Title: Neighbors are leaving hose on creating high water bill.

Question:
TL;DR Neighbors leave water on for extended periods of time. What can I do to stop this?

My wife and I recently moved into a new duplex owned by a family member in WA state. The owner pays for water, sewer, and garbage. She told us that the water bill has been extremely high for a few months and asked if I could keep an eye on the place to make sure that water isn't being wasted. Well after about a week of early mornings and early nights, tonight I needed to stay up to finish some work. At about 11pm I noticed the sound of running water and assumed the neighbors were taking a late night shower. Well after about half hour I noticed I could still hear it and walked outside to see if the hose was running and it was. They had the hose just laying on the grass running.  After about a minute of deciding if I should go and turn it off the guy in the house walks outside glares at me and turns the hose off and walks away. I am going to stay up late tomorrow and see if they leave the water on. I already plan to inform the owner of what happened. My question is, if they leave the water on can I go and turn it off?

Answer:
 The owner requested you help her figure out the problem. You did, it's your neighbor most likely. Tell her what you say and don't say or do anything more. Don't talk to your neighbor, it's not your job. Landlady needs to go to them, ask why they are doing what they are, and they need to come up with a damned good reason for it. None of your business why. Just report and stay on your side until this blows over. Any retaliation you get from them should be told to the landlady immediately. You did only what she requested of you, which is more than what you needed to do anyway. Answer #2: Why would somebody just leave a hose on sitting in the grass? Do they have some kind of beef with the landlord?Answer #3: >My question is, if they leave the water on can I go and turn it off?

Most likely no.

The only action you can do is to report this to the owner, assuming the owner is leasing out the duplex, and to your water agency. Answer #4: If the yard is shared, then you could legally go and turn it off.  However, I would ask the owner first.


Title: My friend took acid and ended up in the hospital after experiencing some sort of seizure. In the hospital there was apparently a detective questioning her.

Question: I'm wondering if what she said that night could hold up in court? She does not remember meeting the detective, but apparently she answered some of her questions. She was taken from the apartment by the paramedics to the hospital where none of her friends were allowed in. She was all alone, still tripping, and going through what could likely be the most traumatic experience of her life. In my head I just don't see how any information gathered from her that night could be usable. Can anybody clarify this for me? Thank you.

Answer: Yes, it can potentially be used against her.  Her attorney can argue it's prejudice outweighs its probative value, or what weight the statement should be given, but it isn't inadmissible on its face.


Title: Follow Up: Ex-wife hired Scammer PI

Question:
Follow Up [to this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3pni14/ex_wife_hired_a_pi_and_he_is_threatening_me_with/)

I'm in Ohio

I researched the shady web site he wanted me to sign up to share emails with my ex on.  It is www.emailwizard.co

I went to the site and it looks like some crappy Geocities Web Page.  I did a Who Is search on the domain and really could not find much but the physical address of the company in Arizona.  When I googled the address i got these kinds of results:

* These are the people selling your info to the fake debt scammers
* Website used in employment scams

IT seems the address is attached to a domain company or something but every website attached to it is some sort of scam.

The REAL web site that my ex told me to use is www.ourfamilywizard.com  which is legit.  When he gave me the other web address he was acting all "I am not a computer guy, this is the address" and gave me the other one.  How in the WORLD do you confuse those two addresses.

My lawyer says to just lay low and wait until I have actual court papers before I start picking the kids up at gas stations... What a cluster fuck this all is.

Answer:
 Have you looked to see if this PI is licensed?

https://webapps.azdps.gov/public_inq/sgrd/ShowLicenseStatus.action

Because if he is, I'd file a complaint with the state.


Title: Can landlord have cops search house if the tenant calls police on him for invading privacy?

Question: If a tenants landlord has been invading privacy and making the tenants of the house uncomfortable and the law is called can said landlord make up stuff about drugs being in the house and have police investigate or must he first have evidence and obtain a warrant? Does the fact that he is the landlord give him any special privileges as far as tenant privacy goes being that he technically owns the house or are the renters have privacy like it was there home.

Answer:
 The landlord can file a police report. If the police find it credible, they can seek a warrant allowing them to search the property. In most jurisdictions, one of the rights a tenant has is the right to exclusive possession, so he cannot consent to a search on your behalf while you're a tenant.

If your landlord files false police reports, he is committing a crime himself.


Title: Could the good samaritan law protect a Vigilante?

Answer:
 Without a clearer explanation of what this vigilante is doing there’s no way to answer this.

That being said, the answer is probably no. Good Samaritan laws usually prevent bystanders from incurring legal liability if they provide some sort of medical aid in an emergency. So if the vigilante is performing first aid they can’t be sued for it. But if you’re asking whether Batman can go and beat the shit out of criminals and avoid prosecution, no, Good Samaritan laws aren’t even remotely applicable.


Title: Why can’t I drink from an open container as a passenger if the driver is sober?

Answer:
 In most states, because the law bars open containers in the passenger compartment.Answer #2: As I recall, in NY (maybe other states as well) the only way s passenger can legally drink is if they’re in a separate compartment - think a stretch limo with a glass partition between driver and passengers. Cops and judges have heard every excuse under the sun and don’t believe any of them. Legislators closed off that defense decades ago.Answer #3: We had a 5pm Friday beer policy. A coworker described how liberating it was to have a beer while driving home. We all just looked at him, stunned.

In most states you can’t have an open container in a car. In PA the definition is pretty strict. An open bottle of wine should be sealed in a sealed plastic bag. In LA you just need the straw tip over the tip of the daiquiri.Answer #4: Here in Missouri there's no state law against passengers drinking, though most municipalities have one. There's definitely places where you can legally drink as a passenger, but cops will still pull you over to talk to the driver sometimes.


Title: Is it illegal to secretly record someone while having sex with them?

Question:
The guy secretly recorded us having sex and I just found out and I want to know if it's illegal so I could use the fact that he could get in trouble against him so he won't show anyone.
We are both sixteen but the age of consent is sixteen in our state.

The state is Ohio

Answer: He's just created child pornography.  It's a federal crime to possess it, much less to create it.


Title: Is it illegal to strand someone?

Question:
So one of my friends found out his then girlfriend had been cheating on him and wanted to get back at her. So he said he wanted to take her on a road trip, drove an hour to a distant, but not totally remote location, and drove off as she left the car.

I don’t know the specifics of what happened there, but at what point is that a crime? What if the place is 20 miles from civilization and there’s no cell service? What if it’s a populated area, but she has to pay 80$ for an Uber back? How much can you inconvenience someone before they can start to press charges? Is it illegal even if it’s five blocks from her house?

Answer:
 It might not be a crime, but if he promised transport to/from the "planned" destination, he could be held liable for any costs or damages she incurred due to the stranding. Though, if he strands her far enough out of "civilization" and she is injured sufficiently, he might face reckless endangerment criminal charges (or something similar).

I suspect that if he does go through with it and she sues him in (small claims) court for said damages, the judge will not look kindly on him at all.

If your friend is seriously considering this, he is a fucking asshole.


Title: 17 nd pregnant. CPS got involved!!

Question: My parents are tell me that there lying to me and that thare going to take me to court and tell them I'm unstable to take care of my child and thare going to take care of my child? What should I do? What can I do?

Answer:
 Who is lying to you? CPS or your parents? Who is taking you to court? Why do they think you're unstable?

Generally speaking, CPS won't remove a teenage mother's child for the sole reason that they're young. Do you have a home? Are you a drug user? Involved in crime?


Title: Mom passed away with no "estate" and state of MN is trying to come after her "estate" for MA Estate Recovery Case

Question: My mom passed away 3/20/19 with no living spouse (divorced since 1989) and all of us (her children) are over 21. She had no bank account at the time, no house, no prepaid burial account, but did have a vehicle in her name, which she paid cash for at the time, and a life insurance policy of $10,000, which my brother was listed as the beneficiary and has already withdrawn the money for that and has the money in his bank account. My mom had been on Medicare and Minnesota Medical Assistance for MANY years and got assistance from Medicare/MA through a couple bank cards - 1 was a food stamp card and another was SSI card that she got money automatically loaded on typically the first of every month, to pay for bills and rent at her apartment. After she passed away, I paid for her funeral expenses out of my own pocket, and my sister took the title to her vehicle to the DMV and had it transferred to her name. They let her do this by signing as "executor of estate" and providing a copy of her death certificate. I have now been mailed a letter from the county where my mom lived in stating they are trying to recoup funds to pay for the Medical Assistance that was paid out, per MN Statues 256B.15. They are requesting copies of her title to her vehicle, bank account info, prepaid burial account info, funeral or cremation bill, real estate or contract for deed, life insurance info, cash, nursing home account, stocks, bonds, trust, etc. It does say I can write "none" if she had nothing, which I will probably end up doing. But my question is, what if I choose to not send this info back? Can they legally come after any of us for this money? My mom didn't have any kind of living will and didn't have a cent to her name, with the exception of her belongings. Since my sister already transferred the title of her vehicle to her name, can they come after her for that vehicle? Or my mom's life insurance money, even though it's in my brother's name as beneficiary?  I have the letter and lists that were sent to me if anyone would like me to explain the verbiage further.  Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 > I can write "none" if she had nothing, which I will probably end up doing

Don't lie on the document. She did have a car, she did have a life insurance policy (that should be protected as it had a named beneficiary, and not the estate), etc.

Sorry for your loss.


Title: Is it illegal to voice you are going to do something illegal.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Attempting to commit a crime is also a crime. The test for that is did you undertake a "substantial step" in furtherance of the crime.  Merely talking about killing someone is distasteful. Buying a gun, a tarp, a shovel, and arranging to meet them in a secluded alley might cross the line.


Title: If a musician/rapper slanders someones name in a song and that individual decides to sue, would they sue the musician or the record label that released and owns the rights to the song?

Question:
In most cases Musicians function as independent contractors with record labels (they have record contracts), and the rights to the songs they release are frequently fully owned by the record label, and are released "by the record label". In some cases it is the record label who dictates to the musician what content they are required to put in their songs and so on.

So, if such an artist releases a song where they false claims about a person that ruin their reputation, who is legally responsible? I would assume the record label who releases the song is responsible even though many people would blame the artist since it is their voice on the song. For instance, if I hire a painter to paint a highly offensive picture of you and I release it, you would sue me, not the painter.

Answer: You sue everyone in a Kevin Bacon radius of the tort and let the people who aren't responsible identify themselves. I'd think both the artist and the label would share responsibility.


Title: RACE DISCRIMINATION (CA)

Question:
Can you claim race discrimination

One employee is fired for treating people unfairly and the disciplinary events take place about every two years, but that person is eventually fired.  Another words a complaint about the employee happens every two years, at most.

Another employee, hired as a supervisor has staff complaints, at least weekly, about her attitude.  Meetings are held regarding her treatment of employees, employees ask to change supervisors and then she passes probation.  She has complaints all during the year not sporadically like the other employee .  And the complaints continue even after her probationary period.

NOTE:  At the time of her promotion, she is living in the same household as the person who has to discipline her.  It is just a friendship.  Yes, it violates the nepotism policy.

Can you claim a discrimination lawsuit based upon race?  That is the only difference between the two employees, both women, over 40, etc.  Does the fired employee have any rights?  This is just a scenario.

Answer:
 You aren't going to get a different answer if you [keep asking](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3h59oe/ca_discrimination/).

Can you claim it?  Sure.

Will you find a lawyer to file a case?  Not on these facts.  You need to be able prove that the *reason* they were treated differently is race.

Employees and supervisors are treated differently.  Attitude complaints and "treating people unfairly" are different types of complaints.  Nepotism is legal, too, and probably another reason for the different treatment.


Title: I think my neighbor and his kid are breaking into my house, but I don't have much evidence.

Question:
I live in an apartment attached to an office building. It's similar to a large duplex and we live in the back-end of the house on a raised platform since we live in Hawaii and it's not uncommon to live on high-beams to avoid flooding. Anyways, beside us is another duplex on the ground floor with a family living in one apartment and an older woman living in the other, both whom have lived there longer than I have lived in this apartment. In fact, the older woman once lived in this apartment herself.

Well, within the past couple of months, our neighbors have been experiencing thefts from their outside back porches. Small stuff like clothes hanging on the linen lines/top of washing machines, and recyclables. So, my roommates and I have been on alert for suspicious activity within our small little lot. Well, our apartment has been hit the worst.

On about three occasions we have come home to the door cracked open even though we are sure we locked the door behind us. As college students who work together, we all have relatively similar schedules, and it wouldn't be hard for our neighbors to know when we are all home or not. Two key times have been: 1) when we have Tuesday meetings at 5pm, and 2) on Fridays when the three of us host Store Shuttles for students who live on campus to go to the store. These are consistent weekly events.

One Tuesday, I had a pretty high fever so I had my roommate pick me up from campus and I did not attend our meeting in order to stay home and sleep. Well, I do not have a car so both cars were not in our driveway making it appear no one was home. As I was sleeping, I was snuggled up next to my cats on my floor when I heard someone come up our stairs and open the door. I heard the footsteps as they came to my room and turned on the light. I stood asleep as I assumed it was my boyfriend who is my roommate in the master bedroom (I also assumed the meeting ended early), however the person left the light on and left after seeing me, I assume. I heard the cats leave my side, and I woke up ready to nag my boyfriend for leaving the light on while I was trying to sleep. Until I heard an unfamiliar meow from my oldest cat. I've had him since he was a kitten so I feel I am pretty in-tune with how he expresses himself, this was a meow I've never heard before. So I rushed outside of my room to find the door cracked open and no cars in the driveway still. I immediately called my boyfriend to ask if he had come home and left, much to my surprise he said no and that he was barely walking to his car on campus as the meeting had just ended. So naturally, I'm freaking out. I checked the house up and down the see if anything was stolen, but at first it did not seem anything was stolen.

When my boyfriend arrived home he said he saw our neighbor's son get scared/nervous when he saw him and ran into their house. We also saw this boy when we first arrived home to drop me off. He is a younger boy in intermediate school (I know this because he was wearing his school shirt) just riding around our lot on his scooter. This was the first time I ever saw him hanging out outside.

I did not call the police after this incident. I don't know why. I was really freaked out, and I guess I felt that since I didn't see anything stolen I didn't want to waste their time with my report. I definitely regret that now.

Fast forward to a few days later, Friday. We were away from the house for a few hours in the afternoon to take care of some stuff in town and also to conduct our Weekly Store Shuttle service for the students. This window of time was the only time all three of us were away from the house all week. We come home, nothing seems out of order, but I did notice the little boy walking around outside again by himself - which he doesn't normally do, he even exuded the same behavior as last time, but again did not really notice anything out of the ordinary within the apartment right away. Until Saturday morning, camera equipment I had prepped and ready in a duffel bag was missing. Just a DSLR camera and a tripod, at first I thought maybe I could have taken it out of the bag so we searched the whole house, everyone's rooms, and even the cars - nothing. I am 100% positive the camera and the tripod were here at the house and not my office and the camera inside the duffel bag, so it puzzled me how they could disappear out of thin air. Did not make a police report about it missing because I felt there wasn't sufficient evidence to report it.

Two weeks pass, we come home on today (Friday) after conducting the Store Shuttles to find the door cracked open again. I had come up the stairs about a minute behind my roommates so they were already inside before I could stop them so we could do the right thing and call the police. I did notice the same little boy was outside riding his scooter all alone when we drove in, so I immediately got suspicious. He again looked nervous, and paced nervously back to his house while watching us. Upon entering my home, I heard the same shrill meow from my cat that I did those few weeks ago on the first (known) incident.

My roommates and I checked the house for anything stolen, we found that my roommate's Drone that was packed away in its box was stolen - but the box still here. As well as another one of my cameras that was in one of my storage bins on top of my desk. So, naturally I am more than freaked out, I am freaking LIVID at this point. My gut has been telling me this whole time that the neighbor's kid has something to do with it, but what am I supposed to do? I have no concrete proof.

So my boyfriend and I go next door to ask both sets of neighbors if they have seen anything. We first asked the little boy's family. His mom answered the door, and quickly the whole family gathered around to listen to us. The little boy remained looking nervous, and the dad did not seem to want to talk to us at all and was acting kind of suspicious. Now, these neighbors have security cameras ever since they have been robbed but none pointed on our apartment. The mom offered to point the camera on us and she was kind and friendly the whole encounter, but the dad was very stoic and uninviting. At one point the mom started a sentence with "If you want we could check..." and looked at the dad as she was staying this, stopped mid-sentence, and changed the sentence after he gave her a weird look. This was very suspicious to me. So, she told us to check with the woman next door which we were going to do anyways. We thanked her for her time and moved on.

We go next door to talk to the older woman who used to live in our apartment. She said she had not seen anything and seemed just as freaked out as us, she offered us advice on how to better secure the apartment since she used to live there. She also mentioned a piece of interesting information... So, since we live on a raised platform there's really no way to break in through our windows without a ladder. However, the one window closest to the door can possibly be accessed if someone were to climb on our handrail to remove the screen and push the window open. The older woman did let us know that she's had this done before when she used to live there and locked herself out, and get this... she asked the neighbors kids to do it for her since they could fit through the small opening...

So, now we know the kid and his family know this is a possible way to get into our apartment. So, I have a really strong feeling in my gut that this may be what's happening. The kid may be coming in through the window and exiting through the door. The dad may know of some market for cameras in order to make a few extra bucks, but this is all speculation. We know without a doubt that we have had the doors locked and that these items were in our home and are now missing. The only times the door is left unlocked is when we are going downstairs to wash clothes, take out the trash, etc. Our door is ALWAYS locked.

I just think it's awfully convenient that things have been stolen in common times we are gone, this little boy is always outside when it happens (maybe he's monitoring for his dad to get the job done), and there's never any suspicious cars on our lot or in the street - so I highly doubt this is someone who's getting lucky with us not being home and coming to burglarize our apartment for camera equipment. This is someone who knows what they're doing.

We have notified our landlord about what's happening and are reaching out to him to get our locks changed.

But, do you think I am being overly suspicious of my neighbors? I don't know what to do or how to approach this situation, this has never happened to me before. I feel that calling the police may be a waste of their time or they might just say there's not enough evidence? What should I do?

Answer:
 It's the police's job to investigate crimes and gather evidence. You should have reported the break ins at the time which may have prevented further issues, but since you haven't you need to do so now. Explain the incidents and your suspicions about the neighbors to the police and let them handle it.
Meanwhile ask your landlord about changing the locks and invest in a cheap security camera.Answer #2: Get something to lock the window. Talk to your landlord about changing the locks on your doors also. Talk to police about the thefts


Title: Can the judge refuse to change my name from Duncan to Wolf? I don't have a criminal background and only have 1.5k in debt.

Question: Wolf is a family name that I've chosen to take as my first name, but after handing over a huge check ($400!) and getting a court date, I'm now paranoid the judge will think it's a silly name and will refuse to let me change it. Is that a possibility? I'm not going into this with a lawyer. My friend in the same town changed her name to Phoenix without issues. Edit to add I am in the US.

Answer: The judge will not care, if you're in the US.


Title: Landlord has asked us to leave at the end on our lease. Not an eviction. Just a request. Do I have to leave? Location Alberta

Question:
Long story but this is the short version. My miniture dachshund bit a neighbour. At first they gave us a 14 day eviction. I protested that 14 days was not enough time so they extended it to a month. Now my property manager is saying that we can stay until the end of our lease (which ends November 31). This is now not an eviction but a request. I have never been late with my rent. What would happen if I just keep on paying my rent and dont move?
Eapecially if my dog hasn't bitten anyone during the next 4 months. Would they have grounds to evict still?
I live in Alberta Canada.

Answer:
 I'm going to guess a lot of the other commenters are American, where landlords can always give notice when a lease is over. Things are generally a bit different in Canada.

Is your lease strictly a fixed term lease (e.g. not only is the initial term over on Nov 31, it  **ends** on Nov 31), or does it say it will renew as a periodic lease once the initial term is over? Read your lease to find out. If it is a fixed term lease, you MUST leave Nov 31. If the lease itself says it renews, the landlord cannot make you leave. Read Alberta's tenancy handbook for more info: http://www.servicealberta.ca/pdf/tipsheets/Termination_of_a_Tenancy_RTA_Handbook_BW.pdf


Title: What happens if I don't pay traffic tickets in PA?

Question: Hello, I recently was driving my brother's car in PA when I was pulled over by police. I received 3 tickets 2 of which related to the car and 1 for not having an American driver's licence. I'm thinking of paying the 2 tickets related to the car itself only because I'm leaving PA in 5 days. What happens if I don't pay the ticket for not having a driver's licence? Will it affect my brother?

Answer:
 >1 for not having an American driver's licence.

I take it you're from out of the country.  Not paying this ticket puts you at risk of having difficulty leaving or entering the US in the future.


Title: Company wants me to switch from independent contractor to employee? Vice President wants to meet with me as well, what should I do?

Question:
Hello,  [Southern California - Los Angeles]
My friend (Spanish speaking) has asked me to ask this question on his behalf.  I am posting here and on AVVO.  Here are the relevant facts:

Truck driver (18 wheeler) has been working as an independent contractor for a company for 12 years, but now they have asked him to fill out a W-2 and become an employee of the company.  Also, the Vice President of the company wants to meet with the driver.  The driver worked 6 days a week, for more than 8 hours a day.  Now, they have cut down his work load to 5 days a week and have also reduced the number of loads he has to do and thus the number of hours he worked per day have also dropped.

In addition to the above mentioned question, driver wants to know what to expect in this meeting with Vice President and if there is anything he can do so he is not taken advantage of during the meeting, at the same time not seeming too defensive?

Answer:
 Does he drive a truck that he owns himself, or does he drive a truck that the company owns?  Will that change when he becomes an employee?

My guess is that the company realizes that he's been incorrectly paid as an independent contractor and that they should be paying him as an employee.  As an employee they may not be allowed to pay him more than X hours per pay period without paying him overtime (they may not want to pay him overtime, which could be why his hours are being reduced).  However, as an employee he should be given employee benefits, like payments into his social security account, and health care benefits (this can be a substantial amount of money), and maybe even matching pay into a retirement account, etcetera.  He can try to negotiate a better employee pay package.Answer #2: Sounds like the company is unsure whether or not he is a legitimate independent contractor. Does he drive for other companies? A lot of stuff in law uses duck typing and a contractor with one company as customer for full time plus hours over 12 years is walking and quacking like an employee Answer #3: Has he been paying his self employment taxes for the past 12 years and is he eligible to work in the US?


Title: Mom and stepdad claiming my dad owes money for child support despite division of child services claiming there is no money owed, and mom using imagined debt as 'reason' to not sign off on sale of house, keeping my dad, I, and a family of 5 held up at the whim of her imagined debt, what should we do?

Question: I have paperwork saying my dad owes nothing, the division of child services also said he owes nothing (to which my stepdad replied "i don't give a fuck what the state says" when i informed him)... I feel like this is possible bribery, or fraud, or.. Something, any advice would be appreciated.. More than anything i just want to get the house sold so we can get out and this new family can get in

Answer: Your Dad should hire a real estate attorney and see what he needs to do to get a court order allowing him to sell the house transfer the deed. Your mom will have to explain to the judge why she’s refusing to sign off on the sale. Your dad will want to have any and all documentation he can get that proves he doesn’t owe any child support. Answer #2: What did it say about the house in the divorce paperwork?


Title: (Ontario, Canada) Boyfriend's friends are convincing him to invest in a no-name company which I believe is money laundering

Question:
Boyfriend's friends have been convincing my boyfriend to invest in "another friend's" makeup startup company for 6 months. I don't know if it's important to note that they're all guys. Although makeup isn't really exclusive to girls, I think it's safe to invest in something you're actually interested in. Anyway, they've been telling my boyfriend that, "You basically invest an x amount of money and, after a month, it comes out 5% more. You can cash it out any time. One of our friends used this money to buy a brand new car." There's no contract, no terms and conditions. When my boyfriend asked the specific name of the company they invest in, they always avoid answering.

Recently, my boyfriend has been asking them a lot of question in attempts to learn the truth about the illicitness of the business/investment. One of his friends told each other, "We should just tell him." Then, they explicitly told him that the money is "ghost money". I didn't even know what ghost money means until I searched it now. Even now, I don't really understand it. They elaborated more and said that there's only a main guy who pays the taxes.

What does this mean? Is it money laundering? I'm a legal assistant, specializing in criminal and family law but don't know shit about business law. I hate math and the slightest talk about money gives me a headache. Please help me. My boyfriend is taking me to meet them on Saturday to help him roast the shit out of them. I need credible and legal information about this.

EDIT: Thank you for all your responses! FYI, there's no way I'm letting my boyfriend put a cent in their illicit business. I was just wondering how to explain to his friends that the whole system is illegal in case they're brainwashed or something.

Answer: Pyramid scheme. Gotta be.Answer #2: Ponzi scheme....Answer #3: Run.  Run fast.  Run far.Answer #4: You're looking at a pyramid scheme. I suggest a forceful no, then leaving.


Title: Can police disguise themselves to trick you into inviting them in to your home (when they don't have a warrant?)

Question:
I've wondered recently if police could search a house they are suspicious of by impersonating say, an electrician or missionary, to get you to let them in to your home, where they can then tour around looking for illegal things to arrest you for.

To make it clear, the officer is not executing a warrant and does not have conclusive proof of illegal activities in said house, just suspicion based on say a complaint or an anonymous tip.

Canada specific would be preferred, though I'm interested in hearing an American-applicable answer as well.

Answer: In the USA, yes they can, providing the consent is freely given.  As an example, an officer can dress up as someone from the gas company and offer free inspections.  They cannot dress up as someone from the gas company and say there's a leak, and thereby demand entry.


Title: How to word letter to HR with pending lawsuit.

Question:
So I am suing my employer for sexual harrasment and wage theft along with two other employees, but it could be a month before our lawyer is ready to send the forms. Right now my company is unaware of this.

Anyhow after having numerous issues with my pay increase for my raise not showing up in checks my boss admitted in front of one other employee two days ago that I had never been promoted and he had just been telling me I was despite his boss denying the promotion six months ago. Everyone if my coworkers has heard him call me by my promotion title hundreds of times over the six months since I was told I was promoted.  He initially was apologetic when he told me this two days ago and said he would pay me back the difference in wages out of his own pocket but he would have to fire me. I asked for a few days to think about it.

Well today I brought it up again and I think he suspected I was recording since we were in a public forum where it would be legal to do so, instead of his office because he denied ever calling me by my promoted title, telling me I could not prove it and telling me to get a lawyer if I wanted to waste my time. He fired me halfway through this conversion but then continued on like I was not fired and let me finish my shift. He said he is going to have a meeting in the morning about my claims with his bosses. I imagine he is trying to cover his tracks. I asked to be in on the meeting and get said no.

Well I want to email HR and let them know that basically every staff member from November onward can verify that he called me by my promotion title numerous times. I can even point out some of the lies he has been telling them reguarding himself too to prove he is lying to them as well.

But I don't want to hurt my case. If I don't mention the sexual harrasment could that hurt my case later on? My lawyer will not be back in town until Monday and the meeting will come and go. I am expecting termination tommorow because of this issue.

I know I could just not send an email since I a. Suei g anyhow but I admit my lawyer is far mored concerned with the sexual harrasment than the wage theft and I really think the company would at least backpay me  if they knew all the other staff would vouch for me on this issue. I don't want to tank my case but I don't have the most confidence in my lawyer in the first place but backing out of the lawsuit would leave me in debt due to the terms I signed.

Any suggestions on how to email HR without sinking my case?

Answer: There’s really nothing for you to gain here by contacting HR. I would just leave this to your lawyer. You probably won’t screw it up, but it doesn’t sound as if they are likely to do a damn thing about it.


Title: My girlfriends sister got a 3rd degree burn and her grandma (their guardian) won't fill her perspection

Question:
My girlfriends sister got a 3rd degree burn. She was prescribed Vicodin. Her grandma has old values and doesn't believe in medication. She will not fill the prescription. I live about 2 hours away and I cannot go help today. Is there anything I can do. What are the laws regarding this?

I live in Louisiana, I am 20

Answer: With out a state (as you were reminded THREE times) no one can help you.


Title: Relative Died - No Will Found Yet - Sizable Estate - Church of Scientology Issues

Question:
My grandmothers brother died about 3 weeks ago but the body was not found until yesterday. He was a hoarder but since the home belonged to my great grandmother there are many family heirlooms my grandmother would like to retrieve from the home along with the need to find the will. If we do not find the will I believe the estate will go to my grandmother and her sister. Here is the scary part, her sister had a sizable estate but now lives in assisted living with Alzheimer's she was cleaned out of her money by the "helpful" Church of Scientology without the families knowledge. I have been told that it may be wise to gain power of attorney over her considering the issues with the "church" in the past as they may seek to pull that money out from under her again.

We live in Washington state and I believe the sister will grant myself or another member of the family power of attorney but how could it be valid giving her mental state?

Also I wanted to be sure that the contents of the home fall outside of probate and that I can let my grandmother collect photo albums, heirlooms ect out of the home?

All in all we just want to be sure the sisters receive their fare share and no money goes into the hands of the Church of Scientology this time.

Answer:
 A person who is mentally incompetent cannot get a power of attorney. If her Alzheimers is serious enough that she lives in a home, she may not be able to give one. There are usually other options, such as getting guardianship over such a person.

If your grandfather has no will, his estate will pass by intestacy rules. Did he have a wife, or children? If not, then you are right his siblings will inherit.

The contents of the home are part of the estate. You cannot legally remove them.


Title: Wrongfully accused of Harrasment, friends & family incorrectly identified, also friends were racially targeted. Do not know what to do.

Question:
New Jersey

So here is what happened.  My three friends and I went swimming at a pool my neighborhood provides.  We followed all the rules and had a fun time.

Well the owner showed up and I introduced myself because I graduated with his son.  I was very respectfull and he was not.  Accused us of drinking, which we were not and was being very mean.  So we left.

later that night a police officer called my cellphone and said that the lifeguard is filing a compalint saying we made her feel uncomfortable.  When I asked what had happened he tried to pump me for information.   I was as compliant ad possible.  The next day 2 officers show up at my house.  They continue to ask me questions and act very mean to me.  Once again I asked what we did or said that could have made her uncomfortable.  They said there wasnt any witnesses or information just she was taking me to court.

They two officers then told me she had identified my brother from a picture they showed her (who was not there and has not lived here in over a year)  they also called and accused one of my other friends who was also not there.   I got nervous and said I didnt want to give any names or answer and more questions because they were accusing anyone who is associated with me.

I dont understand what could have made her feel that way.  She is a 16 year old and we are around 27-30.  We were not disreapectfull.  We did joke around with her and I thought we were being nice and following all the rules.  I also believe and my friends do as well we are being accused because they are black.  The owner would not stop lookig at them when I was talking to him.

I feel like we were sterotyped and blamed for doing or saying things we didnt
 I am actually offended about how I am being treated over what should have been just a fun day.

I do not know what to do.  The police wouldnt tell me what was "said" and were just trying to get information from me.  I dont know how to tell my brother he is being drug to court over something he was not involded in.  I am known by all my friends and family for being a nice guy and polite.  I would never let my friends make anyone feel uncomfortable let alone harassed.  I feel like race has alot to do with this.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 First thing's first.  No charges have been filed and nobody has been arrested yet.  So there's nothing for you to do here other than what you've done.  Be polite to the police, don't give out unnecessary information, call it a day.  Odds are, they're following up on a complaint because that's their job.  They have no idea what actually happened until they investigate.  However:

> I dont understand what could have made her feel that way. She is a 16 year old and we are around 27-30. We were not disreapectfull. We did joke around with her and I thought we were being nice

You don't understand how a group of adult men talking to a lone 16 year old girl *might* make her feel uncomfortable?  I'm not saying it's a crime, but use some common sense and accept that maybe 3 large men might be scary to a teenage lifeguard, regardless of race.


Title: EMT friend violated HIPAA by looking at my medical records without cause. Is it worth filing a lawsuit?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: There are no criminal charges, there is likely no civil settlement.  You can complain to the hospital or file a HIPAA complaint with the government.Answer #2: The won't be a lawsuit. There is no private right of action under HIPAA. You can report it to the DHS. That's the extent of it. You certainly aren't going to see any money from anyone.


Title: Plumber did repairs without permission--now he is threatening me. Texas

Question:
My grandfather passed away recently and left a house behind in Texas. The house has had two long-term tenants who called about a "small water leak." Tenants said it wasn't that bad and could wait to be fixed. I called a local plumbing company and asked them to let me know what the problem was.

They showed up a day early and replaced the entire water heater without calling me or letting me know what was wrong. When I expressed my frustration at this they threatened to go and take it out. I told them that would be ok as long as they returned the old water heater. They refused.

Next thing I know my tenants are telling me that this guy is on his way over with the sheriff and will arrest them if they don't let him in. He refuses to leave them with any alternative water heater. I called and spoke with the local chief of police who told me that the guy was lying and that the police could not get involved.

The plumber is pretty adamant and keeps changing his story. First he just did what his boss told him, then he "had my permission", then he did it because it was an emergency and could cause the house to explode. At the end of our call he told me he had me on tape from the beginning saying that I agreed to the charges, and then said he would tell my tenants "what I really thought of them."

He is over there right now threatening his way into the house. What can I do if he actually takes away the water heater and leaves them without a replacement?

Should I just pay the bill? Thanks!

**edit**: Tenants did not let him in, but as he was leaving he made a vague threat against them. Something along the lines of "something bad may happen to you real soon." I'm not sure where to go from here.

Answer:
 call the police, at this point, if you say he can't come in, well, he can't come in. Since you already called them once, do so again, try to talk to the same person if you can, from long distance this is about all you can do.Answer #2: The tenants may need to report to the police as well, especially with threats made.Answer #3: call the police

if he call tries to contact you or your tenants again and utter threats let him know that under "Texas Penal Code - PENAL § 22.07. Terroristic Threat" he could be charged for. (do not talk to plumber about any sort of resolution at this point)

talk to the plumbing company and see if you and they can reach some sort of agreement in returning your old untampered water heater

make detailed notes of each day in the past the interaction between you, the company & plumber

if all things fail you may need to go through small claims court, putting frustration (mental/emotional trauma), legal costs & etc on the table


Title: Someone put money in my bank account

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Years. Inform the bank immediately. Don't spend it.Answer #2: When you call on Monday make sure that they put a hold on that amount out of your account at minimum. That way you can't spend it and nobody can complain that they money isn't there or there's insufficient funds for the full amount (in case you meant you had negative balance on your account; your positive account balance has no bearing on this deposit)

Some people will suggest you transfer money into some high interest savings accounts but I don't think complicating the situation is a good ideaAnswer #3: Someone accidentally deposited a check into my checking account awhile back. The bank removed the funds a few days after. Clearly whoever made the deposit in error hasn't realized so it is definitely advisable you leave a message through your bank messaging system to notify them of this error.

Just write them a note along the lines of: On 4/6/17 a deposit of $2740 was placed into my account. I believe these funds were deposited in error as I was not expecting it. Please investigate. Thank You.


Title: Bank refused payment until I paid repo man cash

Question:
I live in Pennsylvania.

I moved in September and in order to save up for my down payment I missed a payment on my auto loan. My truck was immediately put up for repossesion. The bank did contact me, however my phone blocked it as a debt collector. Regardless, after learning that my truck was up for repossession ( my parents called me that the repo man knocked on the door, but luckily I was gone for the weekend) I immediately called the lender as I had gotten paid since moving and was ready to make my payment and whatever fees. My truck was never actually repoed. I wemt to the bank on my own accord.

When I called the collections department to discuss my options, the woman on the phone told me she could not find my record (this is important for later). She told me there was nothing she could do and would not tell me who else I could contact. She told me that she would forward my number and someone would contact me. After nobody contacted me I emailed the bank's customer service. I got a response the same day telling me to contact a number.

So I called that number and it turns out it was the repo man. He told me that in order to make it right with the bank I had to pay him $375 cash for my repo fees and then be escorted to the bank by him to pay off my overdue balance. I also had to tell him where I lived and worked because his information wasn't current. He told me this was in the loan contract and he had paperwork to prove it.  This threw up red flags immediately. The repo man is not an employee of the bank. So I decided before I met the repo man I would go to the bank branch to see what was up and if that was really what I had to do. I figured maybe over the phone was not the best way and I would get more info from going in.

When I went into the bank (and I took witnesses) the teller looked up my account (and found it even though the collections lady also employed by the bank could not). His face turned really pale and he told me there was nothing he could do. He could not take payment. I asked him why and he said he just couldn't so he would get his manager. She told me the same thing. Finally after I refused to leave because I got absolutely no answer they showed me the note in their system.

What the note said was not to accept payment on the account for any reason. There was no date and no initials on who wrote the note. The note also was obviously written by a person because it said 'please dont accept payment on this account please'. I demanded the note be printed which the teller did, probably just so I got out of his face.

So at this point two bank employees refused to tell me any information about how I can fix my account. Not even what balance may be do or if I could pay the rest of the loan in full or what to do after my car was repoed to get it back. So I decided to meet the repo man at the bank, again with witnesses. The 'paperwork' he had was simply prior addresses, a log of the bank trying to contact me and a notice that my truck was up for repo. There was NO information about my contract at all in his posession.

Before he went in the bank with me he demanded I give him both the payment and the cash I owed him. The bank teller when we walked in had 'talked to Lisa' and everything was set up. The repo guy gave the teller my car payment and pocketed the 375 dollars. The 375 never went to the bank. Went straight to him. No receipt for the 375. When I demanded one he just signed the back of the bank note saying I paid him. Did not keep any copy for himself He must just remember all his transactions when he does his taxes).

So is this extortion and collusion? Basically the bank is refusing payment or resolution until I pay the repo guy that doesnt work for them untraceable cash. And then HE has to make the payment at the bank.

I feel refusing to let me pay or even give me information about my contract is breach of contract. I think the scam is the manager of collections puts the block on the account so that I cant work the situation out. Then this allows the repo man to extort cash from people or else they have to face the repossession and the credit hit. I know that late payments are my fault. I understand that. The bank is also refusing to show me in the contract where it says that after i missed a payment i have to pay the repo man who is a private contractor before they will even talk toe about my account.

Thanks for reading. I can expand on anything you need me to.

Edit: and i am really sorry about the typos. I am on mobile and sort of unnerved.

Answer: Clearly the repo man did work trying to find you. You're paying him for his time and effort spent on you. I'm not sure what your agreement with the lender says, but once you're scheduled for repossession, it's not uncommon for lenders to not want to work with you any longer. Often times banks will demand full payment on the entire loan once you've been repossessed or scheduled for it, so you're somewhat lucky they allowed you to bring the account current at that point.


Title: Job requires 90 days notice to quit or I have to pay back bonus. Now they say I have to pay back bonus anyway

Question:
I got a job as an independent contractor at at doctors office in Florida.  I am a doctor there.  My contract gave me a $5000 sign on bonus and was for 5 years.  It also states that I have to give 90 days notice or I will have to pay back the $5000. -EDIT- I gave them my written letter of resignation saying I would be leaving in 93 days (the extra 3 days was to finish the last week.)  60 days in to that notice they told me my last day would be that coming Friday.  ~~I gave gave them my resignation letter 60 days ago after being there for 2 and a half years.~~  They told me today that Friday would be my last day and I had to pay back the $5000.

The exact wording from my contract is

> > 7.  Doctor reserves the right to unilaterally cancel Agreement, and any remaining subsequent period terms. Such cancellation shall be valid only if Doctor serves written notice of intent to cancel at least ninety (90) days before the cancellation date.   Doctor’s failure to provide the complete Cancellation Term shall be construed as detrimental to the well-being of the Facility and termed a severe violation and must pay back in Full the sum of $5,000 dollar Sign on bonus if resign or terminated within the five year period.

Did I misread the contract and I actually owe them the money?

2nd Edit - I told them no and then told them I would have to ask a lawyer to review the contract.  They told me that the bonus was more of a security deposit and not a bonus.  They even said if that wasn't the case I could have taken it and quit after 90 days.  Which I probably legally could have.

Answer:
 You're in the clear.  I'm guessing someone in HR read the "and must pay back in full the sum of $5,000 if resign or terminated within the five year period" without reading the preceding clauses.Answer #2: It sort of sounds like they were planning on firing you after 4.9 years and demanding the $5k back, which according to the contract actually seems like a valid thing for them to do. However, since you provided 90 days of notice that you are leaving, they no longer had easy grounds to retrieve that money. This is backed up by them commenting that it was a "security deposit," normally deposits aren't kept at the end of a lease, just for example.

They likely let you go before the 90 days were up as an attempt to still get that money back. You'll have to see in the contract if that is a reason they can fire you, though the one clause that states they can terminate the contract at any time for any reason seems to suggest they can.

Personally, Id get a lawyer and show up to a hearing if they sue you, but otherwise do nothing. I too am interested to know what a judge would say about a misleading contract like this one.

Rereading it again: they probably made a mistake specifying that the $5k repayment was because a doctor leaving suddenly was "severely detrimental to the facility."  Them terminating you early after your giving them sufficient notice undermines them construing it in that way, and likely invalidates their demand.


Title: Non professionals doing construction at 3am, been going on for 9 months. Local authorities don’t take it seriously it seems.

Question:
Hey everyone. So it’s pretty simple, but some guys with tools have been renovating a house since last year in April. They come in the middle of the night and start hammering and sawing away. Leave their trucks in the middle of the road and alley. Have made a habit out of starting well before 7am on random days, and working well last 9pm on other random days.

I’ve gotten a lot of different answers from law enforcement here. First I was told they couldn’t do anything unless they actually saw the guys there doing the deed, which I was difficult and still is, because they will turn off their lights and hide. Now they even work in pitch dark so it’s harder for them to be spotted. It’s pretty ridiculous.

Then I was told there isn’t anything they can do except earn them. Not even a ticket or a citation, which I have read is a thing that can be fine in my county for this.
My landlord on my behalf has complained to the city, but not much has come from that. They’re outside right now pounding shit like it’s 3pm, instead of 3:59 am.

My next course of action is to call code enforcement. My landlords have a hunch that these guys don’t have permits and that’s why they’re being Susie shady about what times they do work on the property. The property before then was completely abandoned and the house was empty for years. It got bought last year and that’s when this stuff started.

I don’t know what else to do besides that.m, though. I’ve documented as much as I can with video and logging, since this stuff started in April if 2018.

The most frustrating part is that the police definitely have warned them that they there have been numerous complaints and they can’t be there past 9pm.  But they keep doing this. Despite being warned by police.
And on top of it, the hiding in the dark. There’s honestly no better word for this other then childish. They hear a car coming and they turn everything off and hide either inside the house or in the garage that’s in the alley. They definitely know they’re being assholes and aren’t supposed to be here in the middle of the night.

I’m not sure what else I can do though.

Oh and I almost forgot. They accidentally cut a telephone line when they were doing shit in the trees last month. It’s just a wire now hanging in the alley. I have a picture of that, too. I honestly don’t know how they aren’t in trouble for that alone, already.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Chances are very good there is something improper going on. What you need to do is find the specific law they are violating. Most towns/cities have noise ordinances about this stuff. Then you can film them. Then you can bring the film to the police. You can also call the code folks as well. If you know who owns the house, you can send them a cease and desist letter, citing the law they are violating by allowing the work to go on during these hours. You can probably find out who owns the house by looking up the property online.Answer #2: You didn't give your location... That matters.


Title: Smashed a windows at McDonalds by accident and they pressed charges

Question:
I am a male from Toronto and I'm an international student who is on Canada via student visa for 2 years.

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So getting down to bussiness this is what went down.

Last night I went to McDonalds to get a drink and ended up breaking a glass window, not on purpose, and now I have to go to court facing a mischief charge. I was blind drunk when that happened.

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I am literally in the dark here guys. I have never been to any kind of court of legal instituton like this and never faced trial. I'm shooting in the dark here. I am going to court on monday and would like to know if I should hire a lawyer or should I plead guilty or not guilty. Should I plead guilty or not guilty, is it worth fighthing over this ?

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Now I know mischief is no big deal in the grand scheme of things but what are my options here ? I am really anxious and worried about it.

&#x200B;

(Sorry for bad post structure)
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 A summary charge for mischief is _likely_ to lead only to a fine and possibly probation, but in principle it could come with up to six months in jail. Even though that's "never going to happen," you should have an attorney - _especially_ because of your visa status. The Law Society of Ontario and Legal Aid Ontario can refer you.

If you aren't able to get an attorney before Monday, ask duty counsel what to do when you get to the courthouse. Expect to either ask for more time, or to plead not guilty and ask for more time.

The ideal outcome here is negotiating alternative resolution of some variety. Expect to pay for the window you broke, even then, but that'd keep charges off your record.


Title: My fiancée's father is threatening to repo..

Question:
Hello, all,

My fiancée and I live in Virginia. I moved in with her a few months ago. Her sister (drama queen) had a key to the house. When I moved in, it was no big deal until she started coming over unannounced and uninvited. We just brushed it off and asked her to at least send us a text asking if it was alright to come over. Then she started sending us a text 2 minutes down the road instead.

I told my fiancée to get her sister to stop or else I was going to say something, so she assertively told her to stop one morning. The next morning I woke up to find the pantry in disarray. I asked my fiancée if her sister had been there. Apparently, the day before when we were gone, she went to the house and proceeded to "hang out" for a couple hours. I finally stepped in and sent a text when I was at work that day saying, "if you plan to stop by our house uninvited or unannounced or while we are away, then you have about three hours left to do it because the locks are getting changed tonight." And, I changed the locks.

She told daddy, now daddy hates me because I "hurt" his [other] daughter when I told him I would take care of her (apparently, when I said "I will take care of your daughter," he assumed I was marrying both of them).

Instead of talking to me like a man, he's been threatening my fiancée with repossessing the high-end appliances he insisted on giving her when she got the house so his daughter could have nice things (despite her begging him to get something cheap because of his mountainous debt). Now, she's worrying up a storm and her dad keeps avoiding me and refuses to settle this whole thing.

So, my question is: are those appliances liable for repossession by her father? If they are, that's fine; I'll just buy new, cheap ones. I honestly just want to know what to expect and how to handle the situation should he try to "collect."

Thanks!

**TLDR**: Does fiancée's father have any claim to repo the appliances he gave her as a gift?

Answer:
 if they are a gift he has no more claim. if a loan he can take them. Answer #2: So, the classic law school answer is that a gift becomes the property of the giftee when:

* The property has been transferred to the donee (ie, the gift is given),
* With donative intent (ie, the giftor intended to presently make the gift),
* And the donee has accepted the gift.

If those three things happen, the property belongs to you, and can't be taken back.

If the appliances are still being paid for, and your father-in-law stops making payments, then they will be repossessed, regardless of where they are located (unless, presumably, the vendor lets you make the payments).  But if he bought them outright, and gifted them to you, he can't just take them back because he changed his mind.


Title: Can I live in an apartment that does not allow pets with my ESA dog? (more info in text)

Question:
Apologies for any mistakes!!

Hello there! I’m not sure if this is the correct subreddit or not, but I have a question in regards to ESA animals. I live in California and recently moved into a three bedroom apartment with my dog. When I moved in we were not really sure if pets were allowed in the building as the neighbors below had a dog, and at some point my roommate and good friend (the lease owner) had a cat that the landlord knew about. I take full responsibility and know that I should have checked WAY more into this when I moved in but I had just gotten out of a six year relationship and had nowhere to go when my good friend offered me one of her rooms. When my friend offered me this room I was desperate and had to move out of the apartment my ex-boyfriend and I shared in a very short time.

Anyways, the landlord found out about my dog and sent us a 3 day notice to have my pet removed. I was lucky enough to have a friend offer his house to my dog until I settled this issue so we complied and removed my dog from the apartment. This was probably the hardest thing I have had to do in my life. I live nowhere near any family and he really has been my support and my everything for the past eight years. A lot of issues in my life re-surfaced due to my anxiety and my boss started to notice that I was dropping the ball.

When this all went down I went to see my therapist and of course gave her all the details to my current situation, as I was not coping well. Without asking, or really knowing what it was she wrote me a letter stating that my dog is me Emotional Support Animal and that I need him in my life. She said that all I have to do is show this to my landlord and that it should be enough for me to have my dog live with me.

My dog is still not living with me since I am paranoid about my landlord threatening to evict us on account of me having my ESA dog. Everyone assures me that my landlord will not evict me as I am protected under the Federal Disability Act. My question is, will I be protected if I bring my dog in and serve my landlord with the signed ESA form? What rights do I have? I’m sorry if this all sounds like a blabber of information but I am so lost right now!

Thank you so much to anyone who reads this.

Answer:
 Man, this sub is making me hate ESA animals, and I'm a animal lover.

Depending on your dog (purebred husky in a 500sq ft apartment), you LL must make reasonable accommodations for your ~~disability~~,  ~~considerable needs~~ emotional support.  You may also have to pay a pet deposit and a pet fee per month.

Edit, also see the Wiki for some more ESA info.Answer #2: >Everyone assures me that my landlord will not evict me as I am protected under the Federal Disability Act.

"Everyone" are idiots. ESAs come in under the FHA, not the ADA. Your landlord has a duty to reasonably accommodate ESAs, but the accommodation has to be reasonable. You can't bring in whatever animal you want.

Finally, pets aren't ESAs and ESAs aren't pets. If the landlord was smart, they'd take this to court and ask how your pet magically became an ESA.


Title: NYC if you move out before end of month even though you paid the whole month and left belongings there do you legally have access to the premises still?

Question:
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Generally, yes. You paid for usage of the premises, you should still have exclusive use for the duration you have paid rent for.Answer #2: Yes, unless you surrendered possession.


Title: My parent's tried to kill me. Is that legal grounds for total separation?

Question:
Let me clarify, I'm not looking for emancipation. I'm 18 and legally independent for the most part. What I need is to be legally completely separated from them so that I can be considered financially independent, allowing me to purchase my own insurance and more importantly, to hopefully receive government aid for college. That's the gist of it. If you're interested in the whole story, it's the next paragraph.

Let me preface this by saying I have a bad relationship with my parents. They've always been cold and, at times, emotionally and physically abusive. But they've always been very into my education, though I've always felt that to be more an issue of family pride than anything. As such, they had agreed to pay for my college education and, in fact, used the threat of withdrawing their funding to manipulate me into stuff. Until today. We had a big argument over the undeniably (except by them) trivial matter that my bathroom was not as clean as it should be and it basically just kept escalating and escalating. This is not an uncommon occurrence. They have the mentality that anything that they believe is right must be universally ageed upon common sense (their words, not mine) and that I must be mentally retarded for not understanding (their words, not mine).  Usually it just ends with some yelling and them hitting me with whatever is nearby but I'm a big boy and that's not a big deal. Today though, during the argument they picked up a pair of meat cleavers in the kitchen and ran at me, threatening to split my head open (their words, not mine). I was legitimately afraid for my life and I ended up hiding in my room. They banged on the door for while and then threatened that they would kill me if I tried to leave my room. So I'm still here. My relationship with them has always been bad, but today was the breaking point. I no longer trust either of them with my best interests or my safety and I want out as soon as possible.

In addition, they said that they would no longer be paying for my education and, after today, I don't think I would want that tie to them anyway. So I need to be considered independent financially to hopefully qualify for financial aid (they make too much for me to qualify if I'm linked to them). The college tuition is the last thing they have over me and any feelings I have for them are gone, so I don't care what effect this may have on our relationship or really on them in general.  I intend to cut all personal ties to them as soon as possible. I need to know if all of this is enough legal grounds to sue for total independence, perhaps on the grounds that they are unfit to be parents? This is all very sudden and I'm scared. Thanks for any help you can give me reddit!

Answer:
 I'm pretty sure you need to press charges. Answer #2: Because nobody else has pointed it out:
"Usually it just ends with some yelling and them hitting me with whatever is nearby but I'm a big boy and that's not a big deal. Today though, during the argument they picked up a pair of meat cleavers in the kitchen and ran at me, threatening to split my head open (their words, not mine). I was legitimately afraid for my life and I ended up hiding in my room. They banged on the door for while and then threatened that they would kill me if I tried to leave my room."

You don't want to file a police report??? You need to. They could kill someone with those sort of anger / mental health issues. If not for yourself, do it for them before they actually hurt someone. Also, do it for yourself. If true, this is seriously messed up, and you seriously need police assistance.

As for the financial aid, the link below should help you out. But please call the police before it's too late.


Title: [Canada] if I am demoted can I refuse and choose to be terminated with severance?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You don't say what province you're in, so take this as a general comment and your province may differ.

You should ultimately speak to an employment lawyer if you are in fact demoted because constructive dismissal is hard to prove in some cases. The right way for a company to demote someone who has not expressly asked for it in Canada would be to offer a letter with a choice between the demotion or a severance package. However, not all employers do this, especially small employers who may not know the common law requirements of employment law.

Whether you are in fact demoted or not will depend on whether your duties significantly change and whether your per hour compensation changes. Since you asked to work fewer hours, keep in mind that your overall compensation will change.

Some provinces have rules about hours of work as well. You may want to look those up and see if you have leverage there.

I doubt they will want to fire you since they know you will be leaving soon anyways. If they try to push you out with constructive dismissal, see an employment lawyer.


Title: Pretty sure my landlord is on drugs, I want to break my lease[illinois]

Question:
TL;DR:: I signed a 6 month lease for May 1-Nov 1, paying first and last month's rent up front. Both my roommate and I want to leave by the end of September. Should we pay rent on September 1st?

I apologize, I wrote quite a bit.

In April, I signed a lease renting a house with a friend from college(me-f, roommate-m, landlord-m). The rent was a great price, utilities included, good sized house for the two of us with a back yard and a porch. I met with the homeowner when I originally found the listing and he seemed like a decent guy; mid fifties, recovering from a mild stroke, his wife had passed away about 6 months prior. He was previously renting to some family members but they left and he wanted to make extra money on the property. The guy warned us that he had some stuff kept in the third bedroom but said he'd be moving out "soon" and wouldn't be around much. We actually wrote our lease together using a template with fill-in-the-blanks.

The lease was for 6 months, starting May 1 and ending November 1. In lieu of a security deposit, he asked for first and last month's rent up front. Also written into the lease was a list of things in the house that needed fixing and indicated his responsibility to fix them as well as listing him as responsible for lawn maintenance.

Fast forward to now and the landlord has yet to move out. The list of things that needed fixing (such as but not limited to: sliding glass screen door, screen on the front door, hole in the siding on the outside of the house**, holes in drywall...) has been forgotten or ignored. The lawn was not being mowed and the side garden grew over with tall weeds so badly that the city gave left a warning notice on the door. He has since taken care of the lawn, but that's it.
**After moving in, I heard noises in the wall in my bedroom. I alerted the landlord that something was living in my walls the day after I moved in but did nothing about it. In mid June(roughly 7 weeks living there) I was drinking some wine outside with a friend when we saw a mother and two baby raccoons, one baby that appeared hurt, walking around the perimeter of the lawn. The landlord comes outside and said he just got home when we saw the babies fall out of the hole in the siding. The raccoons didn't return as far as I can tell, but he has still not fixed the hole in the wall and I could have sworn I heard something in the walls about two weeks ago.

The landlord living in the house on it's own is a little strange for me since he told us he would be leaving and wanted to rent out the third bedroom, but I could live with some random old guy if he wasn't so shady. First of all, he smokes cigarettes downstairs on my couches, despite having the garage door and the patio complete with patio furniture and ash tray both 6 feet from him. I've asked him not to smoke on my couches many times and he apologizes, but continues. Usually if he's smoking in the downstairs, he has his creepy friends with him. I'm not exaggerating when I say they look homeless. Picture a chick that looks like a blonde Pennsatucky only taller/older/super skinny(who I think is his gf?) and a long haired Skinny Pete. Skinny Pete knocks on our door looking for the landlord when he isn't there.

One time Pennsatucky stumbled into our backyard late at night while I was drinking wine and interneting, knocking over our trashcans(and said she has scoliosis which is why she's so clumsy), and sat to wait for the landlord. I got her a glass of water and she rambled incoherently and quickly at me for a solid 10 minutes straight until she nodded off and spilled the water all over herself. I felt really uncomfortable so I waited until the landlord got home and drove to my bf's for the night.

On top of all of this, after he's been home for a while, the house smells funny. I don't know what it is, but I know what weed and cigarettes smells like and it isn't that. It's almost like chemicals and mustiness, if that makes sense. It makes me super uncomfortable.

Anyway, my roommate and I don't want to live here anymore. We both are making arrangements to leave by the end of September. My question is, are we liable for rent for the month of September if we paid first and last month up front? There is no mention of penalties for breaking the lease early as he wanted to be flexible with that. I may be frustrated by the situation which is why I don't want to give him another dime, but I want to make sure I'd be in the right for not paying him next week.

Thank you for reading through all of this, I'm sorry I got long winded. Any help or suggestions would be great.

Answer:
 >The guy warned us that he had some stuff kept in the third bedroom but said he'd be moving out "soon" and wouldn't be around much.

You accepted him as a roommate when he told you he was going to live there along with you for an open ended amount of time. Sorry.

>Both my roommate and I want to leave by the **end** of September. Should we pay rent on September 1st?

Yes. If you're going to live there in Sept, you have to pay for September.

I'm not seeing anything in your narrative that looks like a reason to break a lease. Give him notice that you're moving out at the end of the lease (October 31st or Nov 1st), then don't pay rent for October (since you already paid first & last).


Title: Centurylink is scamming me. How can I sue them?

Question: When I signed up for centurylink service, they asked if I wanted a router at $15/mo. I said no. They sent me one and started billing me. I said quit billing me. They said no problem just mail it back. I said no, you mailed it to me I am going to keep it free of charge because of the "Receipt of Unsolicited Merchandise" law. They are now sending me to collections.

Answer:
 > They said no problem just mail it back. I said no, you mailed it to me I am going to keep it free of charge because of the "Receipt of Unsolicited Merchandise" law.

You're not as smart as you think you are. That doesn't apply here. Answer #2: You are holding their property without their consent.  Send it back.Answer #3: You utilized their service and do not want to pay for it.

They are not scamming you.  You should have mailed it back.


Title: (CA) Friend went on date with a guy who offered her $300 to have sex with her

Question:
My friend (F18) has been on tinder for about a few months now and about 2 weeks ago this guy (23) messaged her and offered to take her on nice dates, take her nice places, buy her nice things etc, etc. She thought that maybe this guy just wanted to treat her like a queen, so she started messaging him and they talked for a bit and agreed to go on a date. Then he mentioned that it would be a one night hookup and to that my friend said no, she said that they could just go on a nice date and he wouldn't even have to pay for her, she makes a good amount of money (good enough for an 18 y.o. still living at home).

Then he started becoming more pushy trying to coax her into it and eventually he offered $300. My friend was a little offended but thought the offer sounded nice. Never mentioned it to him just said it out loud to me. So from there she ignores his offer and talks to him about something else, and he says "what about our date?" to which she responded that she wanted to get to know him better before going on an actual date. Eventually this guy starts acting weird and she doesn't want to go on a date with him anymore and he says "why not? You're the one who wanted my money." SHE NEVER TOLD HIM SHE DID. She responded "first of all, I never said anything about wanting your money. In fact, I never even mentioned sex, you did."

Idk what happened next but they cleared the air and 2 weeks later (last night) she said she's going on the date with him. She said "and if all goes well, he'll give me $300!!" I asked if she accepted his sex for money offer but she said "well I agreed to go on a date with him but whatever happens happens, he said he'd give me $300."

So then here's what happened: he comes by and she asks him to show her the money so she could see if he actually brought it. He flashes the cash really quickly as she's getting in the car and puts it in an envelope, seals it, and folds it up real small so he could put it in his pocket. She's a little wierded out by this but thinks "okay I guess that's fair". They end up having sex in his car a few blocks from her house, and once they finish, she noticed that he never put on a condom. She gets terrified and understandably gets angry. He tells her to calm down bc he doesn't have STDs and he has the papers to prove it. (He never showed the papers) They tidy up, and she demands that he take her home but he starts driving her away from her neighborhood. She asked him where they were going but he didn't respond so she asked again. No response. It's clear to her that he's not going to drive her home and he wasn't going to answer until she started screaming and threatened to jump out of the moving car. He only slowed down and asked her why she was freaking out, only then did he turn around and start taking her home.

So they get to the front of her house and she asks for the money and he pulls the envelope out of his pocket, crumples it up and tosses it out the window. He tells her if she wants it so bad she can go get it. So she got out of the car (furious and humiliated btw) picks it up and opens the envelope to see that it's fake money. He tells her before driving off, "Don't even think about damaging my car because I recorded you, I have cameras in the front seat and in the back so I've got it all on camera. If you do anything I'll send it to the police and you'll get in trouble for being a fucking prostitute. Have a good night, whore."

She then calls me in hysterics telling me what had just happened. As she's telling me, he messages her "Hope you learned your lesson. This is why you should never meet and trust strangers from the internet, have a good night."

She is an absolute mess right now, he threatened to tell her parents what they did and let me tell you. Her parents are ASSHOLES. They would not do anything to support her or try to help her. She's feeling lost and absolutely disgusting and I want to help her out so bad. At least put her mind at ease. Could she be charged for prostitution if he does go to the police?

**TL;DR Friend hooks up with guy, guy dupes her and threatens to report her for prostitution.**

Answer:
 Um, he can't go to the police because soliciting prostitution is ALSO a crime. In California, it is the same statute.

https://www.shouselaw.com/engaging_in_prostitution.html

She, however, has been the victim of a separate crime, or so he alleges. In California, taping sexual encounters without consent is a crime under 647(j).

https://withoutmyconsent.org/50state/state-guides/california/statutory-criminal-law#california-penal-code-647j-%E2%80%93-invasion-privacy

And as a general rule, police don't charge victims of a crime for the lesser offense....which....is debatable by itself. He did solicit for sex, but whether she agreed to money for sex is questionable.

She agreed to money for a date, not sex, and they are actually two separate things. Her actions reflect otherwise, however, making that a separate and debatable question.

Even if she had, however, police ROUTINELY do not charge sex crimes victims with lesser offenses because it discourages reporting of violent sex crimes and because it would give sex abusers EXACTLY the leverage he is trying to use.

Your "friend" is the victim of a crime, and needs to report it to police. This guy appears to have his scam down pat, suggesting there very well may be other victims.Answer #2: Tell your friend to go see a criminal defense attorney for a consultation. Odds are very high that the attorney will be able to approach the police and prosecutors and work out a deal to avoid prosecuting your friend in exchange for her testimony in a way that doesn’t endanger or expose her. The authorities aren’t usually eager to prosecute the victims in situations like this anyway.Answer #3: Isn't having sex without a condom without the victim knowing illegal? Your friend should go to the police.


Title: Previous employer incorrectly reported my start date, and now I'm being denied unemployment, and am being forced to repay money the government "overpaid" me and a penalty for fraud.

Question:
US, Missouri.

To condense it down as much as possible, my previous employer is run by, to put it nicely, a mentally unstable woman. She reported my start and end dates from memory as opposed to checking the books. The way we got paid there was salary based on the previous 10 working days from the payday, with no buffer in between. I started in the middle of a pay period so I was paid for one week in my first week.

I plan on fighting this as I know I'm in the right, but I'm not sure what I can do since all "records" are in her favor since one of their witnesses was the accounting firm. What are some steps I can take to ensure this is reversed? As of now, the only proof I have is a few Facebook posts indicating my hire and start dates and text message correspondence between the boss and I on the week of my hire date.

Answer: There is an appeal process. Just because they made an initial decision based on the information provided by the employer doesn't mean you can't get it reversed. Did you get information on how to appeal?Answer #2: Pay stubs?


Title: Is this legal/stealing?

Question:
So the other night my gf accidentally left her phone on the train.  Then on Sunday after calling/texting constantly somebody responded via text that 'their toddler found the phone' and 'thought we were offering a reward.'   I offered $40 dollars and asked how we could get the phone.  After them not responding for awhile they said something to the affect of "$100 finders fee and I'll get it back to you."

After much more texting (they won't answer and talk in person) I have coordinated a meet up at specific location, but at no particular time on Tuesday.  This all happened on Sunday.

I have texted and called several times but there is no answer on the other end.  In those calls/texts. I have repeatedly asked for a name and an alternate phone number, but I never get a response.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Bring a cop with you.

*Edit, make sure you show them the texts.  Also, call them on their non-emergency line...Answer #2: They're not permitted to keep it under these circumstances. So yeah.


Title: My Uber driver ignored a red light, the car got T-boned and the license plate was cloned. What do i do?

Question:
Past weekend i called an Uber ride and near the end my driver ignored a red light and the car i was in got t-boned by an upcoming vehicle at approximately 50 ~ 60 km / h. My sister picked me up at the crash site and took me to the hospital to be taken care of (there were no health costs). I suffered minor bruises on the leg and still suffer from some muscular pains in the spine and in the ribs.

Just before the crash I was leaning against the back door and as I percieved the imminent colision by seeing the other car approaching, I moved away from the door and fortunately I could ease much of the impact on me.

The next day I applied for refund, and when I searched the license plate of the vehicle I was in, I noticed that it was cloned.

My family recommended that I file suit against the company because of the damages I suffered. What do I do?

Answer:
 Hire a lawyer.

Do you happen to have the driver's information?

Also, Uber should have records of the GPS location data from your specific ride... **but** you'll probably need a lawyer a/o demand letter to obtain this information.Answer #2: Can you just not go into the Uber app and request a problem with that specific ride? I’ve gotten many refunds from Uber before and only had to report my issue against the correct trip, didn’t need to know license plate or anything.Answer #3: Uber does a pretty good job of insulating themselves, so it's very likely your suit would need to be against the individual driver, and his presumed to exist insurance.

The cloned license plate doesn't affect things for you at all, unless it renders you unable to actually track down the right person to sue.


Title: Could harsh comments in a newspaper obituary lead to legal action? [Madison, WI U.S.A.]

Question:
My wife recently passed away after several years of illness, and I'm charged with writing her obituary for the local newspaper. In conversations with me before her death, she asked me to thank some of her medical care providers. She also specifically asked me to give "the opposite of thanks" to other medical providers whom she felt (and I wholeheartedly agree) were careless and simply cruel.

The obit I plan to write would not name individuals except in a positive light, but it would name this particular clinic with a brief but accurate negative assessment. They definitely made my wife's life more difficult than it had to be.

My question: if her obituary includes a few lines criticizing a clinic, would this open us up to legal action? And if so, how likely would the clinic be to prevail?

Answer:
 Pretty much everything opens you up to legal action. Whether it would be successful is a different question. If you can prove your statements are strictly factual, you’d probably be fine. But do you really want to go through this legal battle right now when you’re trying to grieve?

My advice is to use the obituary to celebrate your wife’s memory. If you still want to take up a personal crusade against this place in 6 months, the media will still be there.


Title: On call hospice nurse

Question:
Hello all, I am an on call hospice nurse in Illinois. I am on call for 99 hours in one week, but am paid a salary for working 80 hours in that one week and off the next week. I am required to attend meetings (2 to 3 hours monthly) and stay past my on call hours if I get a late call.

In this position I typically have anywhere from 1 to 3 patient visits at various locations scheduled. Drive time alone can be 1.5 to 3 hours each day, but miles compensated. Visit times can range from 30 minutes to 3 or 6 hours per visit. On top of these scheduled visits I have the actual on call requirements I was hired for which can look similar to the scheduled visits. All together I can work close to 65 hours if we include time on phone, email, drive time, visit time and charting time. Keep in mind this is chopped up throughout the day and you get very little rest for this one week.

Also during my time off I receive emails to correct charting or with questions. The on call laws seem to be left a bit up to interpretation so I am trying to figure out if my employer is just taking advantage of the situation or if this is perfectly legal.

Answer: So, you're paid a salary for 80 hours a week and you work 65? Answer #2: as a physician, i dont get paid to be "on call", only actual hours called in and worked. I don't know the specifics for nurses but I'd imagine that's the case too.


Title: In America, if police show up at your door to do a safety check, can they arrest you or file a warrant if they see drugs in the home?

Question: Not asking for legal advice, just wondering

Answer:
 In general, a "wellness check" will end after police identify you and determine that you are not a threat to yourself or others.   That's a pretty low bar.

Switching from a wellness check to a drug possession, manufacturing, or distribution investigation requires that police encounter other evidence of a crime.

Often that is contraband that is "in plain sight".   Sometimes police take action right away under the "exigent circumstances" principle that allows them to prevent destruction of evidence, or they will use their observations to request a search warrant.    This can be done electronically and often takes only a few minutes.

In most places, police will ignore the smell of cannabis or the presence of paraphernalia in a home when they are present for an unrelated reason.   This is especially true when they're checking on possibly-suicidal persons.

The presence of other drugs, evidence of manufacturing and distribution, or guns and money increases the probability of police seeking a search warrant.


Title: My parents are seeking a divorce. My mother wants to know how the properties will be divided.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >If so, how could my mother make sure she gets a equal amount?

Your mother should get an attorney


Title: Father deceived to gain temporary custody agreement, then filed for sole custody. Help!

Question:
I'm not sure where to begin, my mind is scattered. If you're reading this, please, respond with anything you can. Please.

I am 21, my ex is 23/4 and we have been separated for four years now. He resides in my homestate of Indiana, I am in Virginia and will soon be relocating to South Carolina. Our child is nearly six. Our custody and support has been established since separation, never any large issues until 2014. In January 2014, I married my husband, who is in the Navy. He/we had orders to go to Virginia. Ex and I entered a bit of a cold war where we knew we were going to fight, but never ended up going to court. At the last minute, we reached an agreement. Our handwritten parenting plan splits our parenting time about 50/50 and gives me primary custody. It outlines the next 6 years or so in terms of military moves, and who gets our child when. Near the end of July, we realized we would likely be moving to South Carolina, as expected, between October and January. Our son was due to start kindergarten here in September. Between that time and the end of the year, my ex was    scheduled to have our son for his wedding (which would take him out of school an entire week), fall break, Thanksgiving holiday, his birthday (mid dec) if possible, and Christmas/winter break. That means four 14 hour (one way) trips to indiana, not to mention back trips. It is hard on me, hard on our son, and hard on my car to make so many trips, especially for those that will be only a few days long. Because of that, we expressly agreed to temporarily deviate from our plan in a unique way. And that, reddit, is where I fucked up. This is the important part.

His father and I discussed and agreed to allow our son to attend school in my homestate under his father's care from the start of the school semester (first wk of Aug) to the end of the semester (Christmas). The purpose was to avoid having so many trips and missed time at school for the wedding. Our line of thingking was, if he is going to have to change schools after semester one anyway, it never hurts to let his father have extra parenting time and keep him safely off the road. According to the paperwork, on the 11th day my ex had our son, he filed a handwritten motion with the court requesting full physical custody.His reasoning was that it is unfair to subject our son to military lifestyle where we may move every 3-4 years and unfair to have him switch to the new school in our home when our move/his semester is complete.

I have texts proving that both him and his new wife (married 2 weeks after dropoff) conversed with me and agreed it was a temporary and fair solution. His wife insisted no child support be paid, my ex insisted ALL child support including backpay be stopped, and going the correct way, I used the state CS calculator to determine exactly how much he is entitled to have back, and gave it to him in cash. In the motion, he woes about child support.  He actually filed that motion WHILE I was in Indiana (I spend a lot of time there when son is there), even though to my face he was still going along with our original plan. I have no physical proof of those conversations. He literally blindsided me, made no mention of anything, still has not, I simply received my notice of court date in the mail.

I feel as though he purposely attempted to make this agreement happen knowing beforehand that he would file for custody if/when it happened. As far as I know, neither of us have lawyers. I feel as though I may be able to show the court that there's no reason to modify our current agreement with our child who is well adjusted to the schedule, without a lawyer. I have no idea where to begin. I have no idea if I even have a fighting chance.

My worst nightmare has come true. Please, I appreciate any advice at all.

edit to add any additional info: His father moved into his own house out from his mothers about one month before said dropoff. In all the time we have been separated, he has spent 10 months in his own place, then moved back to his mother's with fiance until mentioned above. I'm unsure if those sorts of move are held to the same weight as the move we will be making (our first move ever after the initial leaving of the homestate, after two years of being here)
From SC we will be roughly the same distance, 45 minutes closer, to the hometown than we are now.
All parties and my son have been well aware of this impending move since before we ever even left. Son is well adjusted and excited for the new house, ex and wife were well aware that this would be taking place for the past two years.

Answer:
 If you can provide a reasonably healthy household for your child (it doesn't have to be perfect, just no drugs or dangerous conditions for the child), the courts are not going to just hand him over to your ex and give you nothing. But if he's gotten the law involved, it's probably time to get an attorney to help you.

Since your husband is active duty military, your first stop should be the legal advice office on his base, because you may be eligible for free help from JAG, the military's lawyer corps. If you aren't, start looking for a family law attorney, probably in your ex's state to begin with.


Title: Misdiagnosed at walk in clinic.

Question:
This happened in Rhode Island, USA.

So, last March I went to a walk in clinic in my town to see what was wrong with me since I didn't have a primary care doctor, told the doctor I wasn't feeling good for a while and asked if I could get some blood work done. The doctor said I "looked fine" and told me to just watch my diet. I lost 30 lbs in 2 months and I wasn't even trying and I was feeling very weak and looked very pale, I thought it was weird he said I didn't need blood work, I thought maybe he was right about changing my diet, so I ate healthier for a couple weeks. I kept getting worse so I went to the ER and asked  to get my blood drawn there, and of course they did it, the doctor diagnosed me with chronic leukemia and  was transferred to a different hospital 30 minutes after that.

So my question is can I sue the walk in clinic for misdiagnosing  or telling me I didn't need blood work done when I asked for it?

Tldr: Asked walk in clinic for blood work, they said I looked fine,  diagnosed with chronic leukemia 2 weeks after at the ER.

Answer:
 You can always sue anyone for anything. Winning is different, and it's doubtful that them catching it two weeks sooner would make any difference. Malpractice has a high bar, that includes injury if not for their failure. You have the same result as you'd have had then. Chronic leukemias very rarely have a disease process where two weeks between start of any intervention change the outcome. They are not acute leukemia where starting treatments quickly enough where days can matter.

Consult with a medmal attorney. They generally do free consults and take a percentage of your settlement. They won't take cases they don't believe have merit and will be honest with you. If you want, check with three or four and see if they have the same general opinion.