Title: (California) My dog just bit a 6 year old boy. Need help.

Question:
Starting from the beginning, my dog is a male Siberian Husky who is a bit of a trouble maker. He never socialized well with other dogs and would always try to 'play' with them, but his playing was a bit rough (as in lots of biting at the neck). We got another Husky (female) when he was about 1 years old and she was about 2, and they never got along very well. The way they play is very aggressive, involving lots of biting at each other, from the neck to sometimes the lower back, but mainly neck/face area. They also don't interact with many other dogs too because they don't go out very much. He has also never bitten anyone before.

About 2 days ago, my neighbor's (M) kid (who's parents are divorced) came over with his 3 aunts, one of their friends, and his cousin, so the other aunts niece. (aunts18-21y.o, niece <1y.o). He was playing games and all was fine. One of his aunts had to go drop off the niece at home, and said, "comon, let's go" to the boy. The dogs were let into the backyard to go to the restroom and etc. The aunt and child came back a few minutes later. My dogs were outside, the aunts were in the living room which is right above this stairway hall kind of thing that has railings so you don't fall down into the living room. The boy was playing minecraft on his tablet right at the edge of the hall so that 2 of the aunts downstairs could see him sitting there playing. A few minutes later, my brother lets the dogs in because he thought he child had gone home because she said 'comon, put on your shoes and let's go', and I don't know how long the dogs were in the house now, but before I knew it, they ran past the 2 aunts downstairs and friend, straight up the stairs and started biting him in front of the aunts, although we're positive it was only the male dog that bit him.

The child is fine now, but had to get about 43 stitches. The dad was okay with it because it was an accident, but the child's mother's side went to their pediatrician, and had to report it. We don't really know what to do, but we've heard that someone might come to inspect our dog soon. Is there anything we can do to avoid any lawsuits or dog being put down? Please ask if you need any clarifications.

TL;DR - My dog bit a child and it was pretty bad. My neighbor is somewhat okay with it because it was an accident, but the child's mother's side isn't. It's already been reported and we don't know what's going to happen next.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Your dog attacked and severely injured a child unprovoked and you are wondering how to avoid paying damages and putting him down? What the fuck is this world coming to?

 Bottom line, you (or your insurance) are responsible for the costs here. There is nothing you can do to stop the boys family from suing you. It will most likely be up to the authorities if the attack was severe enough for your dog to be euthanized.  (Opinion here), By your description, he should be put down, and you should be responsible and be taking him to the vet yourself.

From some brief internet searching.

>One bite incident to a human victim, severe injury:

>Designation as a "vicious dog" (Food & Agriculture Code section 31603, city and/or county code if provided per Food & Agriculture Code section 31683).
Statutory strict liability for payment of damages (Civil Code section 3342).
Felony or misdemeanor if dog trained to fight, attack or kill and defendant having custody or control of dog failed to exercise ordinary care (Penal Code section 399.5(a)).
>£Following conviction, dog euthanized or removed from area (ibid.).


Title: MIL won $1,200 jackpot at the casino, casino refused to pay her the full $1,200 because she did not have a "good social."

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Gambling winnings are taxable.  The casino has legal withholding requirements.  The casino reports casino winnings to the IRS, using the social security number.

So, if she could have provided her SSN, she would have received the entire jackpot but would have have to pay tax on it.  Without the SSN, the casino is required to withhold 30% to pay taxes (and they should have issued her a tax form).  If she files a tax return, she can get credit for that money.  California may take a small percent as well.  She should be able to read the form and see what was withheld.

The casino is required to do this by law.


Title: Psychiatrist tried to put an emergency hold on me for no justifiable reason, should I just report to the board or should I try for malpractice? MN, USA

Question:
I got a referral to a psychiatrist yesterday, they got me in today since I've been sleeping too much and taking micronaps at work which has been affecting my job and the general practioner thought it might be depression related. After a series of questions they asked to call a friend who pretty much verified everything I told him. I had just answered the standard "are you depressed, are you anxious" questions, then bam starts talking about a transfer to the emergency room and randomly two more health care people (a nurse and some other random person, another psychiatrist I think) walk in and they start talking about how security will be coming and that they're going to bring me to the ER.

I found this completely unfounded got up grabbed my coat walked to the door and said I'm refusing treatment. I then see him try and sneak an IM to a front desk nurse to get security, so I said "F Off, nice way to build trust" and Jason Bourn'd my way out of there through the back way.

Now I'm home I'm wondering what action can be taken or if they can do anything at all, I emailed the medical board and the joint commission for the hospital with a very detailed complaint and cited the statuates, laws and ethics he violated for my state and from the APA handbooks and threatened legal action (which might've been a mistake, but I was pretty pissed). There was literally no matching criteria for my symptoms that would call for a hospitalization and I'm wondering if it's a motive for money somehow (which I know I couldn't prove). I don't know what in the world to do though or if there's legal action that could be taken against me.

I guess the just of it from this information, did he have any right to do this and what happens now? I'm not a threat to myself or anyone else, I'm honestly just hurt someone that is trying to get you to trust them would try and pull a stunt like that. The next step if he really wants me in looks like a petition that I can fight but I'm extremely confused and half way to a panic attack so I can't think logically.... Does anyone have experience with this or at least knowledge in this area? I can't find much info for psychiatric malpractice besides from docs prescribing the wrong meds, but since it caused mental anguish (espcially considering I have a panic disorder and he just jumper it on me) is that grounds for a suit?

Answer: You are extremely confused, halfway to a panic attack and not thinking logically YET sent a detailed well cited complaint to appropriate bodies after Jason Bourneing yourself out of the ER. Do you see the problem?Answer #2: From here, from my place of ignorance with just your post, you sound irrational. Your reaction seems to me to reenforce the doctor's position. I don't know what is going on, I know nothing you did not right, but maybe you should try again to get help.


Title: What happens if you are known to commit a murder, but the location the murder took place in cannot be established?

Question:
Suppose there's a video of me clearly murdering someone in a nondescript area of desert land. There's no visible landmarks or rock formations or anything else that can be used to establish anything other than the fact that the murder occurred on what appears to be desert land in the western US, and the victim cannot be identified. So the murder could conceivably have happened in Arizona, southern California, New Mexico, or some other state containing similar geographies.

Then suppose I'm somewhere without any such deserts like Minnesota and the existence of this video recording comes to light. It's obvious that I didn't kill the person in Minnesota, but beyond that no one can figure out where exactly the murder occurred.

Who would have jurisdiction in this case and prosecute me?

Answer:
 Not an expert on US law, but thought this might be an interesting example of someone prosecuted for a crime in another jurisdiction.

[Faryadi Zardad](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faryadi_Sarwar_Zardad) was an Afghan criminal who operated checkpoints where he would torture and rob travellers in Afghanistan.

He later moved to the UK.

When the authorities discovered his history, he was prosecuted for his crimes under UK law, despite the crimes not being in the UK and neither Zardad nor his victims being British.

He was in the UK, torture is a serious crime everywhere and so the UK prosecuted him.Answer #2: The FBI would get involved, after that it's probably going to be a lot of one off court rulings because of the extreme uniqueness/unlikeliness of the situation.Answer #3: Legally this is a potentially complicated question, but two practical considerations: is anyone going to find the body?  Wherever it turns up is a pretty good place to start.  Relatedly, where did the victim live?  Where were they last seen, or where did they last use their credit cards?  Is there any metadata on the video that would suggest when it was taken that could be matched to your movements or those of the victim?

And then also, assuming some of the above evidence points toward one jurisdiction or another, and that jurisdiction pick you up and prosecute you for the murder, how are you going to contest jurisdiction without introducing countervailing evidence that you actually committed the crime elsewhere?


Title: I had a terrible experience with a cleaning company. What are my options without breaking the law?

Question:
Tl;dr; An awful house cleaning company in Pennsylvania missed appointments, broke promises, and then BARELY cleaned the house after making sure I couldn't be there to ensure proper work was done, and I'm stuck with paying. What can I do?

Full story:

I had a line in my lease agreement that when I moved out, I had to pay for a professional cleaning because I negotiated a change in the pet policy. The landlord is fantastic and understanding throughout the ordeal, he's not the issue.

I hired this company based on the price and the reviews on Yelp. They missed my appointment which was made for the day before we left to move out of state, then we called and rescheduled, but they missed that appointment as well so they had to come while we weren't there, because we had already moved out. We rescheduled a third appointment, asked if they did the inside of the fridge (they did), and arranged for before and after photos to be taken since I wouldn't be present. These photos never were taken.

Then they forgot how many work hours I scheduled in the original appointment booking, and texted after they went over the agreed on hours. I am not being charged for the additional hours, fortunately.

Then the owner asked me how I'd like to pay, and I told him I'd mail a check once my landlord reported that the work was done. This was accepted. I sent out this message to the cleaner to complain about my experience, which details issues I glossed over:

>So to review my experience with your company:

>1. You didn't return my first voicemail.
>2. It took 4 days to reach someone by phone.
>3. You missed our appointment Monday.
>4. You missed the rescheduled Tuesday appointment without a call or text.
>5. You forgot how many hours I had requested.
>6. You didn't contact me to clear up the hours you forgot until after you had begun work.
>7. You didn't take pictures as you had said you would since I wouldn't be there to see your work.
>8. You didn't reply to my request for the photos for 2 days, and I had to ask again.

The owner apologized and then asked again for payment.

Then I asked my landlord if the work was done well, and this is our conversation:

>Hey [landlord's name]. Wondering if you've been through the place since the cleaning was done?

>Yes several times.  To be frank they did a pretty bad job. But im not worried about it. U guys were great tenants.  As soon as the 1st rolls around and technically the lease is over ill mail out the deposit.

>Could I trouble you to give me some specifics about their work that I can report back to them when I complain?

>Yup. Baseboard really wasn't hit, there was still pet dander on floor and it looks like there was tracks from salt and shoes, i expected a better cleaning in the bathrooms especially the grout and caulking areas really weren't touched as they tend to be the most dirty, laundry room didn't look like it was hit. I will say the refrigerator was nicely done and the kitchen. Oh and front and back door they didn't hit the glass.

Based on this assessment, they barely cleaned anything. The house was barren of all items, they only really had to clean the floors and bathrooms, and barely did so. They cleaned the fridge that I specifically asked about, and just did a quick wipe and left after tracking in additional salt from the roads.

So now I'm stuck owing payment to a company that was awful to work with, and did the BARE minimum to say they came in and cleaned.

What are my options, besides just paying them full price and being done with it? Needless to say, I'm rather angry that they can get away with this, especially since it was their fault that they were able to do the work while I couldn't supervise or check the work. I'm especially upset because I can't say they didn't do the work at all, because they clearly did show up and make an attempt.

Answer:
 After you get your deposit back, copy/paste the LL's assessment of the cleaning company's job. Ask the owner if he is willing to reduce the fee charged. (He clearly missed a great opportunity to impress the LL and possibly get repeat business).  If not, it is probably not worth it to sue, but you can certainly leave a bad review everywhere.

Also I'd send a thank-you note to the LL, and leave great reviews for him/her.Answer #2: I'm not sure what your issue is. It sounds like you are getting your deposit back in full, so however bad a job they did, you aren't out any money.

I'd pay them in full and move on. Don't hire them again, and leave a review about the experience online if you like.


Title: Is it illegal to record (SnapChat) a girl performing oral sex on you without her knowledge?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 File a police report and yes since he didn't have your consent for filming you performing the sex actAnswer #2: That's probably illegal, and he made the decision to accept the consequences when he committed an offence so you wouldn't be ruining anything by reporting it. If you can accept responsibility for your half, he can bloody well do the same.

Incidentally, if you're not familiar with the story of [Rehtaeh Parsons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Rehtaeh_Parsons), do read up on that one please. It starts very differently from your story and I hope it ends differently too. If the fact that this video's out there or the things people are saying to you get to be too much, it's no sin to ask for help early and often.


Title: WI (remote employee) - I am punching in to my workplace through a VPN, I disconnect then punch out later. Getting paid for no work. Legality?

Question:
Quick summary:

I was hired to work remotely by a large tech company, won't say which but it's the first retailer you think of. For the past several months, all I have been doing is signing into the Corporate VPN, this allows me to access the punch in website. I punch in then disconnect and go about my day. After about 7 hours 57 minutes, I sign back in and punch out.

Sometimes I will do real work, I'd say fake work to real work ratio in hours is near 20:1. I'm a very entry level employee and I haven't recieved one email about this. I am told to work between 21-60 hours a week and I can choose how much and when.

Where do I stand legally? If it helps to know, I am a young undergrad.

Answer: Are they hiring?Answer #2: If the company pays you to do nothing then that is fine. They can fire you for doing nothing also.


Title: Texas - Coworker tracked me down outside of work to confront me about reporting an incident.

Question:
I'm in low-level leadership at a major retail chain.

Several days ago, a coworker of mine in a different department had a moderately serious lapse in judgement.  It was serious enough that I was required to report the incident despite being friendly with the coworker.  I provided evidence of the mistake at the time of the report (screen shots of text messages I'd received from the employee).

A few days passed and I thought the matter had been handled.  Unknown to me at the time, the GM and local HR brought the employee in and questioned him a few days after my report.  He denied (in writing) having done anything wrong, not knowing I'd provided evidence.

I have a second job as well as a Scuba instructor at the local University.  That same day, I was at a lake on the University campus with my college students for their certification dives.  I was between dives floating on a surface interval with my second certification group of the day when a student told me that there was someone on the dock behind me trying to get my attention.

I turned around and the coworker I had reported was standing at the end of the dock wanting to speak with me.  I told my students to keep their vests inflated and to hold onto a buoy while I swam over to him.  He confronted me about reporting him - asking what I'd told the GM.  I told him what I had said and that I had given the GM screenshots of the messages.  He told me then that he'd written a statement that wasn't true, and that he thought he was going to be fired.  He talked for a few minutes and left.  He was very upset, though I can't say for sure how much of his anger was directed at me.

He'd tracked me down, gone to the university campus, and interrupted my class where I was not only instructing but also responsible for the physical safety of my students.  The more I've thought about it the creepier it is.  But at the time I was mostly shocked that he was there, so I never told him how inappropriate it was for him to be there.  I was extremely non-confrontational - the whole conversation probably lasted under 5 minutes.

When I got back to the car about 90 minutes later (I finished my class first) I had a few text messages I'd missed from him from about half an hour before he showed up at the lake, and one from a little over an hour after he'd left.  It was all denying any wrongdoing, though on my phone's screen you can see the text where he got himself into trouble and the texts denying it at the same time.

The first thing I did after reading the texts was to call HR and let them know what had happened.  The local HR rep was livid, as was the AGM in the room.  They actually called in the GM who had left the building and he came back to hop in on the call.  The employee wasn't going to be on duty for a few more days, so we decided that I'd write a statement and provide any evidence of the second incident at my next shift the following afternoon.

I went in a bit early the next day to get everything taken care of.  I wrote an incredibly detailed report (3-pages hand-written college rule) on what had transpired at the lake, provided the text messages, and even time/location-stamped dive logs from my dive computer that narrowed the time of the incident down to an 11-minute window.  I do kinda regret not having taken his picture with my underwater camera - I just didn't think of it at the time.

They said that everything would be handled, that I'd done nothing wrong, and that they agreed that it was ludicrous that this had escalated so far for such a stupid little thing that would initially have resulted in a slap on the wrist.

This morning was his first scheduled shift since he lied/showed up at the lake.  We were both scheduled, and the HR rep called me in first thing and said that I should avoid him while they took care of him.

Naturally, he called in sick today.  It was annoying that it was going to take longer, but I figured that didn't mean much as far as I was concerned.

About 90 minutes into my shift, I got a call from the GM saying I needed to attend an phone conference today with him, the HR rep, and the regional HR director.  The regional HR director said that anything that occurred off-site is not the business of the company, and that they can't do anything about that.  They can only respond to the initial incident.

Naturally, they can't tell me how they're going to respond - and I totally understand that.  I'm not HR or the GM, so they really can't tell me what they're going to do with him before they tell him, but I was getting a strong impression that they're going to keep him on.

His is a position that would probably be difficult to replace quickly, and I think that that overrides his initial mistake and his lying about it in writing - which would get almost any other employee fired instantly.

But at this point I don't feel comfortable working with somebody who has tracked me down outside of work and interrupted a class I was teaching to confront me about a workplace incident.  It's super duper creepy.

At this point I don't know if I should/can request a restraining order or how to do it, and I don't know how that would affect my job.  If he is fired I'm worried about potential retaliation, and if he isn't I'm worried that he would see it as his actions being justified by the company's response.

Does anyone here have some advice?

Answer:
 His behavior falls short of normal, but not nearly into "restraining order" territory. He confronted you only once, and even 'confronted' sounds like a strong word. Obviously we weren't there, but by your own words he didn't clearly express any anger at you personally, or make any threats against you.

I understand why you'd be uncomfortable working with him from now on, but your employers aren't required to prioritize your comfort over him, not unless he crossed a boundary into illegal territory (such as making you uncomfortable in ways related to sex, ethnicity, etc.). They may be making a bad choice by keeping him on, but that's not illegal.

You can, and should, make it clear to him that you have a duty to the company, and that you cannot have a personal relationship with him if he is going to disrespect your boundaries. But if he remains working there I don't see that you have many options, unless there are details to the story you're not telling us.Answer #2: What was the lapse of judgement?


Title: Hostile Work Environment [Texas]

Question:
I posted this in /r/AskReddit about 2 - 3 weeks ago, but got no traction at all.  i realize it was the wrong sub so.....

I am seriously considering filing a complaint for hostile work environment, with the company i work for.

Has anyone had to do this before?

How did you come to the decision?

What kind / how much proof was required?

Was an attorney required?

What was the outcome?

Advice / guidance / pointers...?

Or should i just start looking for another job...?

Ugh...i really like this job too

Thanks in advance

Have a great day

Answer:
 Generally people who think they are in a hostile work environment aren't. It's not illegal for your boss or your co-workers to be rude or mean or completely non-social with you. Unless someone is threatening you because you are a member of a protected class (and only because you are a member of a protected class) it probably isn't a hostile work environment. Your boss or coworkers are legally allowed to be jerks.

What is your issue?


Title: My mom was hit by a gate while riding her bike and broke her collarbone. Anything we can do?

Question: We are in BC, Canada. My mom was riding her bike on the sidewalk and somebody opened their chain link fence and knocked her off. She has a broken collarbone and is in a lot of pain. She’s had to take time off work. This person apologized and then went on their way. Is there anything we can do about this, legally?

Answer: I wouldn’t think so. In Canada, you can’t ride your bicycle on the sidewalk.


Title: Niece’s husband agreed to pay rent for her while deployed and now he is refusing

Question:
So, here’s the haps. My niece’s husband is in the Air Force and he has been deployed overseas.  He suggested that she move in with me and my husband so they could save their BAH money and we agreed that he would send me $200 a month.

She has moved in with her 2 dogs and cat, but one of her dog is literally trying to kill my dog.  She attacks his head and throat and won’t let go of him.  I’ve had an injury on my hand for weeks where I had to pry her mouth open to release my dog.  We are keeping them completely separate, but my niece is driving the dog across the country from Oregon to Florida so her husband’s mom can keep her.  I told my niece and her husband,  before they decided to take the dog to Florida, that we had to do something because the aggressive dog couldn’t live here.

This pissed the husband off and he hasn’t had any communication with me, but he told my niece that he isn’t paying me any rent and he also won’t be sending her any money for pet supplies or supplies for herself.  He says she has to pay for everything.  Well, she has started working here, but she’s had to job hop because he’s relocated often with the Air Force.

Do I have any recourse in this or am I just screwed because she’s too scared to confront him and doesn’t want me to because he will take it out on her?

ETA: Also, the dog that is leaving next week broke my husband’s brand new $300+ amp and take a wild guess as to who is not going to cover that financial loss!  I’m learning that this guy is a real upstanding fella.

Answer: She should probably have a chat with his chain of command. There's a good chance he's got a spousal benefit or housing benefit, and word that he's withholding it from his spouse will _not_ amuse his CO.


Title: What is the fair amount of compensation when suing a bank for causing a loss of 87 points off credit score damages?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer: $0.00


Title: Friend in Texas is about to go through a divorce and her husband stole prescription medications from her that include adderal, Police said its communal property.

Question:
Things went ten ways wrong yesterday as a failing marriage came to a head. Long story short a bag with medication was removed from my friends stuff intentionally. Not only were there medications she needs in there, but also some prescribed adderal. Police are saying its communal property and that they can't do anything about it even with divorce papers signed.

Is this right? Should I get my friend to contact the police chief?

Answer:
 Call the cops back and tell them that you know of someone who is possessing Adderall without a prescription.

Medications are not community property, especially not Schedule II drugs.


Title: Is 1.5% a month a reasonable interest rate on attorney costs for a contingency case?

Question:
Lawyer wants to take my case on contingency.  The contract says 1.5% a month interest on costs, which is then taken out of the award (if there is one).  Is this a reasonable rate?  This is for a veteran disability case.

Florida
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 Attorney licensed in Florida here - I have not seen retainers where the costs bear interest. That's unusual and most retainer agreements only cover costs, without interest. He's charging that percentage because he can't charge more and run afoul of the usury rates in Florida which top out at 18% for anything under $500K

The Rules of Professional Conduct 4-1.5 do not explicitely permit this or prohibit it. EDIT - some digging produced  Ethics Opinion 86-2 which DOES permit interest on advanced costs.

This strikes me as slimy as you're probably already looking at 33% contingency, plus costs. Throw in the interest on the costs, and your possible recovery could very well be 25% of the entire award.


Title: My ex sugar daddy won’t leave me alone

Question: So, I’m a broke college student and this man texted me one day on twitter and said that if I was a companion to him he’d send me money. So me being the dumbass that I am I said yes. So at first he sent me a checkbook that I sadly had to pay for and then I tried to deposit the check and it wouldn’t work and after that I got another job. And then his uncle texted me and said that he works for the FBI and said that I should do as I was told and then I went to him and said I want nothing to do with you anymore and to send me his address or something so I can send the book back. But he won’t and he won’t stop texting me and I’m afraid that he’ll call the cops on me. I just don’t know what to do.

Answer: This was all a scam. Any check would have been bad and you would have owed your bank a lot of money. Just block/ignore him. He's not your ex sugar daddy he's your ex attempted scammer. And use your head a little more in the future. No stranger off the internet is going to send you blank checks that are actually good to be their "companion".


Title: Should i Seek a Lawyer

Question: basically my friend dragged me to a bar having recently lost my neice i didn't want to go. she promises she will take me home if i want to leave. i tell her five times through the night but she keeps just telling me to have some fun. anyway a massive brawl breaks out in the bar. the one bouncer who was their was in the fight so i jumped in trying to stop it. i grabbed one guy in a half nelson and slammed my back against the wall. one guy kept screaming for me to let him go. so after a moment i do. immediately i'm surrounded by three or four guys as they keep hitting me. my only friend in their is no where to be seen. finally i get away from it and as i finally find my friend the guy i had oulled out of the brawl blind sides me in the jaw. and my jaw is really swelled up today as well very painful it bled all night and most of today i know the guys name and i never swung a punch at any of them should i press legal charges in case i haft to get my jaw fixed? State: WA County: Walla Walla

Answer:
 First, you should seek medical care, not a lawyer.

Second, it's rather hard to end up with a claim, if you "waded into the fight."

But feel free to talk to a lawyer, after you go to the doctor.Answer #2: If you report this to the police you may suddenly find yourself a criminal defendant. I would let sleeping dogs lie.


Title: What would happen if you actually committed a crime in the area of Yosemite where murder is "technically" legal?

Question:
This video explains it best:

https://youtu.be/-E4OqN9tJnw

Basically, the constitution says you must be tried in the state a crime was committed in. But the area is in a different state's jurisdiction. By invoking your right to go to trial in the other state, you would be tried in a different district/area. But the population of that area is 0. And it is unconstitutional to be tried without a jury.

Let's say I decided to hold some kind of purge or hunger games style event. Or had a giant, publicly advertised free meth giveaway. What would actually happen? Are there any clauses that would allow a workaround? Would you be more likely to get away with it if you committed a minor crime?

Answer: Actually, the best explanation is the original article, Brian C. Kalt, *[The Perfect Crime](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=691642)*, 93 Geo. L.J. 675. Prof. Kalt explores potential solutions in Part III of his article, concluding, concluding that most probably wouldn't work. The most likely solution is that you would be charged with preparatory crimes committed in other parts of the country, which (depending on how you committed your crime in the murder zone) might or might not hold you sufficiently accountable.


Title: [GA] Collision that totaled my car determined other driver's fault by responding officer at the scene. Other driver disputed the insurance claims saying it wasn't their fault and now I don't know what to do.

Question:
I've never been in a situation like this, so I'm not sure where to go from here. Any advice would be great, even a starting point. I'll keep it as brief as possible.

I was driving a small hyundai veloster car, making a right turn (pictured below) and there was a very large work truck carrying an even larger metal trailer behind him heading towards me on the opposite side of the road. I made the turn successfully, but the work truck veered slightly into my lane (to avoid traffic guide posts on his side) and the trailer attached to his truck caught the front of my car completely totaling it, detonating air bags into my face, etc. Probably a 45-50mph hit into me doing about 5mph (or less) coming off of my turn.

[Here's a really bad mock up of the scene I made in paint for easy understanding](https://i.imgur.com/5Bnf5Ln.png)

The responding officer determined on site that it was the other driver's fault and gave him a ticket, even though the driver kept insisting that I made a wide turn (which I didn't). I have a few pictures showing the aftermath of the wreck and proof that I wasn't in his lane at all, which I also submitted to both of our insurances.

I immediately went to the hospital for xrays, tests, etc. There was no major damage, just some facial bruising and moderate neck/back pain, but I had to miss work for a few days and take pain medication. I also received a nice fat bill for that visit.

I submitted insurance claims, but the other driver challenged them (I assume because he could lose his job for wrecking a large company work truck) and they told me that he also had images proving it wasn't his fault? I don't see how that's possible, but okay?

His insurance eventually responded to me with (paraphrasing) *"we have determined that the accident was both of your faults and there will be no coverage of any of your bills resulting from this"* which I don't understand. So I had my insurance battle his at that point and submitted everything I had, photos, police report, etc.

After a few months of fighting, my insurance company said they were unable to get my deductible back or any money from my medical bills and have exhausted all their options leaving me to deal with everything going forward.

What should I do now?

The other driver was in my lane with a very large vehicle (because of the traffic posts), the responding officer deemed it his fault and gave him a ticket at the scene and I have photo evidence that he was in my lane. How did his insurance blame us both? And how was my insurance not be able to use all of that to help me?

Answer:
 I could speculate but it wouldn't really matter. Your insurance is only obligated to you to the extent that you pay them. It sounds like you have collision insurance but no coverage for personal injury?

If you don't have the relevant coverage through your own insurance then you'll have to sue the other party. Depending on the amounts involved, and where the accident happened, this could be a matter for Small Claims Court or for getting a personal injury attorney involved.Answer #2: This may sound like a inconsequential question, but I promise it isn't:

When you say "after a few months of fighting", who was fighting? The two insurance companies? You and your insurance? You and the driver? I think I have an answer but I feel I need to know this information. Update you post with that information for clarity and I'll offer what I know. Additionally, can you please let me know why it took months?

But to answer one of your questions: of course HIS insurance found you at fault, at least in part. This alleviates liability from them and ensures that they don't have to pay. That's a win for them. They are doing their job of protecting the other driver and themselves from complete culpability. Taking a shot from the hip, I suspect that he was driving too fast for the current conditions, couldn't control his load/didn't know his load well enough, and caused a wreck as a result. Although I find it personally unethical, he and his insurance are doing their due diligence in covering his ass.


Title: Domestic Violence Charges (Mistrial?)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The most important thing is to get an attorney.  He will let you know if it falls under the DV definition.  My guess is that it does, since you have a child together.

Edit: Wisconsin law 968.075: "Domestic abuse" means any of the following engaged in by an adult person against his or her spouse or former spouse, against an adult with whom the person resides or formerly resided or against an adult with whom the person has a child in common:


Title: Gym owes me money, trying to get it refunded

Question:
Long story short, I joined LA Fitness because they had a promo going on, you could choose the single gym location option or the multiple gym location, I chose the former because it was the only location within 35 miles of me. When I signed up they charged me fees for the first and last month. What they didn't tell me was that my location was closing in 15 days! So I got charged for 2 months for something I got to use for 1/2 month. So far I tried the following:

* calling their customer service line - no help, they just shunt me to a local branch location where I wind up talking to a flunky at the front desk with no clue what I'm saying and no power to fix it
* submitted issue online via their website - no help, first they tried to tell me I signed up for the multi-gym option (I didn't and I have it documented) and therefore it was all still valid. I protested and they said someone would call me to discuss...no one ever did
* I sent a letter certified mail to their corporate office explaining the situation and asking for a refund, they refused to sign for the letter so it was returned to me.

This is all over $60 or so but I'm pissed now and want justice. What is my next step, small claims? Can I recoup my expenses for that if I win? (if so, what expenses can I recoup?)

Note: I am in PA, the corporate office is in CA.

thank you very much

Answer: If you paid with a card, this is one of the situations where a chargeback is justified.


Title: Mentally ill sister has gotten me into legal trouble (buenos aires, argentina)

Question: My adult (39-40 yo) sister was diagnosed with a mental illness after being in a bad accident. She has the thought process of a child of 5-6 years old and she also belives she is pregnant and has been carrying a baby for many years. She was getting regular injections to help keep her stable. She recently decided she did not want this help and has been losing controll again. This results in regular violent behavior towards me. She ended up beating me one day after trapping me in my room. She then went to the police and filed a report saying that I neglect and beat her. Now the (state,local attorney I don't know how to translate) is reaching out to me. she recieves benefits from government but does not pay a penny towards rent or bills. She only buys toys and things for her cats. she also makes money by going to random churches and telling them she is pregnant and asking for money. when contacting the police durring one of her recent eposides the police have told me that she is my responsability because she has been dismissed from the hospital.  The thing is, she is much older and larger than me. She also has all the freetime in the world to go to the police station and file false reports about me. While I have to go to work everyday. I am the one who pays all of the bills to our home. Our parents live in Bolivia most of the time and only come for extended visits.  What options do I have here? any advice would help. I feel this the(local attorney) is going to get me into some very serious legal trouble or worse. IF you feel I left anything out or have any questions please just ask.

Answer:
 She seems to need psychiatric assistance, and go back on her medication. Contact whoever is responsible for prescribing the drugs and tell them what's been happening when she's off them.

If she has limited cognitive skills then can she be committed to a care home? She needs relevant help.

Answer #2: She quit taking medication. She thinks she's pregnant and that's why she refuses to take medication. She refuses to go back to hospital and see a psiquiatric doctor. She thinks she's ok and doesn't need help.


Title: (MI, US) New employee at my small company has a service dog. I'm allergic. How screwed am I?

Question:
So, I did some Googling, and even saw some previous legaladvice posts regarding service dogs, so I'm aware that there's probably not a good outcome for me here. But here's a bit of background anyway.

It's a small company (~10 people sharing a large room), and work cannot be done remotely. I've been here for just over four years. (Despite my whimsical username) my allergies are fairly serious. Even with medications, I can only be around them for maybe an hour before my eyes begin to burn and my throat starts getting tight and scratchy.

It seems to me my only option is to give notice that I will be quitting immediately. I'm hoping there are other less bridge-burny options (that are legal and non-discriminatory).
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 Claim unemployment.

You were forced to resign due to an allergy at your place of work that the owner would not remediate. Answer #2: saw your updates about them asking you to resign (unfortunately commenting on them is blocked), but have you considered going out on your own and doing your specialized work for those customers? or working for those customers directly? if you didn't sign a non-compete / non-solicit agreement, you could do that

and i agree that for them to hire you as a one month contractor, they'd have to paid 2x as much as your regular salaryAnswer #3: Just read your last update. This isn't legal advice so idk if its welcome here.

Man I totally get the justice boner of things falling flat on your disappearance but IMO its not worth it. You gave 4 years of your life to them and now you aren't going to get much out of it. Yea you have experience to put on your resume but you also have a potentially hostile reference if you use it.Answer #4: Given your final update, I don't think either you or your company came out if it well. They obviously couldn't accommodate both of you. But to ask you to resign after taking on work that only you could do was stupid and they should have seen that blowup coming.

However, I think walking out on the spot was petty and a probably put your coworkers (who've done nothing wrong) in a horrible spot.

I get your frustration, but if you'd stuck it out, you may well have got that contracting job for double the salary. Now I doubt you'll even get a decent reference.


Title: Community service help

Question: I have 6 hours of community service to do, just today I have realized that I forgot to do any of it. My probation hearing is tomorrow morning. How much trouble will I be in for missing 6 hours of community service?

Answer:
 ...you couldnt find the time to do 6 hours?

Chances are youll be on the hook for whatever your sentence was supposed to be.


Title: Employer, in California, is deducting paychecks for employee health insurance, but the insurance only provides coverage in California. However, employee is in dire need of medical attention, but lives and works in Colorado.

Question:
This is currently happening to a friend of mine. They live and work in Colorado. They work for a small company in California. Every paycheck the company deducts for health insurance. My friend got severely injured (not while working). Now they need an MRI, lots of visits to the doctor, they'll potentially need surgery, and everything medical that comes with a life changing trauma.

My friend hasn't scheduled the MRI the doctors recommended when they went to the emergency room (to ensure the damage isn't lethal), because they aren't covered in Colorado by their employer's health insurance. Additionally, it's been almost a month and the employer hasn't corrected the issue yet. The employer is still charging for useless health insurance and has not provided an option in Colorado.

Does the employer have to provide insurance in Colorado?

Can my friend get back the money charged for health insurance in California?

My friend's role in the company requires them to travel across the country, to various states, constantly and for days at a time. Knowing this, shouldn't the employer provide them an insurance option with national coverage?

Answer:
 An employer isn't going to buy 1 person a special policy.    They should have been told the policy is only for CA, did the info booklet not say anything?

Normal coverage is only for in network.  Emergency care would be covered anywhere in the US


Title: Landlord asked me vacate my business within 72 hours

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 They can terminate your lease with one month's notice, so the middle of August.  Not three days.

There's no way you're going to be able to sell your business without a lease and in a month.  You should have renewed the lease well before it expired or made provision to move.Answer #2: Presumably you've already paid the rent for this month, so I doubt it'd be legal to simply kick your business out with three days' notice.  It's assuredly not legal for him to confiscate all your property.  I'd carry on with business, read it as a notice to vacate next month, and wouldn't argue with him or tell him anything about what you think is legally permissible. If you get lucky and he changes the locks and takes your equipment, you may end up with a really nice claim on your hands against a landlord who owns a building.


Title: Internet Anonymity

Question:
This is definitely the sub reddit to ask a question like this. Lots of lawyers here, and good ones at that. Anyway, onto the question at hand.

Without revealing my identity by giving out too much info, a couple months ago I made a posting on a social media app called Yik Yak. It was in my sleep, I know, it sounds absolutely ridiculous, but that seriously is what happened. It was in that pre-cognizant state you often awake in, this differentiating between physical reality and the dream realm. Anyway, I digress. This posting I made was of a few excerpts from a rather macabre and offensive version of the Navy Seal copypasta I had read the night before. It was written from the perspective of school shooters.

Suffice it to say, you can see where this is going... It got taken as a threat, and I was none the fucking wiser all day until cops show up at my dorm room in college. Fast forward, cop shows me all this evidence incriminating me, slight memories come back, I confess. The lawyer in you is now thinking, "He squealed? What a fucking moron. He could've made up such a convincing, unfalsifiable alibi." In hindsight, I guess I could have, but I was scared, all logic and reason pointed to me, so I blabbed. The detective obviously felt sorry for me. I got booked for a Class A misdemeanor, spent a couple hours in jail crying, got bailed out by a friend.

Huge press release, city wide, and to an extent state wide, coverage. Extremely embarrassing. People think I'm crazy. I consider suicide, etc etc.

One thing leads to another, meet with Dean and head of security, they all feel sympathetic, trying to comfort me, discussing options/disciplinary routes, etc.

DA walks in, serves me papers, banned from school grounds following legal proceedings.

Fast forward, get expensive lawyer, things end with a deferred judgement, probation, fine, etc. PO, is a pretty cool and nice guy, again sympathetic, but, enough with the back story.

How fucked do you think my future is? Once the probation ends, I know my record is clean, since this is the only black mark on it, but that doesn't end the Google trail.

Just searching up my name turns over a plethora of articles and even mugshots. Really, really embarrassing. Word even got down to my old high school and I became the "sensation of the day" to the current student body down there. It hurts the most knowing my old teachers whom I was so close with now know. I tried to go and visit them, but the principle took him into his office and told me I wasn't allowed on school grounds because of this.

First off, just how legal is that? Can he actually do that? Can he seriously keep me from visiting old friends and teachers at my old high school?

And again, how serious do you think this will affect me in terms of following me down the road? It's been quite some time since it happened and I've come to terms, but it still hurts getting kicked out of my dream school by the state.

Thanks for listening to my rant and any advice you care to lend. <3

Answer:
 >  Can he seriously keep me from visiting old friends and teachers at my old high school?

You have no right to be on the grounds of a high school you do not go to.

> how serious do you think this will affect me in terms of following me down the road?

That's impossible to say, but there's a saying that once something is on the internet, it's there forever. You could always try to hire a reputation management firm to at least drive these results farther down the list, but you can't make them go away.


Title: [MI] Living alone or without a legal guardian as a minor

Question:
My dad’s treatment of me has caused me to go into a deep depression more than once.  It’s been this way for years.  What he says to me messes with my mental health, but I don’t think it’s technically abuse.

I’m 15.  Assuming I get a job and can take online school and still pay for everything myself - rent, food, etc. (yes, I’m aware this could be near impossible) - could I legally live in an apartment if my mom signs the lease, despite me not being emancipated?

What about if I went the slightly more risky but cheaper route?  Living in the basement of someone on Craigslist or something (I’m aware this could get me killed, but it’s at the point where anything is better than being near my dad) and paying them.

Please don’t advise me to call CPS.  They 1. won’t do anything because I’m not being physically abused and 2. will only make my dad angrier.

Thanks.

TL;DR I’m 15, how can I live alone or at least away from a legal guardian without being emancipated?

Answer:
 If your parents agree to allow you to live somewhere else then you can. Otherwise no.

Also you can call CPS about abuse that is not physical


Title: Mandatory-High-School-fees

Question:
Title box wasn't working for me, so sorry for weird title

I live in Birmingham, Alabama and I am currently attending a public high school. I am a senior about to graduate, and today our principal met with the entire class and talked about requirements necessary to graduate. One of the requirements is that we pay class fees. For every class you take you get a $20-100 fee added to your student account. My principal said if we don't pay them we will not be allowed to graduate. I have over $300 in fees and have a friend who is dirt poor who has over $700 worth of fees. We, as well as other students can't afford these fees especially with college fees.

Can they charge these fees, if I attend a public Jefferson County high school? No other high school in the Jefferson County school system. Maybe a locker fee, but that's it. What can I do legal wise to prevent the school from charging outrageous fees?

Thank you in advance for your help. I'll answer any questions you may have. :)

Edit: Posted this below, but will put this on top.

My school is trying to become it's own district. My parents believe the schools fees are a way to raise money to get out of the Jefferson county school district. My local elementary will be in its own district starting in August and now they're trying to get the MS and HS too. However, the county just gave us a beautiful, brand, new school and is forcing my town to pay for it since they're trying to pull put of the district. I'm sure that's the reason for the fees too. The money definitely isn't used in the classrooms because teachers still ask for supplies, and we still pay outrageous amounts for AP tests, prom, and other school events

Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: This appears to be legitimate. Your state is ridiculous. http://alabamaschoolconnection.org/2014/02/06/the-hidden-cost-of-public-education-part-1-dues-and-fees/Answer #2: I hate to refer people to the ACLU, because everyone always thinks they have a civil rights case when they don't really. However, you DO have a civil rights case, and you happen to have a case that the ACLU has litigated in the past. Google ACLU and Alabama, and leave a message. They may call you back. Better yet, have your parents do it.Answer #3: No real advice, but that number is OUTRAGEOUS! I'm at a public high school right now and our class dues are $5 a year (so $20 for all 4 years). I'm so sorry this is happening I can't imagine the panic that is going on right now. Answer #4: Can you clarify more specifically what the fees are actually used for? Are they materials fees, maintenance fees, etc...?


Title: (US-MS) Reported a sex offender out of compliance; worried about repercussions

Question:
Hi,

I sent an email to several local sheriff's offices because I found out someone who was grooming me while I was in school has changed his vehicle and place of employment and didn't update his registry. He is also dating a girl who lives in my neighborhood and spends the night next to a school at her house. I am scared of him, terrified of him finding out it was me. I used a vpn.

&#x200B;

Will the vpn keep the report from going through? I asked the cops to keep me anonymous if they learned my name (vpns can only do so much), but will they still tell him who contacted them? I am so scared, but I'm tired of being scared of him.

Answer: This is not an official answer as I am not a cop or lawyer, but I really don’t think they would have any reason or obligation to tell this man why they’re checking up on him or who gave them the tip.


Title: Is it legal for my employer to not pay us time spent waiting for their shuttle and driving us to and from new worksite? Illinois

Question:
I am an hourly non exempt employee in Illinois and work for a large company. Our work location has recently moved to down the street from our previous location, however, we are required to park at the old location and wait for a shuttle ran by our company that takes us to the new location since there is no parking on site at the new location. At first we were allowed to clock in when we arrived at the old location and wait for the shuttle to take us to work. Recently they told us we can no longer do that and must clock in when we arrive at the new location upon being dropped off by the shuttle. I was wondering if this is legal for them to do? This also includes our lunch breaks, if we want to get to our car to go out for lunch we need to clock out then wait for the shuttle to take us back to the old location where we are parked then shuttle back all in the time allowed.

Thank you!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: It hinges on whether you are *required* to take the shuttle, or whether the shuttle is provided for the convenience of the employees who park.  Could you get dropped off at the new location if you were to take an Uber for example? If yes, then the shuttle and the parking is provided as a service to you, and the employer does not have to pay you for that time.


Title: My parents put my name on the deed/title to their house. All the personal property taxes are now in my name and they're not paying. Can they do this?

Question:
I'm in Missouri and I used to live off/on with my parents for years. (I'm 30). I was living with them up until May 2nd and have been back there for only one month since. I am currently at my sister's house.

I just got a notification that I owe over four years of personal property taxes for my parent's house that hasn't been getting paid on. I had no clue the house was in my name.

When I confronted them they admitted they forged my name on there for 2 reasons.

1: They owed from the previous year and didn't want to get further behind before the next one was due.

2: They're getting older and quickly becoming less independant and fear going into a nursing home soon. They know that if they end up in a nursing home then the insurance company will take and sell their house to help cover medical/nursing home bills.

2 I totally understand, they could just legally give me the house and I'd live there. But 1 pisses me off. They didn't even fucking tell me, I found out when I got a huge $6,000 bill in the mail. I couldn't register my car because I owe money I didn't even know I owed.... I have a useless car sitting in my driveway that I can't even license until I pay the 6k....

I do not have this kind of money just laying around, but I don't want the IRS or government after my parents.

What options do I have?

EDIT to clarify: What options screw me and my parents over the LEAST?

Answer:
 Funny.  Give a call to whoever manages the land records for your area (city clerk, county clerk, county land office, something like that) and ask how to pull the property records for 123 Main St. to find out the owner.  You'll probably need to pay a small fee, and they'll send you a report that tells you who the owner is.

Let's say it is you.

Now you have a situation.  Your parents forged some paperwork at some point.  You can object to it or go with it.  If you object to it, it means making a police report for fraud and identity theft.  If you go with it, you now own a house (congratulations!) and also owe property taxes (boo!).

Assuming you owe property taxes and also own a house, but don't have the cash to come up with this right away: you might look into a home equity loan.  Borrow money against the house (hey, it's your house, right?) and pay the taxes with it.  Also, the property tax people may have various installment plans you can get on - inquire.


Title: I want to “marry” my girlfriend

Question:
I (23) and my girlfriend (21) of two years want to get married sometime soon, we live in Texas

We’ve known each other since childhood and were friends 4 years before actually dating, so I consider her my best friend, and look forward to spending my life with her

Both her and I are immigrants and have DACA, we planned on just getting married in a really small ceremony, with just immediate family since we don’t want any news of our getting together to be posted anywhere for now since my parents recently got their residency permit, which from what I understand, they need to wait a couple of years to try To get their citizenship.

I know if we do get married legally and such, then my status for getting residency will be void and I’d have to wait even longer for the immigration process to go through

What could we do at this point?

Topic:
Immigration

Answer: You and your girlfriend need to go together and speak with an immigration attorney about this.


Title: Parents stole my tax returns

Question: So my the victim is actually my girlfriend I'm writing this on her behalf but my girlfriend has the same name as her mother she was supposed to getting a $1200 check for her tax returns but recently she found out that her mother knowingly cashed her tax returns and gave it to her father. She only cares about getting the money SHE DOES NOT WANT TO PRESS CHARGED OR GET HER PARENTS IN TROUBLE. Is there any way to just get the money back?

Answer:
 >She only cares about getting the money...SHE DOES NOT WANT TO PRESS CHARGED OR GET HER PARENTS IN TROUBLE

She can't use the legal system to get the money back *and* let her mother avoid the consequences of her actions.


Title: Am I legally and financially safe in Switzerland from a woman in the US who claim that I am the father of her child ?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Nope! You will be paying for this child until it is 18. The Hague convention allows her to come after you for child support anywhere in Europe, even if you leave Switzerland, which is a reciprocity country.

Congratulations on irresponsible decision making coming back to haunt you. Answer #2: You've got to be kidding. You can't really expect anyone to give you a serious answer. Are you for real? That's foul, son. No matter what country you're from. Answer #3: Nope. She can get child support from you. If you want to read more [here](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocse/im_09_01a.pdf), go for it.

Good job not wanting to take care of the child you brought into this world though, you twat.


Title: Want to kick out roommates, need to know if I can do it asap

Question: These roommates are highly inconsiderate, rude, loud, and obnoxious. I also suspect they are selling drugs out of the shed I have on the property. I am the sole person on the lease and the landlady has no clue they live here. They have paid some rent. What can I do? I'm in FL.

Answer: They would be tenants, so you need to evict them.  Thankfully, without a specific lease, you only need to give them between [7 and 60 days notice](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.57.html).  If they don't vacate you can file to evict them.


Title: I was/am a split custody kid, 20 years old (from St. Louis, MO living in Los Angeles, CA), my father is still having to do child support payments to my mother although she doesn't support me financially at all (details below)

Question:
I apologize in advance because this is kind of lengthy, but I want to get all the details out there.

So my parents got divorced in 2002 when I was 8 years old. I was a completely 50/50 split custody kid (Monday-Wednesday morning I was with my dad, he would take me to school, then my mom would pick me up and I'd be with her Wednesday evening-Friday morning; I switched parents every-other weekend so if it were my mom's weekend I'd be with her from the proceeding Wednesday through Monday morning and if it were my dad's weekend he'd pick me up Friday at 6 and I'd be with him until the following Wednesday morning. Holidays were every-other and Christmas was split in half...sorry for all the details and run-ons). My dad lost his architectural firm of 20 years this year after 6+ years of being on the "rainy day fund" from clients not paying or backing out on projects, and this summer (August) he stopped making child support payments to my mom because: 1) he couldn't afford them & 2) he knew the money wasn't being put toward me. In 2012, when I was a freshman at a university near where I live, I caught her going through a checking account of mine (which I opened when I was 16 for a first job & she co-signed) to withdrawal money for my child support.

It's not that I really "expect" her to give me money, but I have personal issues with the fact that she: 1) claims me on her taxes as a dependent (although I've been 100% on my own since August 2013), 2) expects child support payments, 3) she contacted the state about my father not paying the child support payments earlier this summer when she doesn't even use that money for its intended purposes, 4) she hasn't been working/had a job since last September (she regular checks from her father despite the fact she's 52 and totally capable of having a job.) I'm considering emancipating myself, but I'm not much of a legal expert and I didn't know what I should be doing about this situation, if there's another/better avenue to take, and I thought I'd ask you guys what you think I should be doing.

Thanks in advance if you took the time to read all this & if you have any advice to offer!

Answer:
 > I'm considering emancipating myself,

You're an adult. You're already emancipated. Her claiming you as a dependent is her problem, not yours.

Why is your father still making child support payments for an adult? Is there a court order stating this? Has he gone to court to amend the order since you aren't living with your mother?Answer #2: Are these arrears your father is paying, or is he paying because the court order requires him to pay while you are in college? Who pays for your school?


Title: DUI/DWI help!

Question: Ok so March 19 of this year I got stopped for speeding he smelled Marijuana and I admitted to it and got a dui that was that. Three days later I was involved in a car wreck which was my fault but I wasn't under the influan6of anything I honestly fell asleep driving but I didn't tell them that. Well I went by ambulance to the hospital they never did blood work only a CT scan and the usual urine sample as soon as you go in. I had a concussion and a hematoma on my lower left admoman and a GI bleed. The trooper came and talked from me accused me of texting never drugs or anything. Well I thought it was over and November 19 I get a knock on the door and the trooper charged d me with a dui I had to go make bail and the only reason is he found a bottle of my neurotin which only had 7 and a half in it when it was supposed to have 180.(which I don't know how he could have half when they only come in capsules) I told him I had them at the house I didn't wanna carry my whole script with me because I had been staying with a friend and had he came to me in March I could've proved it and that's the only thing he is supisous of. When I go into the magistrate the girl who I hit, her mom is the secretary of the magistrate and he was really talkative with her after I saw the magistrate. I live in WV and there a 60 day mandatory jail term with 2nd offense and I really am not trying to go to jail. And several things about this feel wrong and set up. I barely make 1000 a month working food service and they said I made to much for a public defender/pretender.  I'm not a criminal I don't do drugs I don't rob people I just got a dui which I owned up to but this one is bullshit and I do t deserve to loose my licnse for 5 years much less go to jail for 60 days. If anything I should have a legal right to request an unbiased magistrate.

Answer:
 > I don't do drugs

Yeah, you do and you admitted it to a cop. Falling asleep driving is just as irresponsible as driving high, which you admitted is a thing you do.

> This feels set up

You think they set you up to "fall asleep" while driving to hit the daughter of the magistrate's secretary to charge you with a 2nd dui? Or did they plant the narcotics in your vehicle? No, neither of those are true so back away from the conspiracy theory.

You hit their car, they don't need you to get a dui to fix their car and medical bills. Your insurance would do that. They don't benefit from your dui at all.

Did you have a lawyer for your first dui? They should have been able to argue things like the lack of a blood test to show current THC levels.

You cannot afford to not have a lawyer. Time to beg, borrow and sell anything valuable you own.

Answer #2: You need an attorney. Only they will be able to help you. If you can't afford one, when you go to your first hearing, they can appoint you one.


Title: Psychiatrist writes horribles/illegible notes. How to present them in court?

Question:
This is a bit complicated but here it goes. So right now my brother is seeing a psychiatrist because he is hearing voices, can't concentrate, laughing to self a lot, and a lot of other things. He's 24 and just graduated from his university in May(he wasn't living with us from january-june for the first time because of a fight).

When he wasn't living with us(after we fought and he left) we didn't know he had any mental illness (I believe he was diagnosed with schizophrenia) and now he is the prime suspect to a burglary that happened in the apartment room he was staying at with his friends. He is a prime suspect because he wasn't under the lease of the room that got robbed however he was with the victims when it happened and even his stuff was stolen. Because of his mental disorder he can't communicate well and in the discovery the cops said he changed his story many times. My brother can't even remember what you tell him 5 minutes ago sometimes and this is a university graduate so he is getting worse and worse.

We hired a lawyer and he requested his psychiatrist give him my brothers evaluation. He did but you literally can't read it. His handwriting is that bad. I asked if he could type it and he said no he does handwriting only.

So my question to you guys. Is there a way I can present his psychiatrist notes in a legible way. My lawyer said the notes were horrible and we need to find another psychiatrist but not many in our area accept medicaid and we are tight with money.

Answer:
 That's a question for your brother's lawyer.  It sounds like psych is the guy your brother's lawyer hired for this purpose.  The psych should explain what the notes mean or you might have a fee dispute brewing.

And see, you probably can't present anything unless you're your brother's legal guardian/conservator.  That's what you need a lawyer for.Answer #2: Former office manager for a shrink--10 years.

You can either ask the doctor to testify or request that he type up a summary of his sessions.  The doctor I used to work for would write down phrases, not whole sentences, that only made sense if you knew the patient and what they were presenting for.  He would just provide a summary off the bat.  He hated having his notes read.


Title: My niece has defaulted on student loans that I co-signed for. Are my retirement savings at risk?

Question:
About 10 years ago I co-signed for student loans for my niece (in Oregon, USA). Recently I found out that she defaulted on those loans about 6 years ago. I'm not sure about the details, although I'm pretty sure we're talking about well over 100,000 US dollars. Before I take further steps to sort out this mess I want to know more about what financial risks I might be facing.

The main thing is that I'm over sixty and have just enough retirement savings/investment to live on. Because I live in Hong Kong, all of these savings and investments are made through Hong Kong banks. I'd like to keep that money out of reach of creditors, while working through a US bank to resolve the debt (maybe setting up a bank account in the US to make payments through, while keeping my retirement funds are out of jeopardy?).

My question is: is it possible to protect my retirement savings and investments during this process?

Thanks for any help or insight you're able to offer!!

Answer:
 I am not a lawyer.

Are you a US citizen with a valid social security number ? Do your HKG bank accounts have your US SSN linked to them ?

Do you have any income in the US that is credited to these accounts? I am looking at this from the perspective of a creditor. The fact that you have not been contacted for 6 years after the default tells me that the creditors could either not find you or could not find any assets belonging to you in the US. Maybe it will stay that way unless you want to pay off your niece's loans.

How did you find out about the default now ? Answer #2: You might want to try /r/personalfinance, as they have a fairly good idea about things like SOL on debts, and probably also how likely it is that a US creditor can chase someone abroad.Answer #3: There is pretty much zero practical chance that they will go through the considerable steps needed to garnish your money from a HK bank account. It is not cost-effective to even attempt it for a low six-figure sum of money. Student loan debt collectors are in no way equipped to collect across national borders.

Tell em to 仆街!

If you want to talk to other overseas defaulters, check out /r/studentloandefaulters.


Title: What can I do as a renter about an inadequate amount of Hot water?

Question:
Philadelphia Partners for Good Housing states:

 "The landlord must provide running water and facilities for hot water. Hot water must be available at not less than 110 degrees and not more than 125 degrees and must flow at a rate of at least one gallon per minute at each required lavatory, sink, bathtub, shower, and laundry facility"

This is all that is said on the matter. There are two adults living in our apartment and we don't get nearly enough hot water for one person to get a 3-5 minute shower let alone both shower before work (heater takes 2-2.5 hours to reheat) and do laundry or dishes. Maintenance told me the heater was "efficient" but nothing about it is efficient. Do I have any rights to get them to upgrade or replace my unit?

Answer: Notify your landlord, via certified mail, that your available hot water does not meet the above standard.


Title: [FL-HOA] We have a neighbor that likes to fish in our backyard. Is it considered public or private land?

Question:
Here's a google maps of our neighborhood

https://www.google.com/maps/@26.2408984,-80.2968544,260m/data=!3m1!1e3

We rent a house that has a backyard that faces the canal.  So we don't have any backyard neighbors...just the wall that blocks off the highway.

Neighbor from a few houses down likes to fish from the canal, and will walk along the edge of our (and anyone else's) property while doing so.  He will, on occasion, stop and spend 10-20 minutes fishing from one spot in our backyard (and i assume he does this in other backyards if the fish are being cooperative).

Yesterday i stepped out and asked him if he could do me a favor and not fish from our backyard anymore.  He pressed for a reason, and i told him i was worried he might cause an accident with our screened in porch, and that i didn't want anything to happen to it. (we rent, so I'd really rather avoid having to deal with a landlord repair dispute with some random neighbor from down the way).

He had a mini tirade about how he's been doing this for 25 years and he's never caused any damage and that it wasn't our backyard anyways.  It was the governments, and thus public land.

I mentioned it was more likely it belonged to the HOA and that if he could please stop loitering in our backyard, i would appreciate it.

he did manage to shuffle off to the next neighbors backyard for about 15 min before going back through our yard to go back home.

I wanted to check if i need to get in touch with the HOA to see if i have any rights to not having people standing in our backyard.

Or am i just stuck in hoping that he does the neighborly thing, and just doesn't hang out there.

Edit:  Thanks for the replies, and thank you for the concern over personal information.  I've messaged the mods to see if this violates your rules.  If it needs to come down, i'll remove it.  But i've included it because i think this kind of backyard set-up is not average, and i didn't think a MS paint would have done it justice.

Answer: I looked up the property tax map for your area and [it looks like the strip between the canal and the houses is actually owned by your HOA](http://199.27.243.15/bcpawebmap_ex/bcpawebmap.aspx?FOLIO=484131182724), more specifically "VIZCAYA LK CRL SPGS COM ASSN INC % BROCK PROPERTY MANAGEMENT". Therefore if he's trespassing here, that's more of an issue for the HOA to enforce rather than you.


Title: My neighbor screams about Trump and the Aliens during the night

Question:
This is not a joke post. I feel like I need to start with that. I'm in the US.

My neighbor (well, more accurately, she lives directly across the the street) loves to yell. She's a relatively sweet older lady during the daylight hours, but at night, she turns into a wailing psychopath.

She can yell louder than anyone I have ever met. It's always the same subjects, and it's only at night.

She believes that she is Mrs. Jesus Christ, that Trump is in constant communication with the Aliens from a future timeline and that this will be the beginning of World War 3.

She yells so loudly (from her porch) that I can hear the words clearly while I'm inside my house, asleep.

Now, clearly there is something mental going on here, and I have no idea what to do legally about this. She yells for about 3 minutes at a time, and there is no rhyme or reason to when. Sometimes it's 3-4 times a week. Then she won't yell again for two weeks.

I can't issue a noise complaint, because by the time I would be on the phone with anyone, she stops.

Help me, Reddit. She startles me awake way too often and it's driving me nuts.

Answer:
 It sounds like she has Sundowners, which means there's not a lot the police would be able to do anyway.  APS is probably the more appropriate direction to go.  When she's doing it one night, call the non-emergency number. Show them the videos of what she does. They should be able to send APS in to maybe get her some help.Answer #2: Call the police when she is doing and call adult protective services.  Provide both with your recordings.  Answer #3: If she is doing this in public, from her porch, have you tried to record this activity?Answer #4: If she is screaming in the middle of the night you are allowed to call the police non-emergency line and report that she is screaming in the middle of the night and you are concerned.

Do so every time she starts up screaming, if its after 9 pm call actual 911 as you wont get someone at the police station.


Title: How Much Can a Landlord Control the Tenant?

Question: My Landlord lives in a 10 unit building.  He does not want any loitering on the property or any plants outside the doors.  Also refuses to allow tenant to put a screen door on and said he would actually remove it.  Sounds trivial but I thought i would check the legality of these demands.  He is somewhat of a slumlord but the rent is very reasonable so I choose to stay.  He wants to collect rent but really only wants tenants to come and go without really enjoying the property.  We have a front and back yard but there is no using it.  Very odd.  He even demands that we are not allowed to use "Bounce" type dryer sheets for the dryer because it bothers him and his window is near the dryer.  At what point is over the top.  Since he controls the rent there is not much one can do.

Answer:
 Read the lease. What he tells you is irrelevant if it isn't in the lease.

If the lease says you can't make modifications to the apartment, you can't add a storm door.

If the lease says you don't have access to the backyard, you don't have access to the backyard.

If the lease doesn't say you can't use bounce dryer sheets, keep doing it and tell the landlord to pound sand.


Title: Under a 5 year old will, Inheritance was left to my sibling in a trust until he reaches a certain age, with a malicious trustee family member. How can we replace this person? (MO USA)

Question:
- Grandparent died. Under a 2011 will, she left my siblings money in trusts for their general well being which end when they turn 25 (and they get whatever is left). The trustee is their aunt. There is a very bad relationship between them, and she will attempt to separate the family or only offer to support poor housing, be overly restrictive to their detriment, etc.
- A new will was being drafted, but was not completed, that would have made me the trustee. Under both scenarios it states no fee for the trustee. This shows intent, but was not executed.
- The beneficiaries want me to be the trustee. I want to be the trustee and am professionally qualified. How hard is it to go to court and make this happen? What could we do? Other than verbal threats/promises, we are still early in the game so the trustee has not done anything tangibly malicious yet (trusts not set up yet).

Answer:
 If you're going to court, step one is hire a lawyer.   Present copies of the unsigned will that was being drafted to that lawyer and see where it goes.Answer #2: You need to talk to a probate attorney.  When you do, you may want to ask them about two things:

* Will the probate court recognize the incomplete will at all?  (I don't know anything about Missouri probate law, so I can't say if your jurisdiction would recognize it as evidence of intent or anything else.)
* As trustee, your aunt has a fiduciary duty to the trust beneficiaries (i.e. your siblings.)  What would constitute a breach of that duty under the terms of the trust, and what should you look out for?


Title: Ex has passed away, what happens with her court date?

Question: If there is any other information need please let me know but I am keeping some information private. So my ex passed away about two weeks ago. Our divorced was finalized in June 2018 and granted everything I asked for (she had a lot of issues). During all of this she also ended up going to court for two separate charges drug and theft charges. Back in the beginning of April, she had a court date for her theft charges and was set to go to trial in July. A few days before her passing, it looks like new charges were being brought up and a new court date for an arraignment was set for the end of April. She as passed before that court date. So I went to see what happened and I looked up her court case online, I notice there was appearance on that day (She has a public defender) and something saying miscellaneous order and has a new court date in July.  Now my question is this, why would she have a court date if she is now gone? Also this happens in IL.

Answer:
 It's possible that news of her death did not reach her public defender, or was not properly filed with the court.

If you are concerned, you can contact her public defender and inform them of her passing.  The PD will take care of the court procedures.


Title: Can I file a restraining order on my 16 year old brother

Question: Hi my name is Carlos I am 12 and I wanted to know if I can file a restraining order on my brother he has thief me for years slapped, punched, kicked, and screamed at me for years and I wanted to know if I can file it because he's stolen my things and etc... And he's also fought with my father a lot and I just can't handle it anymore and he's also screamed at my mother to so can I do that or do you guys know what else I can do oh and I also live Illinois USA

Answer:
 It sounds like you trust your father, you should talk this over with him, and tell him how you are feeling.Answer #2: I am not a lawyer. Maybe the next time he starts acting like he's going to hurt you or your family you should call 911. You don't need an active cell phone to do this, even one that has no service can still call 911. Tell the dispatcher your address, and what your brother is doing and they will send out police who can then help  your parents determine what needs to happen next. Answer #3: Your parents would probably have to file for you.

What do they have to say about this?Answer #4: Probably not.

If your parents are putting you in danger, call [the Department of Children and Family Services](http://www.illinois.gov/dcfs/Pages/default.aspx). If your parents are neglecting you, call the Department of Children and Family Services.

> Call the 24-hour Child Abuse Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873 or TTY 1-800-358-5117) if you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect.

If your brother is violent and your parents are not protecting you from him, your parents may be putting you in danger. The hotline will have to ask you some questions to understand what you believe is happening before they can help you.

You can also talk to your teachers at school: ask if you can stay after class to talk to them, then tell your teacher what's happening and ask for help. Teachers are required by law to report child abuse, and your teachers probably care about you more than you realize.


Title: LANDLORD IS KEEPING MY OVERPAYMENT OF RENT

Question:
Hi there.  As my title says, my landlord is keeping my overpayment of rent.  I recently posted earlier on here about other issues with my landlord and this is unrelated.  I'm NOT a shit poster, just really dumb.  Let me begin

&#x200B;

My lease is set up to end on August 1 this year.  When I signed to the lease, I had to pay last month rent.  I paid it last year and I have a record of it.  Now, I go onto my payment portfolio on  July 1 and see there is nothing to pay.  This was common because my roommates have a credit and it is a joint rent.  The office was closed and I just decided to be safe rather than sorry and paid normal rent.  Well, I get to thinking and call the office the next day and she says last month's rent was collected last year.  So essentially, I paid rent when I didn't need to.  I asked if I can have it back because I'm in a tight spot right now and they said they would only return it with my security deposit.... which won't be returned until at least September.

&#x200B;

There's no way this is legal.  What do I do?

&#x200B;

I requested it back on phone and via text, certified mail probably would not be worth my time.  I said "my overpayment of rent is not a security deposit and I am requesting that you return it immediately" but got no response LOL
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: The first step is to send a certified letter explaining the accounting and demanding he return the funds immediately. If he does not within your specified time-frame, you'll have to file a suit in small claims against him.


Title: Found drunk driver who totaled my car. Now what Can I do?

Question:
Around 3 months back I was hit by drunk driver. I was parked on the side of the road about to get out to work. It was 7:58 and I was going to leave at 8 to walk to my job. At that time I got rear-ended and pushed onto the sidewalk where my front of the car hit a light pole stopping my car from going any further. The drivers car was pinned on my drivers door. I looked at the driver while in my car and I seen him trying to start his car and try to leave. I got this in video and he tried to keep getting away without any luck. Here the part that has me pretty mad. He had no insurance, was drunk as hell, and had no legal papers. I called police (Fremont,CA) and police never showed up. 9-1-1 transferred the call to a lady asking me to explain how I know the driver was drunk. I was not sure how she wanted to me reply but he was clearly drunk. Thankfully good citizens pulled over to help me and help divert traffic at least 10 people were on scene and they called police too. They never showed up at all the accident occurred at 7:58 and the time was 11:00 when my tow truck came. Well we exchanged "information" and I left with my totaled car while his sat in the middle of the road. I found the guy through his job and his boss. What can I do now? Also I didn't call insurance since firstly he didn't have any and I didn't have uninsured motorist coverage (Student with a paid off used car). My dad told me insurance wasn't going to do anything but raise my monthly. I read that I have a 1 year limitation on reporting a drunk driver from the accident but what can I do? He left me without a car and I make minimum wage. Also can someone get their phone call they had with 9-1-1 operator?

Thanks for any help !

&#x200B;

TL;DR Hit by drunk driver no insurance, no legal paperwork, police never showed up to scene after calling multiple times and having others call for me.

Answer:
 File a police report in person, then sue the other driver in small claims court.

http://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-smallclaims.htm

Also, did you have injuries or medical expenses? Answer #2: I assume you filed with your insurance company?  Pass the information to them and let them go after the driver, chances are this is a "blood from a stone" situation and he has no assets to pay damages.  Without legal papers, he may just vanish and take on a new identity working for someone else.Answer #3: If you have collision insurance, file against that. It probably won't raise your premiums, and it's worth it even if it does.

If you don't have collision insurance, you should look into filing in small claims court, but you're probably looking at getting nothing.


Title: Signed a contract. 3 months passed the deadline.

Question:
(California) A guy offered to pay me $700 to help him edit (2) videos. Every time I asked him about the payment, he kept telling me "later, later later". He has sent me small payments of $20, $10, $5, $3, etc. The last payment was in August. The due date was in September.

Also, he has been constantly messaging me about returning the hard drives that he gave to me to edit the videos. Is it illegal to keep the hard drives until he finishes paying me? I offered to mail him the hard drives, but he wants to meet in person.

Answer:
 Send him a final demand letter by certified mail, and if he doesn’t pay you promptly then sue him in small claims court. Bring multiple copies of your contract to your court date.

Don’t withhold his hard drives from him, they’re not your property and you have no legal right to keep them from him.


Title: Fired from a restaurant after working there for 2 days. Can I file a wrongful termination lawsuit? (Madison, Mississippi)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No, this isn't wrongful termination. Not even a little bit. They can fire you because you don't have the sandwiches memorized or because you're too slow. They can also fire you because you really like the color red, or because you root for the Packers.


Title: I moved out of my roommates home after a month to month lease. I paid the months rent, gave her a 30 day notice and told her to keep the deposit for the carpet damage but she's now trying to charge me more [Pics inside] Vancouver, WA

Question:
I moved out of my roommates house, she owns the house after being there for about 5 months. I moved out for several reasons, I felt uncomfortable after she told me some things about her father, who had a key to the house and he was coming and going as he pleased while I was there alone. I'm 20 years old, 19 at the time. She had moved in family of 4 next to the house in a camper RV that was smaller than my bedroom and to top everything off she was unpleasant to live with. My downpayment (aka secruity deposit) was $300.00.

So, my rent was due, I gave her my rent for the following month and gave her my 30 day notice. She gave me a receipt and I felt so uncomfortable to be there I just picked up my stuff and left the room empty for that month. We did a walk through and my desk chair had left some markings. Pictures below of the room

[Album of the room](http://imgur.com/a/7VlfD)

The huge photo was hers. Nothing behind it, I'm well aware I should have taken pictures of behind it but I didn't think about it until just this second. The stuff in the closet was there when I moved in, the stickers on the door were there as well.

[the damage on the carpet](http://i.imgur.com/loK8U6E.jpg)

[Her email](http://i.gyazo.com/bd8e427567b1408addc370e0c7658d17.png)

[Mine](http://i.gyazo.com/b0f40e31100d3e4996cae332b98ad11a.png)

[Her reply](http://i.gyazo.com/b4036eb056c7be81e1d2e72b79730438.png)

I did not reply to this one

[Her replay again](http://i.gyazo.com/ea4b199ac1c4cc79543f8d62dfbdafd0.png)

[My reply#1](http://i.gyazo.com/3f9a7bff6de2b0e3d053f53248cc5369.png)
[My Reply#2](http://i.gyazo.com/5a165082eca0e8a559ae4355561e434f.png)

Within minutes of each other. My Phone messed up or something so it cut off the rest of what I said, it wasn't anything important. (Now I'm reading all of them) or something.

[Her reply](http://i.gyazo.com/2e04fa119cfe69bdbe7bee645227f7c7.png)

She included a bid that was lower, but I called the county tenant/roommate association and he suggested I let her take me to court and have them decide.

Basically, I just want to know exactly how I should handle this. I've been moved out, she hasn't emailed me since that  last one. I'm kind of just waiting to get served. And I'm going to be completely honest with the judge. I don't believe that's 700-1500 dollars worth of damage. this is a picture of the bid

[Bid](http://i.gyazo.com/36cc22a6fad6526001ccf2f576468238.png)

[Bid (bottom of page](http://i.gyazo.com/58b093489c75c6a05536465a155f5448.png)

I honestly feel like I'm behing harassed. Her emails are jumbled, they don't add up. She constantly changing dates and changing the price. I'm pretty close to just putting a restraining order on her and just going to court and letting them handle it.

Answer:
 If she believes that the amount of the damages was higher than what you've paid her, she's entitled to sue you for the remainder. You can defend yourself in court, of course. But she has a bid from a contractor backing up her valuation, so you're going to need a better argument than "Nah, I don't believe that".

Her contact with you does not come anywhere close to harassment. If you attempt to file for a restraining order, you will not get it, and she may be able to use that attempt to discredit you in court.


Title: Called HR on my new super for degrading speech, threatening my job, and unrealistic demands. HR immediately calls him. What should I do? Tennessee

Question: My new Supervisor consistently cuts me off, degrades me to my crew and to my face, degrades my crew, orders my CDL drivers to move trailers without lights or breaks. Tells me quote, "I can get a crew of Hispanics to do your job with half the equipment, get the same footage (Directional Drilling for Fiber Optics) for less money." I talked to his boss, formerly my boss, about the situation and told him I wanted to file a complaint to HR. He agreed that I was justified in my view and stated I wasn't the only person seeing this. I call and reported to our HR manager and he told me to email him my statement. Within 5 minutes my Super comes over and confronts me about the report. Calls me a tattle tale in a round about way. I'm in Tennessee but the company main office is in Kansas.

Answer:
 You perhaps did not understand that HR works for *the company, not you*.  Their job is to manage the human resources, that is, you, in such a way that the resources, you, do not cause trouble.

So when you start causing trouble, of course their first call is to your boss, to get said boss to stop you from causing trouble.

Now you know.

There's nothing illegal about being a shitty boss.


Title: Do I need to pay my former company back for tuition reimbursement? [MN]

Question:
Hello,

I started graduate school in December of 2015 after finding out my company reimburses 100% of tuition + books.  The stipulation was I need to be employed for 1 year following course completion, which should be sometime at the end of this month.

In November 2016 I started a job at another company (they paid a helluva lot more).  Being the only one who could run the database at my old company I realized I would be leaving them out in the lurch, and I offered to work for them a few hours per week.  For the past 5 months I've been working 3-4 hours/week for them, logging my time on their system and receiving biweekly paychecks.

I had thought the reimbursement repayment would be dropped because I've been working for them, really, out of loyalty.  I'd hate to see the systems I built go into disrepair after I leave.  Last week, however, I got an email from HR stating I need to repay the tuition in full by 4/19.

Here is the contract I signed:

http://imgur.com/a/BYqSi

I think the important section is the second half of part 3:

"...If I resign within one year after I have received educational assistance, I agree to repay the company for 100% of the tuition payments.  I further understand and agree that by signing this document, I am consenting to a deduction from my final paycheck for the entire amount or the maximum amount allowed by law..."

Is me cutting from full-time salary to part-time hourly considered resigning?  Is it worth fighting?  I realize it's a relatively small amount but the fact is it would really hurt my savings to just give them that much money in a couple weeks.  Honestly I am a little offended that they would go after this even after I agreed to help them out after I started my new job, and it would feel pretty good to let them know that by fighting this!

On the other hand, if you all think it's pretty clear cut then I'll just suck it up and pay instead of trying to fight them over contract wording.

Thanks!

Answer: Absolutely this is worth fighting. You didn't resign. You were changed to a part-time employee. Remind HR that the agreement says if you resign and you didn't resign.


Title: Unreasonable ticket, need advice

Question:
First post, so bear with me.

I got pulled over this morning on my way to school. I was running late, but not speeding. The road the school is on is a 45mph road, and there's a left hand turn lane that leads into my school, and the school zone starts after the turn lane starts. As I pulled into the turn lane I started slowing down to 20 and took it at 20-25 all the way into the school. I got pulled over as soon as I turned into my school by a cop on a bike, and I was told I was clocked doing 35 in a school zone, and issued a $393 ticket. He also did not check the "School Zone" box, but in the comments added "Speeding in a school zone/speed required on citation". I wasn't speeding. I don't know what to do. Any advice would help.

Also, Hillsborough County, FL.

Answer:
 You can fight the ticket, through whatever means is offered.  That's likely listed on the ticket, or you can contact the court.  However:

> the school zone starts after the turn lane starts. As I pulled into the turn lane I started slowing down to 20

It sounds as if you were exceeding the limit when the school zone started.  That would mean you were in violation, and you would have no defense.