, proof of intention (him saying that he sold it for $1700), proof of game developer saying he performed a trade scam

\- Item appraisal screenshots

\- Past reports of his scamming history.

Answer:
 Trading items for currency outside the market is against Valve policy last I checked. I doubt you any claims you make would hold up in any court considering you were violating the ToS to begin with. I doubt you have much chance of recovering anything. Sucks.Answer #2: Small claims court is probably the right answer for getting your money back if the police aren't able to otherwise help.  Generally in cases like these you want to pursue both the police and small claims court, so it is good you got the police involved.  Did you file a police report? You'll want a copy of that in court as well.

You generally don't need a lawyer for small claims court, you just show up and make your case in front of the judge.  Some states don't even allow lawyers, while states that do allow them we have data that shows that having a lawyer doesn't improve your outcome.


Title: [Victoria, Australia] Consent laws- do you have to say 'no' for it to be rape?

Question:
I recently reported a rape to the police. I reported to an officer who was specifically trained in investigating sexual offences.

A difficulty with my incident is that I never said "no" to the perpetrator, who was known to me. The police officer said that he has to prove that the perpetrator knew I did not consent. As I did not say "no", then (if it ever gets to court) the perpetrator's lawyers will argue that he thought I was consenting. However, the police officer said that some things I did constitute a non-verbal "no", so that is better than nothing. But how can they prove that he understood my non-verbal "no"s?

As I understand it, the officer is investigating the incident, but it is unlikely to ever make it to court because of a few factors including my failure to verbally say "no".

My questions:

1. Is the police officer correct about consent laws? It seems really off that it is assumed I was consenting unless I verbally say otherwise.

2. Do you have any advice, suggestions, or anecdotes about going through the process of a rape investigation?

3. Additional question- Is his unreasonable belief that I was consenting enough to make it 'not rape' in the eyes of the law?

Answer: NAL and not super familiar with Australia law, but it's the state's job to prove the defendant guilty. Not the defendant's job to prove their innocence. This means that the prosecution needs to prove that there was no consent. It's not up to the defendant to prove consent.


Title: (FL) Roommate hard shuts my computer down, I barge into her room to tell her to stop. Am I legally in the wrong?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes, you were legally in the wrong. Settle down, cowboy. Answer #2: Attorney's live for cases like this...  (note that was sarcastic).

I'll bet that one of you is using the other's ketchup from the refrigerator too...

Send lawyers, guns, and money...


Title: (CA)Small Claims- Person I'm suing Might be paying Child support

Question: Will this effect weather I can garnish his wages? Also any online source to tell me for sure if they are paying CP?

Answer:
 A very small percentage of people paying child support have wage garnishments.

Besides, you are putting the cart far before the horse.  Collecting via wage garnishment is like step 18 of small claims.  You are somewhere around step 4.


Title: MI- Manager changing policy to stay half hour later, no pay

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So the extra 30 minutes isn't really work, they're inserting a mandatory break.Answer #2: How are they making you stay past 10 unpaid? If its unpaid you can leave the building and if that's the end of your shift then this seems pointless.

I would ask the Store Manager about this and contact Costco Corp to make then aware of it. Did the manager put this in writing? Do you have an internal e-mail system you can e-mail them to see if they will write it out?


Title: Is this job posting legal or a scam? (Ontario, Canada)

Question:
I applied via Indeed to this job posting: http://www.indeed.ca/cmp/Bern-IT-&-Marketing/jobs/Private-Agent-f4fca4cf0ae6cc94

I received an e-mail back later that night from the company, now calling themselves BCG Ads and Marketing Ltd. The following are screenshots from the e-mail:

E-mail body: http://screencast.com/t/KhAwTbkL

Job Offer and Employment Application Docs: http://imgur.com/a/ZxHK2  and  http://imgur.com/a/Pj4nY

The entire thing seems fishy to me. Obviously I know that I probably should not continue with the application, but I would like to report them if they are doing anything illegal.

Answer:
 Downloading a zip file from some link on reddit seems fishy to me.

NOPE!


Title: [OH] Girlfriends sex offender started staying next door.

Question:
To start this off I want to let everyone know I have no clue what to do. My girlfriend of 2 years now once went through court right after the start of our relationship because she was raped in her home by one guy while the other guy stayed at the door to watch to see if anyone was going to show up. He was convicted as a sex offender and is still on probation with a court order to stay so far away while the other guy got house arrest for a year. She was diagnosed with PTSD and I really really wish it would go away but I know it wont because certain things still shake her up and it has been about two years later. Now to jump to present day my girlfriend is now away at college and comes to my house every other weekend and for spring break and such. Recently I found out that my neighbor started dating this convicted sex offender. She will be at my house certainly and I just don't want her to feel unsafe because he is across the street.... I just need some advice on what legally we can do.

p.s. I know i'm not an English major so forgive me if I have some horrible writing skills.

Answer: Maybe your girlfriend could contact his probation officer and explain the situation. The probation officer may have some way of preventing him from being there.


Title: My parents claimed me as a dependent for 4 years despite me living on my own and paying my own way

Question:
I've been a long time browser of this sub, but never imagined I'd be the one posting. I'm not even sure this is the right sub, because of the tax related nature of the question, but r/AskAccounting didn't seem to be alive.

As the title describes, my parents claimed me as a dependent for the years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. During this time I was in college, working full time, and living in an apartment hours away from my family. I struggled for years to pay for housing and living expenses for myself on near minimum wage, while paying for full-time school with student loans.

My parents requested each year that I file my taxes as a dependent, and being young and dumb and wanting to keep things on good terms, I did as told. There's a long history of problems in my family, and keeping things as civil as possible seemed like the best solution at the time. I did not, however, realize just how much I was giving up by doing so.

This past year I learned of the student tax credits my parents received by claiming me as a dependent, while paying for next to nothing to support me; Tax credits meant to ease the burden of someone like me paying for all of their own living expenses while pursuing an education.

My parent profited off of me paying my own way through school to the tune of roughly $10,000. In my mind, they basically stole this money from an overworked, underpaid young adult because he simply didn't know any better than to look deeper at his own taxes or afford a CPA.

Is there any recourse here, or any means of reporting this to the proper authorities? I'm fortunately in a position where $10,000 is no longer a life-or-death sum of money, but it's the principal of the matter here. That money would have been life changing during the times I really needed it during school, and I made so many sacrifices/gave up so many traditional college experiences which money could never buy back because I simply could not afford extras at the time.

I don't care if I can't recoup the money. I feel exploited, I'm done with them, and I simply don't want them to have it.
Topic:
Tax Law

Answer: You can refile your taxes for 2018 and maybe 2017 on paper. Might be better to ask over at /r/tax about this. Since you agreed to file that way might be an issue. Good luck to you.


Title: Daughter was being bitten at daycare.

Question:
Daughter was being bitten at daycare. About 6 or 7 times in the last 6 months. The last 2 times she was bitten was within conservative days. The last bite we could count the child's teeth on her arm. My wife and I removed our daughter for safety. Today I received a letter in the mail stating that they required 2 weeks notice or they will charge. Is this a legally binding contract?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 If you signed an enrollment contract promising 2 weeks notice, that provision is likely reasonably binding.

Whether these events create an opportunity to leave without such notice would depend on the terms of the agreement and perhaps the circumstances.

While that sounds like a lot of bites, bites are incredibly common in child care. Do you have reason to believe this stemmed from inadequate care as opposed to something more like bad luck? Answer #2: IANAL, but this is usually how it works: You follow the rules, and then ***after*** you prove that they didn't follow the rules. You can't preemptively break the rules (by not giving two weeks notice) based on their prior breaking of the rules (not protecting your daughter). Two wrongs don't make a right.Answer #3: Toddlers are like snakes. They can bite really suddenly and without much warning. Biters often are not very good with their words, so when another kid gets in their space or grabs their toy, they respond with a bite. It’s behavior that is developmentally normal even though it is socially unacceptable.

It’s upsetting when your child is bitten, but it is not evidence of negligent child care. If you want to remove your child, you will need to follow the contract terms you agreed to.  This would include two weeks notice.

Please note, that no child care will guarantee that your child will not be bit. Some child care facilities may have different policies, but it is always a possibility in any situation where there are a group of young children.


Title: Is grave robbing theft?

Question:
Supposing a body is buried with some valuable jewellery, who does it belong to?

I assume there'd be charges for trespassing and charges specific to desecrating a grave or dead body etc, but who does the jewellery buried with the body belong to? Does it belong to the owners of cemetery? The family of the deceased? Nobody?

Answer:
 >who does the jewellery buried with the body belong to?

Generally, the estate of the deceased.


Title: Can you take a drivers test with out shoes on?

Question:
I live in california. I can drive much easier with no shoes on, so i’m wondering if i can drive without shoes on for my drivers test.
Okay, you guys i’m planning on wearing my shoes. i was honest to god just curious.

Answer:
 Oh my God. Yes, it is legal to drive without shoes in all 50 states. However, your tester  is going to mention it. You will have to respond. Pretty much no matter what you respond you are going to come across as a smart-ass punk. Saying you can drive much better without them is going to mark you as a barely competent driver, at best.  If you are not ready to take your test with your shoes on, you are not ready to take your test. Further, a situation  with petty minor officials of the state is not the place to show off how cool or different you are.
 Your tester is going to therefore watch you very closely and may fail you for a trivial point on which he might let someone else slide.

Wear your damn shoes for the test, and pass, and you can throw them out the window and never wear them again for the rest of your life.

TL/DR: you can wear shoes for two hours of your life.


Title: Girlfriends job forcing her to attend unpaid meetings/classes

Question:
Hey legaladvice, posting this for my girlfriend. She works at a salon in Florida where the owners have some shady practices I'd like to be more clear on. She works as an assistant and they have what they call a "career path" where they have weekly classes (5-10 hours a week) that are unpaid but mandatory. All the assistants are on career paths, there are no assistants that just stay as assistants. In addition, every meeting they have for the salon is mandatory and also unpaid. I continue to tell my girlfriend not to go because they are unpaid, but she says her bosses hassle her about not attending and in some cases have threatened consequences for not attending. I read on the department of labors website under the labor act that any meeting or class that is in any way related to the work they do and benefits the establishment must be paid. The only unpaid meetings/classes are voluntary and not related to work. My girlfriend doesn't remember if she signed an apprenticeship contract where she agreed to unpaid classes, however I highly doubt they had something that specific in place.

When something gets lost or broken, the employers threaten to take it out of the employees paychecks. I also think this is illegal but not sure under what premise.

My girlfriend lives scared of being fired so she keeps wasting 40-50 hours a month of unpaid time. It really bothers me because she is a non-confrontational person and we cant afford for her to lose her job but at the same time this is unacceptable. What can we do to protect her job and/or take legal action (if we can) in the case they do fire her? Florida is an at-will state where employers can fire you with no reason so if they fired her for something else instead of saying it was the unpaid classes/meetings, how would we prove it? I told my girlfriend to record any conversation she has with her bosses just in case. I'd like the employers to get what they have coming and if my girlfriend is entitled to any backcharges, those as well. I own my own business as a General Contractor and I practice none of these practices based on ethics and my understanding of the law, however I'm not a lawyer, but the research I've done appears to substantiate my thoughts. I considered filing a complaint with the department of labor but is that feasible? Will they just brush it off?

Sorry if I left anything out and thank you.

Answer:
 She must be paid. Best way to handle this would be to file a wage claim with the department of labor.Answer #2: First of all, start keeping track of the hours she's spending at these classes in a journal or Google doc or something.  Additionally, gather any written statements from her bosses saying that these courses are mandatory, threats that she will be fired if she doesn't, etc.  If she has something like a cell phone location history that shows when she was in the area of the classroom, or printed schedules of the classes, that could be helpful too.

If you can't get written proof that the classes are 'mandatory' you'd need a recording of the boss saying this.  Unfortunately, Florida is a two-party consent state, so you cannot record conversations without the boss's permission.

One other point: Fees for damaged goods can't be deducted from employee paychecks without that employee's consent.  However I believe the business is allowed to say "if you don't consent you're fired".

All of this won't prevent your GF from being fired for "unrelated" reasons, but if they try that they will get substantial scrutiny from the Dept of Labor as to the cause of the firing.

Either way it's a really good idea for her to put her resume together and find another job that treats its employees better.


Title: Fired last week - former employer now harassing me for access to a trello account I created for my own use

Question:
In Missouri.

Last week I was fired from my post of almost 3 years. The experience was 3 years of abuse, disrespect, and was capped off the past 4 months by adding a new manager that likes to yell so loud the people in the adjacent building can hear him. (True Story)

48 hours after termination I received a FB notification listing that I had been removed as an admin from the company FB page. It pissed me off, not that I was removed, but because now 48 hours later that company was still 'pinging' my phone. I thought about it & realized the only other internet based system I had access to that they could 'ping' was my personal trello account.

Flashback: I had made a trello account from my home some months ago, off the clock one evening, to better manage my personal schedules/projects. On one occasion I had a couple good ideas about my job from home, so not wanting to forget them, decided to create a specific trello board for my work off my personal account.

When the new manager came in about 4 months ago he saw me using it and asked what it was. (To show an example of this man's computer literacy - I had to show him how to sign into his gmail account when we hired him.) He liked trello as it seemed very easy to use, and told me to add him to the board. I looked him right in the eye and vividly remember saying "This is my personal trello board, I don't think you understand how this works." (meaning the technology being my account, not something the company paid for.) He looked at me with a shot of anger in his eyes thinking I was being insubordinate, again not understanding what I was saying about ownership of the account, and in that moment I decided not to fight so I responded "... but I'll add you so you can see what I'm working on and we can communicate." Since then he used the trello board to dump projects on me and read my notes about what projects I was working on.

Back to the present: So 2 days after termination - I removed the manager & owner of the company from my personal trello account, meaning they lost the chance to view/edit that board. They are now furious - demanding that I add them back or they will be holding back what they're calling 'severance' pay. (Wages earned)

The account was cloud based, created by myself on personal 'off the clock' time, the company never paid for the service (free account), and I never stated I would provide ownership to them by adding. I even told the GM it was my personal account before I added him, and he just got angry and apparently didn't hear or understand what I was saying.

I'm now receiving angry texts on my cell, and now today a private message on my FB account from the manager - saying I need to add them back 'or else'. These messages are demanding and demeaning in tone.. a perfect reflection of how I had been treated while working there.

So please clarify my legally knowledgeable friends..

I feel I'm in all legal right here to remove people from my personal trello account, even if they had added entries on that board that may be work related, based on the fact that I was the creator and they did not listen when I explained that I owned the board when I added them.

Am I wrong? Did I do something wrong here? Any advice would be well received in this very stressful time in my life.

Cheers & Kind Regards Reddit!

Answer:
 First step: reread, thoroughly, the terms and services of the Trello account you signed up for.

Mind you, I'm not going to do that. But assuming the account is in fact yours, and that your former workplace has no way to access, reset, or change your account without your explicit permission, then they can get fucked. If your wages are withheld, file a wage claim.

Personally what I'd do is make them the following offer: you will provide limited access for them to your trello account, if they pay you double your former daily wage per day they want access, payable two weeks in advance, via cashier's check, with no refunds offered under any exceptions, including if you decide to terminate their access. If they try to negotiate any of these terms, respond by increasing your price.

Ignore the 'severance pay' threat, and just be prepared to file a wage claim.Answer #2: I think the situation is complicated since you used the account in a way that made the business rely on it. Some of that content may be the IP of the business. You should offer to export all of the relevant data so that they can import it to an account they create. Regardless of what you do, they still owe you wages earned.

In the future, *never* intermingle your personal accounts with work. If your boss likes Trello, give them information on how to set up a company account.


Title: Under 21 DUID First Offense with Property Damage

Question: I made a stupid decision and took PCP (which I thought to be ecstasy) alone at home for the first time. I hadn't expected the effects would be so bad and so I panicked. I did not know what to do and decided to get into my car, at which point I drove through a neighbor's front door which fortunately resulted in no injuries. I was detained and gave a urine sample of which they tested positive for PCP. What are the likely results that will happen after this? Can this be classified a case of aggravated DUI or felony DUI?

Answer: Get an attorney. And a good one. You're lucky you didn't kill someone.


Title: Can a child go against court custody rulings?

Question: Asking for a friend, she doesn’t wanna go back to her moms tomorrow and I was wondering if legally she’d be able to say she wants to stay with her dad without breaking the custody rulings

Answer:
 She'll get her dad in trouble.

If she wants a change in custody, she should talk to her dad about filing for it.Answer #2: She can say it, and she can even act on it, without breaking the ruling or incurring penalties.

However, her father cannot abide by her wishes without putting _his_ compliance at risk, unless circumstances would justify an emergency motion (such as an immediate risk of injury, violence, serious neglect, or sexual abuse) first thing in the morning.


Title: Is it illegal for someone to stand you up for a craigslist sale if they continue to confirm they're on their way but never show?

Question: Texas

Answer: Yes.  Please standby and I will bring up the corresponding law.


Title: Appeal for 'Dangerous Dog' registration[California]

Question:
8 years ago I got a Siberian husky and she is one of the most gentle dogs I've ever seen. I've seen kids step on her tail and she gets spooked but has NEVER shown aggressive behavior.

3 months ago I got another Siberian Husky when I moved into my new house from the local shelter. I figured I had the space and ability to house one more dog - even knowing some of their bad habits. It has been a rocky road but he is getting better. It has taken some time but he is friendly with just about all people now and is okay with most other dogs. It is a big step forward for him compared to when I got him.

About 2 weeks ago, my Siberian Huskies escaped(no real shock there) and ran around the neighborhood. Normally that just run around and then return about an hour or 2 later. I know I say this casually as if I'm making it sound like it is okay for them to get out- trust me, I know it is not and I have taken a lot of steps to keep them confined- anyways, continuing with the story... I guess one of the neighbors had chickens and as neither of my dogs had seen a chicken before so for some reason decided to get into said neighbors yard and go after them- ending in 3 of the chickens being killed.

I don't know what neighbor, how much fencing they had, or what the circumstances of the situation entailed(I was at work). I just know that the county fined me $240 for DOG AT LARGE violation and on top of that, gave me a mandatory dangerous dog registration. The dangerous dog registration is where I'm having problems agreeing with their conclusion.

I read over some of the ordinances and everything looks on the level as far as the ordinance itself. "Any dog which, when unprovoked, in an aggressive manner, inflicts injury on or kills a human being or animal." I'm not here to protest what happened- more to question their quick judgement that somehow my dogs fit the criteria of a dangerous animal.

What happened to their chickens was horrible. I will not defend what happened. I was actually shocked when I heard. To think that my sweet husky of 8 years was part of this? Anyways, I have an informal hearing on Wednesday to see about getting the dangerous dog registration lifted and I was hoping that someone out there might know what to expect or at least have some advice as to what kind of defense I can put up to get the dangerous dog registration removed. If I don't, I'll have to fork up $500 per year - something I most definitely do not have AND put a sign that says "Beware of Dangerous Dog" on my front window or fence(somewhere easy to spot).

Also worth noting(and a few people have pointed this out to me) is that I got BOTH dogs from the same shelter, which is part of the same agency. This agency is the one that is trying to brand them as dangerous. Keep in mind I got my last Siberian Husky 3-4 months ago and I have NOT been beating him or encouraging him to attack other animals. So if he is branded as "Dangerous", it could be said that they gave me a dangerous animal from the get go- not a defense I'd use to start out but maybe as a last resort.

*I'm looking for advice to help in my defense, not to criticize my decision to appeal it. I will reply in kind if you can't respect that.*

Edit: I went to legal advice, so I guess I should have put this disclaimer ahead of time- sorry: I'm not trying to wiggle my way out of the entire situation. I'm not going to try to deny that the events took place. I'm looking for advice as to what to say or do at the informal hearing to at least hope that they will give a second chance or slap me with another fine of some kind instead of branding my dogs as dangerous. I realize this may sound naive but saying my dogs are as dangerous as ones that have bitten people or actively go out to attack people or that would attack someone just for trespassing seems a bit unfair. I don't see my dogs in that way. Yes, they have never been around chickens and yes the new dog would probably do it again if he had the chance. I've seen them escape before, their first thought isn't to go chasing cats or to go after chickens. They just run around and eventually come back.

I would be fine if the sign said "Dog is dangerous around chickens and cats." But it doesn't, it says "Beware of Dangerous Dog." Like he is some caged beast ready to attack you if you open the door. Really?

FINAL UPDATE: I went to the appeal. I didn't contest the decision. I even got to talk to the animal control officer that handled the call. A councilor of some kind(maybe a lawyer, we only talked briefly) was there to mediate and interpret the municipal code for us.
The officer was very helpful and heard me out. I think since I followed through with the appeal(showing that I actually did care enough to show up) and did not contest the decision, they were all willing to reduce it to 'potentially' dangerous. And for those of you skeptics and assholes that thought that my dogs should be put into the same category as ones that attack humans- not even the law is on your side with that point of view. There are 3 levels of aggression according to the officer(from a legal standpoint). The first is potentially dangerous. The second is dangerous. The third is viscous. Because my dogs actually did kill the chickens, they were initially put into the 2nd category(plus a few other circumstances which forced it to go to the next level). The registration fee($500) was removed but I still have to keep a sign up - it says 'potentially dangerous' instead of just dangerous. The officer did point out that they recognize that it isn't unusual for dogs to go after chickens(he even pointed out he was working on a very similar case to mine recently) and the concern is for public safety, not punishment(the owners of the chickens might go this route still though).

Answer:
 The problem is: your dog or dogs did kill these chicken. And I don't think you can claim that the chickens provoked them.

I will say this though: you were at work? So how the hell did your dogs get out? Because while I do accept that you made efforts to ensure they didn't, the fact of the matter is, they did. And you weren't there.

I've had a bolter and (different dog) chicken killer: you accept that they aren't safe around livestock and are prepared to pay the price if they do get out.

I think, frankly, that you are lucky to get away with a $500 a year fee: they could have required your dogs to be destroyed.

>I'm looking for advice to help in my defense, not to criticize my decision to appeal it. I will reply in kind if you can't respect that.*

And I've just noticed that. You're making conditions about what free legal advice you may get? Good luck with that.Answer #2: > what kind of defense I can put up to get the dangerous dog registration removed.

None? They fit the description to the letter.


Title: Turkey feather law question

Question:
Turns out bird law is actually really fucking intense.

Would I be at fault if I sold turkey feathers from my own farm? Lost six fucking  birds to a fucking predator last night and want to make sure I’m ok as I try to scrounge a profit from the loss.

Selling on Etsy.

Answer:
 The key source of law is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php

List of birds protected:

https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/migratory-bird-treaty-act-protected-species.php

Looks like turkey feathers are ok, but do consult with local bird law counsel.


Title: Parents gave my cat away N.Y.

Question: My parents without my knowledge and while I was at school they gave my cat to my moms work friend I know nothing about this person expect for that they have a farm I really want my cat back I’ve had her for 10 years what can I do.

Answer: Uh. Did your cat die and they told you it went to a farm to live happily ever after?Answer #2: How old are you? If you are under 18, it was potentially not your cat, legally speaking.