Title: Neighbor keeps popping our tires but I can't prove it.

Question:
My neighbor drives through our driveway to get to his parking spot. That's fine, I don't mind, but he thinks it's his right to do so (it isn't). Occasionally, someone will come over and park next to my car in my driveway, meaning the neighbor can't drive through. Every time, he comes and knocks on our door and demands we move the car. If we don't, the tires are slashed. Yesterday this happened when he wasn't even trying to pull in. What can I do?

Edit: this is Connecticut and neighbor has extensive (violent) criminal history, will hopefully be in jail soon anyway.

Edit 2: There is no easement, I checked. We have the same landlord, so neighbor treats the two (adjacent but individual) properties as one. Edit 2.5: Yes, I'm really, really sure. I'm a real estate agent so I understand how easements work and how to look for them. Thanks!

Edit 3: Yesterday it was my friend's tires who were slashed. I asked her to file a police report.

Edit 4: I have no problem with him or anyone else driving through the driveway! 99% of the time we keep the way clear. He has no right to DEMAND access and then vandalize vehicles that park there.

Answer:
 You mention that you don't mind the neighbor driving through your property, then you complain that the neighbor is vandalizing cars that block the driveway. You need to tell the neighbor that he's no longer allowed to drive through your property. If he needs a reason, tell him that some d*ckhead has been vandalizing cars on your property so now you need to keep everyone else off it.a

You can also send him a formal "trespass notice" informing him that he is no longer welcome on your property. Then call the police if you see him drive through and/or film him driving through and call the police. Answer #2: Can you do a mspaint of the properties and parking spots? Is that his only way to his parking spot? Just curious to get a better idea of whats going on.Answer #3: Call the police every time.
Get a trail cam, like $60 on amazon.

Block their access with something physical like wood beams.  Then record him doing anything stupid and call the police again.  Answer #4: You have the same landlord? Tell him.Answer #5: If you have the same landlord, has the landlord given permission to drive through your property?

He doesn't need an easement if the property owner has given permission.

That permission may or may not be legitimate depending on the wording of your lease, but either way doesn't seem worth litigation.

And obviously the slashed tires is a completely different matter; not ok no matter what.


Title: [GA] I was late to jury duty, and I'm being kept in the jury pool room for the duration of the trial. Is this legal?

Question:
I'll try to keep this short. I showed up for jury duty Monday and Tuesday, and Tuesday I was selected to serve on a jury. Wednesday morning, due to my failure to set proper alarms, I was an hour late. We were to be in the jury room at 8:30, I made it to the courthouse at 9:30. I was told by the bailiff that I was in trouble.

I was told to wait in the jury pool room, alone, until the judge decided what to do. I was removed from the jury (obviously) and spent all of yesterday thinking I would be arrested or hit with a fine or ticket. I was told I could not leave the building or wander far from the jury selection room.

5:00 rolled around, and I was told by the bailiff that the judge had decided to have me sit in this room every day, 8:30-5, for the duration of the trial. As long as the jury (from which I was removed) is in the building, so am I. While I'm not really complaining, and it's certainly better than jail or a huge fine, I've been told by several other jurors that this may be unconstitutional or otherwise illegal.

So that's my question, I suppose. Does the judges decision to keep me detained within the courthouse, for the duration of the trial, represent a constitutional use of his authority? Or would this fall under false imprisonment, unusual punishment, or some other statute? I'm not too familiar with the law, but I'd like some clarification as to how legal this detainment really is (and if it's *not* legal, what my options for recourse might be).

Answer: The judge is within his full legal authority on this and I’d be glad he isn’t charging you with contempt of court


Title: Someone I know is being sued for 1m+ for a car accident from almost 2 years ago, seems very frivolous, need advice.

Question:
This is in Texas.

Long story short, he made a stupid mistake and ended up in a collision with someone where the insurance determined he was at fault, from what I understand the only injury the person he hit sustained was a scratch on their arm. Police/EMS were called but never arrived, and I guess his insurance cut the guy a check for the damage on the car and that was that.

Well almost 2 years later he and his parents get letters in the mail from some law office advertising their services, and saying that they've been sued.  His parents are involved for whatever reason because they owned the car at the time of the accident.

None of them have been served legally yet that they are aware of.

Does that suit really hold any weight? Wouldn't they have to sue his insurance if the claim they made wasn't good enough for the accident? And $1 million+ for a scratch on their arm, claiming they suffered disfigurement, physical impairment, mental anguish and pain and suffering?

Answer:
 If no one has served then there is no lawsuit at this time.

They need to contact their insurance that they had at the time.

And no, they do not sue insurance. Insurance didn't damage them. They sue the driver and/or owner.

Injuries can be masked by adrenaline. So you don't know what did or did not happen to them if you are not their doctor. It may or may not be frivolous


Title: Help dealing with employee.

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice.  I've got a situation I need help with.

I manage a small business that resides within a larger, public organization (e.g. university) located in the U.S., though I wish not to specify a state.  While I manage the facility/personnel, it should be made clear that I have a higher up who oversees the company, and that the company does belong to the university.

Now, I have an employee who has routinely been a problem for me, (from here on referred to as Bob), and I don't know how to proceed with him.  To be blunt, the former manager of this facility that I replaced actually quit his job specifically because of Bob, and the shitstorm Bob has caused, which included a long and drawn out racial discrimination suit, multiple complaints with HR, etc.

I want to preface with this:  Bob is shit.  Bare minimum, constantly trying to milk overtime hours to "get work done" after screwing around on phone/computer all day.  Walks around a very active job environment at a pace that a snail would scoff at.  Complains and argues every detail assigned to him.  Routinely takes 2-3x as long to get work done as other employees, and lacks general competency.

What's worse, Bob has friends at home who seem to encourage this behavior, including a friend who has been more than happy to write Dr's notes with horrendously bullshit conditions (e.g. "Bob must roll eyes often because of chronic dry eye" and "Bob sighs heavily [when given tasks] because of breathing difficulties), as well as a legal friend who seems to be good at drafting emails/letters for Bob in a way that keeps Bob doing the bare minimum (e.g. "Does the university have a standard pace at which employees must walk, and could I see the specific documents detailing this?").  Trust me, I know Bob well enough to know that Bob would not be capable of writing these on his own.  The language is always very specific.

However, this employee has not been fired due to fear of lawsuits.  The prior racial discrimination suit, combined with multiple complaints to the university has left Bob on an official improvement plan.  Bob has improved moderately, but only to bare minimum on this plan, with not all goals being met.  The end of this plan will arrive soon.

My fear is this:  My higher up who employs me completely lacks backbone and always wants me to remember "the big picture", and HR has really sided with Bob, saying that as long as Bob gets his work done (however long it takes, including OT pay, however shitty the work done actually is, and with no regard to Bob's general attitude, which is horrendous), Bob gets to stay, even if not all points on the improvement plan get met (can I take a second to mention the disgustingly simple tasks on the plan, which should take less than 2 weeks, and Bob has been given a 6 month timeline to improve?!).

All of this sucks, but I can deal with it as much as it annoys the shit out of me.  However, and to my dismay, Bob has recently started taking up complaints with the university regarding me, going as far as telling flat out lies to tarnish my name.  I fear that the next step is going to be another racial discrimination suit, this time against me.  HR and my higher up appear to be more concerned with not getting sued than anything else (I'm guessing this is the "big picture" my higher up is referring to).  What should I do?  Do I need a lawyer? I fear for my job and career, and work is miserable.

Answer: Without giving a specific state, you are not going to get much help


Title: Can an ER share private medical information with my university??

Question:
Colorado, USA
Not sure if this is the right place for this question.
But, I'm 19 and I went to the ER and got treated for an overdose of prescription pills. Everything turned out OK they just had me sleep it off. However, a few weeks later I got a letter from the student conduct department at my college, saying that they knew I was admitted to the hospital for an overdose and That I had violated the student conduct code by abusing prescription drugs.

How/Why was this information shared with my school?

Isn't that a violation of privacy laws?

Can the school use information gathered in this manner to take disciplinary action against me?

Should I take action against the hospital for violating confidentiality?

EDIT: I live in on campus housing and my insurance is not through the school. (I never gave insurance info to the doctors because I didn't want my parents to find out). Everything about the incident happened off campus I went some where, took the pills and my friends got worried and drove me to the hospital. The school was never involved in any way.

Answer:
 I don't think you know for sure that the hospital gave the information to the university.  You had friends there?  People talk.  Maybe the police were called and a report was generated.

In any event, if you are in the US, your remedy if you feel your medical privacy was violated is to file a HIPAA violation.  The hospital can face administrative action, if the information did come from them, but you most likely cannot sue the hospital.


Title: (NE, USA) My parent was cremated 2 years ago and I think we were given the wrong ashes.

Question:
So to keep it short, My parent was cremated two years ago and I decided to look at the ashes after all of that time had passed and I noticed the sticker on the ashes which has my parent's name, date of cremation and an ID number does not match the metal ID number that is typically cremated with the body. For example on the sticker it says John Smith cremated 2/4/2015 ID:123

and on the metal ID that was cremated it says ID: 122

I have no idea if it was a typo or if I was given the wrong remains, or how I should proceed at all. Would the crematory be able to correct this mistake? I have been googling many stories about crematories being sued for foul play. I just want the correct ashes or reassurance that I have the right ashes.
I would appreciate any help.

Answer:
 >reassurance that I have the right ashes.

Call or go down to the crematory and give them the ID details on the metal. They can look through their records and look up who the ashes belong to. You could also ask them why the ID numbers are different on the sticker and the metal. You should just contact them first before thinking of any legal avenues that might not be needed.


Title: Old business email reactivated, getting work e-mails all of my successor? Do I Speak up? Delete and Do Nothing? Help! Mine field!

Question:
[CALIFORNIA - LA COUNTY] I had a personal computer crash and needed to reset the computer a restore point. All my programs and files replaced and backed up. I used to work for a multimedia company in their legal and business affairs department, which I left to join a worldlier prominent one in their brand enforcement/anti-piracy unit. The previous employer was not thrilled at my decision and the relationship ended on a bad note.

As a threshold matter, my job functions did not entail a fiduciary obligation nor were they privileged in nature, nor were they under clerical support. My duties were more business consultant or legal, requiring supervision of counsel or both.

Nonetheless, I moved forward.

When the crash happened my back-up settings were saved. My previous, company used very generic email addresses i.e. “customerservice @ domain dot (pick your gTLD)” or “accounting @ domain address dot (gTLD)” When reinstalling outlook the .pst file had my old password saved for my designated generic email address that was part of my overall personal email addresses.

When I left, I know the password changed because Outlook notified me, and I removed all files and deleted, however the restore point of the computer was at time of my employment, which was at will. Now it appears the same password was restored by successor and now I have access all over again getting all these emails, many privileged in nature, some absurd, others revealing administrative action on current or former employees.

Do I speak up?  Or Delete and do nothing? Forward my electronic copies? On the one hand I don’t want to be accused of cyberspace trespass on the other I’m sure my IP address showing log-in details. Thus, how do I cross this minefield? Are they not negligent for being so block-headed?

Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 Right now you have done nothing wrong.However you do have an obligation to let your former employer know that their security has been breached.

I suggest a neutral   email to the IT  head, copy to your old boss letting them know what happened, assuring them of your discretion and asking how they want to handle this going forward. Make yourself available to cooperate based on your schedule . (FWIW, this post is  too verbose. Pare it down a lot  but the essence of what you need to say is there).

A good reputation in the industry is real important in addition to protecting work product, trade secret, proprietary information, strategic business plans etc

IamaL, not in CA but I have worked corporate


Title: [CO] Bank is refusing to let me buy out my line of credit with a larger line of credit from a credit union.

Question: A few years ago my wife and I took out a line of credit at our bank to do some house work. It paid off and the value of our house is considerably higher now. I looked into and I can buy out that line of credit with a new line of credit from a credit union at a significantly lower interest rate. Cool? Not cool. The bank that is holding the original line of credit will not respond to the credit union at all. I have called them multiple times and have talked to everyone at the bank and they act like they have no idea what I'm talking about. Like literally act as if this is some kind of transaction that they've never heard of before, pass me back and forth to different departments, put me on hold, and then end up with a fax number that leads to a dead end. What do I do here? I don't think the police would give a fuck.

Answer: Can you not just walk in the bank with a check for the amount you owe on the line of credit? Just tell them you want to make a payment.


Title: Indiana adoption of step-children

Question:
Hello,

I am just looking for help on what I need to do to adopt my step-children. They are 7 and 8 years old. My wife’s ex-husband is no longer in the picture at all. He has not seen nor cared about the children in over6 years. I know there is an exception in Indiana for parental consent if the child has been considered to be abandoned for the prior 6 months. Since he has not seen or tried to see them in 5 years, I believe this counts. Also, in the divorce out of Iowa, my wife was given “sole physical and legal custody” of the children.

I am looking for what I need to do to adopt the kids I would prefer to do this on my own if I can as I don’t have tons of extra money for a lawyer. Also I am looking to find out what the court fees will look like for this.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Answer:
 Adoption is huge. It is severing a person from their child. Courts dont take it lightly. You really need an attorney. you can do it yourself but it will likely take longer and could easily go bad.

Save up, hire an attorney


Title: Does "unforseen circumstances" include failure to deliver goods and services due to someone's screw up?

Question:
I bought a tandem skydive for two on my credit card through a reservation service. The terms and conditions are as followed at the time of purchase.

>Terms: All purchases are non-refundable and are able to be used for two years from the purchase date. Purchases constitute a reservation with a national agency, and receipt of reservation is hereby confirmed upon signing this form. All purchases are dependent on conditions such as availability, weather, and other foreseen or unforeseen circumstances, and no material or non material change in the conditions of a purchased reservation can be grounds for cancellation. Rescheduling or cancellation of a reservation time does not invalidate your purchase or any of the terms and conditions. Additional terms and conditions may apply to your purchase depending on the terms and conditions of your local vendor. By signing this document, you are stating that you understand and agree to the terms and conditions of this transaction.

Basically, I booked the tandem skydive for two through a reservation service, which then is supposed to connect me to an actual skydiving service. When I arrive at the skydive service location, I was told that they never received a confirmation of my reservation from the reservation service at all. That meant that I missed my skydive reservation. I tried to dispute this with my credit card company and the reservation service. According to the reservation service, they cannot give me a refund because it is against the terms and condition that I signed for. However, my believe is that I agreed to the terms and conditions on the condition that I get my service unless the circumstances were out of anyone's control. According to the terms and conditions, they cannot give me a refund for weather, availability, foreseen, or unforeseen circumstances. Does "unforeseen circumstances" include miscommunications between the reservation service and the skydive service? Or does "unforeseen circumstances" mean something that is totally out of their control?

My credit card company says that this is a gray area because I did agree to the terms and conditions when I signed for the purchase, so I'm trying to see if the terms and conditions are still valid for a situation that was well within their control.

I made this purchase in Virginia, to a reservation service based in Georgia, for a skydive service in North Carolina.

Answer:
 I'm not sure what you're asking or trying to do.

Life advice: Stuff happens. You basically bought a gift certificate and someone's computer dorked up the reservation. It's valid for two years - rebook the session and call and confirm it before you drive to the site.


Title: Dad has brain damage, how do I stop him from getting taken advantage of-California USA

Question:
Hi there, rather straight forward post, my father has a brain injury and can't handle any sort of sales tactics or any sort of impulse control.

For example he went to the bank to use the atm and walked out with a new bank account and an application to refinance his home.

I'm not trying to sue the bank or anything, but I want to be able to protect him from throwing away all of his money or from someone taking advantage of him.

The other day I had to pull him out of a car dealership as he was about to buy a new car, when had gone there to get an oil change.

He has full disability from social security if that helps.

California USA

Answer: You want a general conservatorship. Call adult protective services at 1-800-414-2002 for info, and a local probate lawyer to get the process started.Answer #2: On mobile right now but in short: look up legal conservatorship. I'll try to give a longer response later tonight.Answer #3: Is it legal for a person in his situation to be driving? Sounds very dangerous to have someone like that on the road operating heavy machinery.


Title: UT- Bf's ex-wife giving their daughter prescriptions

Question:
Okay, here's the scoop.

My bf's ex-wife is the billing lady for her dad's office. Her dad is a dermatologist. Bf and his ex have 2 daughters. The girls are on his insurance and a couple times a month bf gets bills for prescriptions that have been filled for his daughters. The girls have no significant health issues. They're for random, useless (well, for them) stuff. Every time one of them gets a cold, mom gets them an antibiotic prescription. The youngest was coughing last month and suddenly she had an inhaler. The oldest started getting her period and now apparently she's on 20mg of Fluoxetine (the kid is 85 pounds, is seems like a high dose for that weight, yes?). She's also offered to get antibiotics for my bf's cold recently (he turned her down when I explained that antibiotics are for bacterial infections, not viruses). The ex-wife dropped out of college and has no training of any kind, but is very open about how she assists in surgeries at her dad's office. She wears scrubs all the time and she seems to like to pretend to be a nurse or a doctor or something when she is definitely not. She does billing. She's the billing specialist. Yet she assists with surgeries. That has to be illegal, right?

Anyway, we have reason to believe that she has taken one of her dad's prescription pads and is just writing out prescriptions for her daughters, herself, her husband, her friends, etc. None of the ones we've seen so far are controlled substances. My bf is uneasy with all these prescriptions that his daughters are taking - especially since it seems that they have not actually seen a doctor when they were prescribed.

Is there any legal recourse here? Reporting her to her dad won't do anything, because apparently he doesn't care that she writes prescriptions in his name. Bf wants to call the insurance or maybe the pharmacy and ask them to refuse to fill prescriptions that are "written" by his ex-wife's dad. Will they do that if we ask them to?

We are at our wits end with all of this and have no idea what we can do, if anything. Help!

Answer:
 > Reporting her to her dad won't do anything, because apparently he doesn't care that she writes prescriptions in his name

I seriously doubt this. No physician is okay with non-physicians with no medical training writing whatever 'scrips they want with no medical supervision. You can report him and her to the DEA. They do not mess around, and take claims like this seriously.

> Is there any legal recourse here?

Your friend needs to hire a family law attorney to get the courts involved. Court orders can shut this type of thing down.

> Bf wants to call ... the pharmacy and ask them to refuse to fill prescriptions that are "written" by his ex-wife's dad. Will they do that if we ask them to?

Likely, no. Though, it doesn't hurt to ask them to at least confirm all prescriptions with the prescribing doctor. Your idea of calling the insurance might have merit though, as if the claim is true, the doctor and the mother are committing medical fraud.


Title: 'Gifting' marijuana with a donation fee ... Is this legit?

Question:
Im from MA & alot of the blackmarket marijuana vendors are adhering to this approach: 'gifting' you pot, along with a very cheap object (ie a sticker) & asking for a mutually agreed upon 'donation' fee for the cheap object, in this case a sticker.

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Would this hold up in the court of law? Or would they be screwed in court because anyone with half a brain can see they are selling weed, but trying to take advantage of the state's loopholes on 'gifting' pot.

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Answer:
 It's not a loophole. It's still an exchange of drugs for money. It wouldn't help them.Answer #2: If this worked why would anyone ever be convicted of selling drugs?Answer #3: >Would this hold up in the court of law?

Only if the judge is stupid, drunk, high as a kite and having the munchies and you happen to be in court at Christmas day whilst it's also Easter Sunday.Answer #4: People try this all the time with alcohol to get around license laws. IE buy a cooler get a free six pack.

Those people do not get around the law. Answer #5: They do this in DC as well. It probably wouldn't hold up unless the object could be construed as having that value. Like designer T-shirts


Title: FL Landlord is trying to tell me my boyfriend needs to fill out a lease agreement because per my neighbors “he is on the property every day”. He does not live with me.

Question:
I live in an apartment complex by myself. I’ve lived here a year and a half and have never had problems until this month one of my neighbors decided he had a personal vendetta against me. I’ve been with my boyfriend for a little over a year. I have chronic pain that limits my ability to walk (osteoarthritis) and I frequently work double shifts where I’m at work from 8am-11pm. I always come home at 1 and 6pm respectively to walk my dog on these days as I live super close to work, and some days (usually 1-2 days a week) my boyfriend will stop by to walk her.

He is my emergency contact and due to my chronic pain as well as anxiety and depression, he has a key to my apartment in case of an emergency. I have no other family.

Last week I got a letter on my door stating that I have an unauthorized adult living in my apartment. I finally got a hold of my landlord three days later and explained that he doesn’t live there. She kept telling me that my neighbors keep telling her he is there every day and I explained that yes, we are dating so he visits frequently but definitely not every day and besides, he doesn’t live in the apartment. She keeps disregarding this and telling me she needs him to fill out an agreement. The reason I know it was the neighbor next door is because she asked why I didn’t contact her sooner and I said that she hasn’t been in the office. She claimed she has been and I was like well I’m not the only one having this problem, I know (next door neighbor) and (downstairs neighbor) have complained about it too. Then she told me that he is the one who complained without me even asking.

 None of my boyfriend’s documents (drivers license, vehicle registration etc) are assigned to my address because he lives with his parents, however he doesn’t have utility bills or a lease agreement because of that.  but they don’t seem to care to use that as proof that he doesn’t live with me because “your neighbors have said so” I even asked them to please videotape my apartment if they’d like for proof and they just kept blowing me off.

I don’t want to get evicted over this and obviously my boyfriend doesn’t want to pay an application fee or have his credit pulled for an apartment he doesn’t live in and doesn’t plan on living in.

Answer:
 "He doesn't live with me, and to my knowledge he is not interested in changing his housing arangements at this time.  Please do not continue to disturb my quiet enjoyment of my leasehold by continuing to make these unfounded demands."  But be prepared to find a new rental when this lease is up.Answer #2: Does your landlord want maids to fill out lease agreements?  Dog walkers?

Tell your landlord to leave you alone.Answer #3: Does your lease say anything specific about guests?  In some leases, for example, anyone who stays more than a certain number of days a month is considered a tenant.  Answer #4: What does your lease say about guests?Answer #5: Insist that he doesn't live there and refuse to sign a lease amendment. The consequences of doing so will be several, including that your boyfriend will be theoretically responsible for your rent or damages to your apartment if you don't pay for some reason. The landlord's reasons for wanting to document and sign a lease with any adult living on their property are very understandable, and the situation where one person signs a lease and then a shady significant other with credit or background problems suddenly enters the picture is very common, however they will need more convincing documentation than "the neighbor said so". Their recourse in Florida, if you refuse, is to serve you with a cure or quit notice, and then sue you if they choose to. They may also refuse to renew your lease at the end of the year.Answer #6: What's the lease language on guests ?


Title: Found a screw coated in black oil in my popcorn at the movie theater

Question: A few hours ago I was at the movie theater to watch a movie, and I bought some popcorn at the theater before going inside to watch the movie. Midway into the movie, when I had almost finished my bag of popcorn, I felt a hard object when I reached into the bag. I immediately went outside to try to figure out what it was (was too dark in the theater) and saw that it was a medium-sized screw coated with a black, oil-like substance. I looked at my fingers and saw that it was covered with that black substance, and knew that there was no way that I hadn't gotten some of it inside my body. I asked the theater workers there what it was and go told that it the screw apparently fell from the popcorn machine and the black substance was some kind of screw oil. I got refunded my popcorn + the movie ticket, and got the manager's information. I called the poison control center and they said that I don't need to rush to the hospital until I notice symptoms. What else should I do here?

Answer:
 >What else should I do here?

Nothing.


Title: [Massachusetts] Coworker sexually harassed me and groped me. Went to HR and was told that we have different senses of humor. Told supervisors at work. Can I legally be fired for talking about HR’s response to me?

Question: The title pretty much sums it up. For two years now a coworker has made unwelcome sexual jokes/innuendos that I’ve shot down immediately. For example: he’s asked if I like being tied up during sex, told me he’s slept with coworkers from previous jobs, that he enjoys when I wear transparent shirts because he can see my bra, and told me that other female coworkers want to be fucked nonstop since they don’t see themselves as the marriage type. Over the summer when we were alone at work, he grabbed my waist and then started slapping my ass with his lunch box. I went to HR that day, told them what happened, and also sent them a Skype conversation between the two of us where he kept asking me if I wanted his “cucumber”. After a week of supposed investigation, they told me that they handled the matter, to come to them if he does anything else, and that him and I just have different senses of humor. I told a few people about this recently who are supervisors and the issue is being revisited tomorrow. I was told today by my boss that any conversation with HR is confidential. My job fires people left and right for the smallest things. I am actively looking for a new job but in the meantime, I am worried I will be fired for speaking out. Is it legal to fire me in this type of circumstance? PLEASE only serious replies.

Answer:
 What you have is a lawsuit against your employer for a hostile work environment.  Anything in writing is an exhibit to share with your lawyer.Answer #2: If they fire you, then your lawyer will probably be able to pay off his car with the money he makes from the lawsuit you nail them with... Even if they don't fire you, you still have a heck of a case against the company.Answer #3: It’s possible that firing you might count as retaliation. Here’s a couple resources that may help.

https://www.mass.gov/service-details/about-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-sexual-harassmentAnswer #4: Tell HR that you and your co worker also have different senses of a safe work environment and see what they say?Answer #5: Make sure any conversations between you and him, HR, your bosses, ANYTHING, are saved and recorded in a way that HR/ your bosses do not have access to (ie. a personal email on a private computer at home) to keep your evidence safe.Answer #6: I just want to clarify. Your boss told you that conversations that YOU had with HR were confidential and that you couldn't share the information with co-workers?  On the company's side that is arguably true, they shouldn't be discussing it with anyone who doesn't need to know. But unless you signed something specifically promising to keep those conversations confidential, why would you have a duty to keep that information confidential?

I think he is confusing the company's duty and your duty. Or maybe acknowledging that the company screwed up.


Title: Ex-gf used 50 notes that I wrote for her in a book she published as her original work without my permission, after we broke up. What do I do to fix this but also never have to see her?

Question:
Title pretty much says it. When I was dating this girl, let's call her Taco, I wrote 136 reasons I loved her on paper cranes bc that was how many times she had said she loved me up until that point. That was 3 years ago. We spent one year apart, and then got back "together" for most of 2017. After we broke up in december, a few months later (about march or april of this year), she posted a book. It was a poetry book with half of the poems hers and half of them verbatim what I wrote for her on these paper cranes.

I do not want to interact with her in any way (she hurt me in horrible ways), and I do not have money for a lawyer to try to reach some sort of settlement or whatever it is a lawyer would do in this situation. I just want what I wrote to be my own, and they were intended to be PRIVATE. Not sold for profit to anyone with ten bucks.

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What should I do?

Answer:
 The recipient of correspondence generally has no obligation to keep that correspondence private. Specific situations can create such a duty: doctor-patient confidentiality, for example, or a nondisclosure contract with consideration in both directions, but simply being your ex is not anywhere near enough.

There _are_ copyright issues with republishing your creative works, in full, but without copyright registration your recourse will largely amount to getting her book pulled from bookstores or online vendors where it is sold. You won't get additional money out of it without the help of an attorney, and even then, recovery would be _extremely_ limited in a situation like this. It simply wouldn't be worth it.

What you intend to be private does not always remain private, unfortunately.


Title: My tutor company is retroactively deleting hours I worked in order to pay me less

Question:
Hello Reddit,

I am having a problem right now with a tutor company I work for in Modesto, CA. I have only worked there for a couple of weeks as a tutor. When I was given my first assignment, my coordinator sent me an email (2/21) in which he explicitly stated "MAXIMUM 1.5 HR/SESSION: NO 2 HOUR SESSONS [sic]". This same email had many attachments, and one of them-- the tutor manual that I was provided-- states that "Each tutoring lesson must be 1.5 to 2 hours maximum per session." Obviously, this does not negate the previous email. However, I made a mistake, forgot about the "NO 2 HOUR SESSONS" rule, and prepared 7 tutoring sessions that were 2 hours. The same email mentioned here also told me that I was to notify my coordinator of my start dates and times.

The day after receiving the email about my assignment, I sent an email to my coordinator showing him the schedule: "[Name removed] - Mon 2/27 4:00PM-6:00PM [Name removed] - Wed 2/29 6:00PM-8:00PM [Name removed] - Fri 3/03 5:00PM-7:00PM [Name removed] - Sun 3/05 3:00PM-5:00PM [Name removed] - Sat 3/04 12:00PM-1:30PM [Name removed] - Sat 3/04 1:30PM-3:00PM [Name removed] - Not yet scheduled [Name removed] - Wed 3/01 4:00PM-6:00PM [Name removed] - Thurs 3/02 3:15PM-5:15PM" He promptly responded that afternoon with an email saying "[name removed], Thanks looks good." I took this as a confirmation that I hadn't made a mistake in general, and went ahead and performed my assignments. I logged my times into the payroll site within a day or two with each assignment, and even made contact with the payroll supervisor about other matters (direct deposit) and she addressed no concern with the two hour sessions I had been logging into the system. On March 22, I received this email: "Dear [name removed]: Modesto City Schools will not pay us for sessions that are over 1.5 hours. I noticed that you entered 2hrs on some of your entries, so I took the 30min extra off your timesheet to give back to the student's allotment. PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING ON YOUR SIGNATURE SHEETS BECAUSE MODESTO DOESN'T ALLOW US TO USE WHITE OUT. LEAVE THE TIMES THE WAY YOU WROTE THEM.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call or email me. Sincerely, [name removed] Accounting Coordinator"

I emailed her telling her that I was not aware of this, and she pointed me to the first email I mentioned here. I'm still waiting on the payday for the period (26th of the month, though it will probably be Monday the 27th this month) and I am worried that they're going to cut my pay by roughly $70 for this. I imagine there's no advantage to taking legal action, as it would probably ulitmately cost me more than $70 to do something about it, but I am also pretty ignorant of the law. I guess my specific questions would be:

1. Am I legally entitled to the hours worked, as I have in fact worked them?

2. If so, do I have any legal recourse whatsoever?
Any and all help is appreciated. Please tell me, too, if I left anything important out that I can add to clarify. Thanks

Answer: [File a wage claim here.](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/HowToFileWageClaim.htm)Answer #2: You need to put two new lines in if you want to make a new paragraph OP. Your post is hard to read like this.


Title: Texas - Someone planted marijuana on my property, what should I do?

Question:
I just found 2 disconcertingly large marijuana plants growing hidden in a grove on the outskirts of my property where I rarely venture. I didn't plant them, and I have absolutely no idea how they got here. I know for a fact they weren't here in March.

Who do I talk to? Do I just tell the police and hope they believe me when I say I don't know how they got there? Or do I just destroy them myself? They're big enough that I'm afraid the police might think "there's no way he didn't know these were here"

What do I do?

Answer: I'd call the police and report it. Way better than them finding it on your property some other way. The story carries some credibility - most people don't call the police on themselves to report the illegal things they do.


Title: Can I sue the USA government for injuring me in a drone strike?

Question: I was badly injured and permanently hooked on pain killers due to a drone strike (3 innocents died). It was 2 years ago. I tried to travel once to the US, but my VISA was rejected. How can I sue the US govt and is there any chance I'll win? (or will they claim 'war collateral' and get away with it?)

Answer: Nice try ISIS.


Title: Sold an old truck 3 years ago. Buyer had an accident and victim is suing us since buyer never filed title. Florida, U.S.

Question: Hubby sold an old truck we no longer needed.  We were downsizing, and moved out of the country for about a year and a half. This was 3 years ago.  My husband signed over the title and was payed in cash. The buyer never submitted or filed the title.  The claim is that we allowed this person (the buyer) to drive the truck and his accident is somehow our fault.  The accident occurred out of state. We did not keep any of the paperwork regarding the sale.  We could probably go back and look for a deposit in the amount the truck sold for and insurance records that show when we took the truck off our policy, but what would that prove?  Do I need an attorney?

Answer:
 probably yes you need one. you will need to prove you no longer own the truck, as the owner is a legit target in a lawsuit. Answer #2: This is exactly why many States, [including Florida](https://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/protect.html), have a seller's report of sale that gets filed with the State's licensing agency.

OP, you didn't do any of the things that could have protected you:  you didn't file the report of sale, you didn't keep a notarized copy of a bill of sale, and you dealt in cash.

Your insurance won't be of any use; the truck had been removed from your police when the collision occurred.

So you're going to pay the price here, in defending a lawsuit, if one comes.    The cash deposit and the removal of the truck from your insurance, as well as documentation about your departure from the country may be enough to convice a finder of fact (like a small claims judge) that you sold the truck three years ago.

Have you actually been served notice of a lawsuit ?   What's the amount of the damages ?Answer #3: If the buyer never filed the title, that means they couldn't have registered it.  That means it was driven on expired tags for 3 years (in your name). They may have also gotten tickets (in your name). That also means that the Florida DMV was mailing you registration expiring/expired/latefee notices, which you ignored (because you were out of the country presumably).  Who handled your mail while you were gone?  I'm assuming you didn't give the DMV your forwarding address abroad.  *Somebody* received mail from the DMV for unpaid registration for 3 years, unless you moved out of an apartment and the new tenant just tossed it in the garbage.


Title: Restricting Property Showing Access (TX)

Question:
I currently live in a rented home with 3 other tenants. A realtor just texted me around 8:00 AM saying that will stop by around 1-130 PM to show the house. The problem is the doors to each individual bedrooms did not come with a lock so when I moved in I had swapped out the door knob to one with a lock so as such my bedroom is currently locked.

I work in a hospital from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so I won't be able to unlock it when the realtor comes to show the property. I have two concerns with this per the lease I signed.

Trip Charges: If Landlord or Landlord's agents have made prior arrangements with Tenant to access the Property
and are denied or are not able to access the Property because of Tenant's failure to make the Property accessible
(including, but not limited to, any occupant, guest or invitee of Tenant, pet, or security device prohibiting access to
any area of the Property), Landlord may charge Tenant a trip charge of $ X

Does this mean I will be charged a fine for having a " security device prohibiting access to any area of the Property"?

I was under the impression realtors had to give you a 24 hour notice before showing your property.

Thank you for any help and advice.

Edit.) It seems Texas does not have a specific statue for notice of entry, however this was also included in the leasing agreement

• Right to Enter – The Owner/Agent reserves the right to enter the Premises with 24 hours notice with or
without the Tenant’s permission at any reasonable hour for any lawful reason or without notice in the
event of an emergency.

Answer:
 I would let the realtor know that you need 24 hours notice due to your work schedule. If they try to charge you a trip fee that's really rude (although maybe legal per your lease). However most realtors don't want an unhappy tenant when showing a property - I'd reach out and if they feel you are being reasonable they will likely return the favor.

Sometimes what works in these situations is to schedule windows where it's fine to show the property, like 4-8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9-3 on Saturdays or something like that. Set an expectation they can schedule around. Answer #2: You left the door locked because you weren't given 24 hours' notice and therefore weren't able to unlock it before they got there.

Put that it writing, make sure your landlord and your landlord's agents understand that.


Title: [MA] Can I be denied unemployment for refusing a demotion?

Question: Last week I was laid off, more specifically my employer told me that my position was being eliminated. I was offered to stay on but with a substantial pay and title decrease ($80k / year to $40k.) I refused the offer and just accepted the lay off. Because I wouldn't accept the lower position, will I be unable to receive unemployment benefits?

Answer:
 You shouldn't have any issue getting unemployment set up. You were laid off. And, while on unemployment, you *can* turn down jobs that pay too little or are otherwise not ideal for your circumstances. A 50% cut in pay is a very valid reason to turn down a job. I'm guessing you can't support yourself in your current circumstances on 40k. You will be expected to lower your job expectations the longer you are on unemployment.

I think others are right, you might have a case for constructive termination, but those can sometimes be difficult to win. If you want to pursue this route, definitely consult with a lawyer.


Title: Potential liabilities for Pop Up Preschool in public parks

Question:
Hi,
I'm working on an idea where I would essentially set up a preschool classroom in the corner of a public park and charge a low cost for families to use. I have led nature classes at the park with no problem, however this is a bit bigger on a visual scale. The correct permits for the parks are being identified and obtained but I am wondering where I need to go to cover myself in case of an accident with my provided materials. What will people need to sign before using my services and who do I go to to find out?
This is my first attempt at running a business on a bigger scale, as of now  I've just run small things out of my house.
I do not want to open a permanent preschool, just one that I can take from park to park over the summer and potentially find others to run different locations locally and then nationality.

Hopefully this is specific enough. Be kind!

Answer:
 Daycares aren't something you just pop up on a whim.  There's a lot of work you have to do to make sure everything is in compliance.  If you're running a daycare, there will be various state and city regulatory issues you will have to comply with.  Just opening one up in the park will likely run you afoul of many of these regulations.  Examples:  Do you have the proper staff for the number of children?  Do you have access to proper bathroom facilities?  What about food requirements?  And this is just scratching the surface.
Answer #2: You hire an attorney to make your forms for you.

You pay insurance to deal with liability. Answer #3: You likely need more than a park permit to run a preschool. There's probably some state license that you have to obtain.


Title: “Hypothetically speaking “

Question: So hypothetically lets say i was pulled over for speeding about 45min south of Dallas, Tx in a county that rhymes with bill county. Upon being pulled over the officer allegedly detected the smell of marijuana and proceeded to search my car. In the car he hypothetically finds roughly one oz of marijuana, a few grams of THC concentrates and a couple tabs of LSD. Along with some paraphernalia that goes with it. Hypothetically speaking how boned would i be

Answer:
 >Hypothetically speaking

You realize that this is a pointless game to play on an anonymous website, right?

If you've been charged with some sort of drug-related charge, you should talk to a lawyer.


Title: I was hit buy a car while riding my bike that could result in later injuries. Insurance company withholding payment until I sign off on all future liability.

Question:
Like the title says, I was riding my bike when a driver drove into the bike lane and hit me. I went to the doctor the next day for record purposes (I was not badly hurt) and he suggested I see a dentist because I had hit my chin on the pavement and he thought my teeth may have been cracked. I went to my dentist to get x-rays and while I did not have any immediate damage, he informed me there's a possibility the crash could cause long term effects like damage to the root of a tooth. He suggested I stay in touch with the insurance company until the statute of limitations is up (2 years in my state). When I told the insurance company this, they told me they would not pay ANY of my bills until I release them from all future liability. Therefore, if there are long term affects with my teeth, they wouldn't have to pay. Do I have any rights here? I feel like they're not being 100% honest with me.

Edit: I live in Oregon

Answer:
 You have three choices.

1.) Accept their offer.

2.) Negotiate a better settlement.

3.) Sue the driver in court.


Title: What can I do in this situation without getting in trouble but getting them out of the house.

Question: So my Father sexually abused me from about 5yrs old until I moved out at 18yrs old *He and my mom were divorced so I went to his house every other weekend and 2 weeks every summer, during high school I lived with him twice for 1-2 year periods (when I didn't live with him I was with my mom)* since I was over 18yrs when I came out about being abused our local CPS said they couldn't do anything with my siblings since I was already 18. I recently confronted my father about the abuse and about the fact I know he's done something to my younger sister. He's already filled her head with lies. She messaged me earlier today and was telling me that what I accused him of was all lies my mom told me.. They live in a disgusting trailer that is falling apart in a not so great trailer park. She is 12yrs old and on antidepressants and recently came out as a lesbian. I haven't heard from my younger brother, 6yrs, in a few months as they aren't really allowed to get in contact with me due to their retards for parents. If I do get the children taken out of the house somehow I'll also be taking out a restraining order against him and buying myself a knife and mace spray. I'm getting tired of the lies and nonsense. These children have Stockholm syndrom and are living with a pedophile! If I call CPS what do I say to definitely get them removed asap. I want the best for them and there isn't it. This isn't about revenge it's about their safety.

Answer:
 A complete list of everything you can say is:

1.) The truth

2.) Refer to item one.

There are no magic words here. CPS will investigate and if they find cause, remove the children. The likelihood of you getting custody at your age and with their mother alive is near zero. You can file the paperwork for a restraining order, there will be a hearing to determine the facts and whether or not the court views an order as necessary.Answer #2: I think it is important to manage your expectations here.

Even if CPS removed the children from their care, it is extremely unlikely that you would be given the children; you are quite young, and, judging from this post, do not seem to be entirely stable. And I don't say that to be hurtful - just constructive. I know that your father has caused you a lot of pain and anger, but people who throw around the word "retarded" and mention the desire to carry a knife, don't always come across as the kind of calm and rational person it takes to look after abused children.

Take time to focus on yourself. Identify what goals you need to meet to be in a happy place inbyour life, and work with a counselor or therapist to meet them. In the meantime, feel free to make truthful and concise reports to CPS and law enforcement wherever you see abuse or maltreatment. If you want to do something constructive, maybe try saving up money so that when the day comes that those children are grown and need to escape, you can support them.

Good luck. I wish you all the peace in the world.


Title: [VA] Purchased a handgun, will cost me (relatively) a lot of money and time to get it.

Question:
Hello, I am a North Carolina citizen living in Virginia. I purchased a handgun online and had it shipped to a local licensed dealer. Upon arriving at the shop I was informed that I would not be able to purchase the gun without a Virginia drivers license. (I should have done more research.) After spending several hours driving around, doing research, and gathering the necessary documents it is going to cost me anywhere between 80 to 150 dollars as well as two months or more of waiting to get a copy of my birth certificate, a license, and my background check.
 My other option is to pay the shop it is currently at to have them ship the weapon to a licensed dealer in North Carolina, which will cost me between 70 and 140 dollars, require me to make at least a four hour drive, then pay for a background check, another 25 dollars or so.
If anyone is familiar with the gun laws in Virginia, is their any way I can get special permissions to have a background check and pick up the weapon without wasting so much time and money.
Thank you for your time.

Answer:
 > is their any way I can get special permissions to have a background check and pick up the weapon without wasting so much time and money.

No. You can't purchase a handgun in a state in which you are not a resident, except by having it sent from the FFL you're buying it from to an FFL in the state you are a resident in. Your options, as you've found out, are to be a Virginia resident, or have the pistol shipped to a FFL in North Carolina.Answer #2: > Hello, I am a North Carolina citizen living in Virginia.

This is not a thing. You are a resident of the state in which you live. If you live in VA you need documents of residency for VA and should have them.

If you temporarily live in VA and you reside in NC you need the gun to go there.

Pick one.


Title: How do slip and falls work in Wal-Mart? When someone slips in a puddle that does have a wet floor warning do they actually get a small payment as "Hush" money?

Answer:
 >When someone slips in a puddle that does have a wet floor warning do they actually get a small payment as "Hush" money?

No. Answer #2: Wal-Mart does not settle and does not pay. See: http://www.wal-martlitigation.com/index.php?p=su


Title: Can you sue a contractor for a construction which led to termites

Question: 10 years ago in NC my parents added an extension on their deck. An entire room elevated 8 inches with wood. The room extends past the cemented deck so a portion of it is just overhanging over dirt. Overtime water sipped in a bit and recently we noticed termites on the floor of the overhung area towards the house wall. Wall and a portion of the room needs to be replaced. Is there any legal action we can take or will it all have to be out of pocket? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 You got termites TEN YEARS after construction?

Call an exterminator, not a lawyer.


Title: Quickpay scam? Craigslist job posting for "collections agents" What should I do?

Question:
Aurora, IL

So, I came across a Craigslist post titled "Work Position For extra income today" listed in "All States." (sketchy already, right?) The description read: "We are seeking individuals to work as collection agents to help with taking payment from clients buying holiday and travel packages. You will receive client payments using your email address and you get paid daily."

I contacted the guy and he explained that he provides holiday packages for family vacations, and they needed people to accept payments online via Quickpay, and in return he would pay me $150 a day. It sounded like a good deal, as I thought I would be like an extra employee booking the vacations myself. After sending him my email address linked to my QP account, he sends me $498 and tells me to keep $150 for commission, and send the remaining $348 to "the vacation resort" via moneygram money transfer. By that time I had accepted the transaction so the funds became immediately available, but it still said the transaction was processing. I have heard of the bouncing check scam, where they send you a check- you deposit it, send money via moneygram- and the check bounces leaving you broke.. so I became wary. I told him to wait until the transaction was completed, otherwise I wouldn't do it. He became upset and threatened to report me for fraud because I was committing theft by holding on to funds that don't belong to me. He said that by accepting payment, I accepted to an implied agreement. I told him that if it cleared within a week, he would get his money back. After all, I never agreed on any time frame and waiting until the transaction cleared would be the reasonable thing to do. He demanded an immediate refund, but since I have my own money in my account I didn't do it in case the Quickpay transaction bounced/canceled and I would be losing out on my own cash. Our conversation ended by him threatening to call the authorities with major consequences and I brushed it off as scare tactics.

Well, by the end of the day the Quickpay transaction actually cleared. I now have an extra $500 in my bank account. Now my dilemma is, should I just refund this righteous entrepreneur and apologize for my mistake? Or should I report my case to Chase, in case he actually does report me for fraud? Maybe he's involved in money laundering. Or maybe he is a scammer and just accepted that he couldn't scam me and let the transaction go through. I'm not sure what to make of this, because in paper it really does sound like a scammer (who would trust random people on Craigslist with $500 for a legitimate business?) But the transaction went through and I don't want to be sued or jailed for fraud.

Any ideas?

Answer:
 Of course it's a scam.  It has all the red flags:

* Business opportunity via Craigslist
* Keeping a commission for forwarding money
* Sending money by wire
* Shady means of deposit

The transaction cleared simply because that's the way banking deposits work.  The funds are made available to you immediately.  It is only later, after you send the funds on to the scammer, that they are reversed or cancelled as fraudulent, leaving you holding the bag when the bank withdraws the amount from your account.

Make no mistake, this deposit will get reversed in the coming days.  Don't touch the money.  Notify the bank or the authorities if you want.

But be assured that you are not going to be sued or arrested for this.


Title: Neighbor accused us of vandalizing her car, it's escalated to something ridiculous.

Question:
So over a week ago, our neighbor in our apartment complex asked us if we knew who threw chew in her car, we said no. Well a few days later, my roommate was blackout drunk and tried to open the neighbors car to "see if she leaves her car unlocked" and our neighbor caught him through her window.
She confronts him, and he, in his drunken wisdom, said he could easily break in her car if he wanted to and he has enough guns to shoot up the place if he wanted to. So she told the landlord, I met with the landlord and security officer today and they say that we have to turn in the person who vandalized her car, by tomorrow, or they will turn the case into the police under the grounds of vandalization and making terroristic threats.
I had no involvement in any of this, but I expressed how I thought it was bullshit that since we had no idea who vandalized her car, this could not be settled under their deal. They accused me of not taking this seriously enough.
The landlord says that the accuser says we know who did it because somebody staying here said we told her that, I told them it could've been my brother since he was staying here and would say something like that. So they're not taking any deal unless we tell them who did it.
The neighbor also has no proof that any of this happened.
What are our options?

Answer: At this point, don't talk to her. If the police come knocking, don't say anything without a lawyer.


Title: Can I (24) force control of my mother's (44) finances?

Question:
My mom is living in a homeless shelter in California because she spent everything she had. Let me stress she has never worked and is **severely mentally ill**. She has been seeing a psychotherapist since being in the shelter and is now professionally proclaimed "incompetent."

She is divorced but she had at least $300,000 she gained after the divorce, and she spent it all in about a year. What I hate about her is *she has a hardcore, deep-set belief that money is unlimited and she will always get more and more money. She thinks anyone who doesn't believe they can have unlimited funds has poverty mind.* It's really screwed up.

She will be getting a fixed income of about 3k/month from Veterans Affairs in addition to back payment in a lump sum for last year. Because of her incompetence, she is required to have a third party control and allocate this lump sum of money to her. She would prefer that I control this lump sum for her, and I agree that would be best.

The lawyers and her group of people don't know how bad my mom is with money. I don't think they have dug and seen all the records like how she spent 3k to fly to Australia, only to return back the same day because she didn't feel comfortable there or how she must buy products only from Whole Foods and no other store. So far, she is set to get the lump 3k/month and it will be in her control. Knowing her though, she will spend it as she pleases and will miss paying her rent.

My mom is working on getting me to receive her back payment, but how do I also get her 3k/month so I can gradually allocate it to her and set up a budget for her? I don't know how effective a third party will be with someone as severe as her. I think she may need to live in the same household as me at some point.

Answer:
 http://info.legalzoom.com/legal-guardianship-adult-california-20973.html

you 100% will need a lawyer for this if she will not agree to do it voluntarily.  you are also going to need medical evidence.


Title: Can GPS records (phone, metromile, etc.) be subpoenaed and used to convict someone of speeding?

Question: Location: California

Answer: Whether your phone's location history is protected by the Fourth Amendment is an open question in the Ninth Circuit.


Title: [CO] Is there a way to force my 18 year old brother to follow the advice of his defense lawyer, drug counselor, and psychologist?

Answer:
 No.

Sorry, there is no way you can make an adult behave appropriately if they do not wish to.  If he is a danger to himself or others, you can commit him involuntarily.  Other than that, the best you can do is not enable him, and be there when he hits bottom and realizes he needs help.


Title: (MT) Husband thought someone was breaking into our neighbors house. He confronted them instead of waiting for the police.

Question:
This just happened today and I have no idea what is going on and I am really scared for my husband but also really pissed off at him. What happened was that our neighbors are away on vacation. They are a nice retired couple and we live in a quiet neighborhood. They told us they had a relative coming to watch the house while they were away. Today we saw the garage was open and someone was taking stuff out of the garage. I called 9-1-1 to report the break in and my husband told me to stay in the house because I am pregnant. He went and confronted them and brought his gun. The police came but my husband was the one who got arrested.

Before they took him away the police told me the person at the house was our neighbors niece and she was just trying to make room in the garage for her truck. It was an honest mistake and this going to be very politically incorrect but we thought she was an intruder because she is black and our neighbors are white.  It was very stupid of him to go over there with a gun instead of waiting for the police. He is still at the station now and the police won’t tell me anything other then that he could have been killed because she is in the military and knows about guns. The police took the gun when they arrested him and now I am home alone without one. I just want to know what happens now and how much trouble my husband is in. I know what he did was stupid so please don’t tell me that, I already know.

Answer:
 I hope they take your husbands guns away for good. This is the kind of shit that gun control advocates latch on to and what ruins gun rights for the rest of us. Even if it was someone breaking in, what the hell did he think he was going to do, run over there and kill someone for stealing the neighbor's TV?

Montana has some seriously generous laws when it comes to carrying weapons. Which likely means he was threatening with or brandishing in order for him to have been arrested. Do some googling and you'll see what types of penalties. It is serious, if he is charged get a lawyer.


Title: My boyfriend's soon to be ex just forged his signature on a shared credit card. Lawyer said call the cops, cops say it's not a big deal. Thoughts?

Question:
Trust me when I say his ex is a turd and is notorious for taking money from him, part of the reason for the divorce.

They are going through a nasty divorce, where she is milking him for all he's worth. BF has a kid, and mom doesn't want the kid and has lost custody other than every other weekend, but she still wants child support, collects welfare for the kid and is constantly declining to sign divorce agreements in order to get more of the communal property (that she has already received her fair share of)

Anyway, two years into this divorce she maxed out a credit card and purchased furniture using his falsified signature. The company who sold the furniture was extremely sketchy and belligerent about the situation, withholding the receipt and then providing a receipt with the blocked out signature, until my BF pressed to have the signed receipt procured.

He called his lawyer, lawyer says call the cops. The cops tell him that she's allowed to forge his signature, that Texas law is really unrestricted when it comes to marriage. And he cited that Texas is a communal property state.

What do you think?

Answer:
 Is that what the cops *actually* said? Or is it what your boyfriend thinks is an accurate summary of what the cops said? Because if I had to guess, I'd say their real statement was a lot closer to "we don't think a successful prosecution would be likely".

In any case, he can't force a prosecution that the state doesn't want to pursue. He should go back to his lawyer.


Title: I cannot park outside my apartment

Question:
My city has a ordinance that doesn’t allow street parking from 2am-5am, but I live in an apartment complex that is parking deficient. I’m a teacher who gets home late from night classes and cannot park within the complex.

The only way to apply for an exception is to own a house that faces the street (which I cannot do because it being an apartment complex). The closest exempt parking is 3/4 mile away, and my area isn’t exactly the safest to be walking in at night.

What should I do? I’ve already received and contested the first parking ticket I’ve received with no luck.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: This SUCKS but it sounds like you did not do thorough research before moving in. Unless your lease guarantees you a specific parking spot, which it sounds like it doesn't, you're going to have to hoof it or take Uber, or pay a lot of traffic tickets. You can petition the city to allow apartment dwellers to receive parking permits as well, but otherwise, sorry, you're stuck, there is no legal remedy other than working to change the law.


Title: [IL] Broke my lease, landlord is stating I lose my deposit.

Question: As the title states I informed my landlord that I would be breaking my lease.  No where in the lease does it have any mention of what would occur if I were to break my lease.  I told the landlord that I would continue to pay my agreed rent per month until she finds a new tenant.  When asked about my deposit he stated that due to me breaking my lease I lose my deposit.  Is this accurate?

Answer:
 Security deposit is for documented damages. You're responsible for rent until the landlord finds a new tenant or your lease expires, whichever comes first  if you neglect to pay rent, the landlord can take you to court to collect, but at that time he/she will have to show proof that there were reasonable attempts to find a new tenant.

But, these aren't 'damages.'  Totally separate from a security deposit. Good luck!


Title: Traveling US citizen: what is age of consent as tourist in PH?

Question:
I am a 21 yr/old US citizen visiting the Philippines.  I have a valid US passport, I have never been arrested, I pay my taxes, and I also keep my tourist visa up to date in the Philippines.

I have just started to see a 17 year old girl here (not a prostitute).  Is consensual sex legal under US law? What kind of contact does US law define as sexual contact?  What other relevant information do I need to be made aware of before I proceed?

Wikipedia says the age of consent here is 12.  This really throws me off.  Can someone here shed any light on this?

Answer:
 That is going to be a no go. [Link](http://www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos/extraterritorial-sexual-exploitation-children). It is illegal to go to a foreign country and have sex with children.

>Federal law prohibits an American citizen or resident to travel to a foreign country with intent to engage in any form of sexual conduct with a minor (defined as persons under 18 years of age).


Title: Dad really screwed over my credit

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your dad opened credit in your name?

You don't call a lawyer. You call the police.

That's identity theft and fraud. Your dad's a criminal. Answer #2: Everyone's yelling 'call the police' but seems to have missed the very relevant fact that you gave your dad permission. This is not identity theft or fraud, this is a civil dispute.

You're going to have to sue your father for the outstanding balance on the cards. How high is that balance?


Title: (TX) - Filing motion to remove deep lung device from my car! Can I do it myself? Help!!

Question: I wanted to inquire about filing a motion to amend in the courts to have my Deep Lung Device in my car removed. I was convicted of a DWI in December, 2015, in suburban dallas, and have had the device in my car since a few days after the DWI occurred, in July 2015. I refused a blood test so they suspended my license for at least six months. They offered me probation with a bunch of other stipulations and fines but I took jail time instead which was only 6 days. I was told the judge thinks that jail time is too lenient which is why she re-suspended my license for another 6 months at the time of my conviction/plea in December of 2015, requiring that I have the lung device until the time that I have a valid license. There were NO other stipulations, probation, no reporting to anyone etc. in the plea deal - just 6 days jail time, license suspended w/ interlock. That suspension was up in July, 2016, but unfortunately I was pulled over before it was lifted and it was re-suspended for a further six months for driving on a suspended license. My license has officially become eligible since mid December, 2016, and I will be paying the $130 re-instatement fee so that I can get a new license. The lawyer that I hired for the original case is no longer able to help me due to moving cities  and advised I seek out a local attorney. I've only contacted one attorney since then, so far, and they said the fee for the attorney to file this motion and do what he needs to do is $850!!! So I wanted to know if you all had any advice about doing this myself. Is there a way that I can file the necessary paperwork with the courts to get it removed? If it's possible for me to do that, can anyone explain how one would go about that process, specifically in a Texas court if able? I can't find anywhere online walking me through the complete process of doing this myself, at least not any info about doing it in a Texas court. I'm using SmartStart for my interlock device as well. Any info on completing the process myself or info on completing this process in a cheaper manner would be greatly appreciated!!!

Answer:
 >My license has officially become eligible since mid December, 2016, and I will be paying the $130 re-instatement fee so that I can get a new license.

I might be missing something here, but I don't understand why you are going back to court.

Have you tried calling SmartStart?
They are contracted to run the program. If you're eligible for a new license, why don't you go and get it, then schedule an appointment with SmartStart to have the device removed?
Answer #2: You can certainly file the paperwork yourself. Google your county's rules of civil procedure -- that will describe the standards necessary to present your paperwork. Pay attention to all the details: font size, margins, spacing, language, etc. You'll also want to sit in on some court proceedings to get a feel for how everything flows. Procedure and detail are critically important in court.

Alternatively, you can shop around for a cheaper lawyer -- though $850 isn't unreasonable. Look at smaller towns outside of your area.


Title: Landlord Tenant Law Question

Question:
My wife and I signed a 2 year lease renewal on a house in New Hampshire. Approximately, 1 year into the lease, my wife (soon to be ex wife) asked me to / insisted that I move out with the intention of a female friend moving in to help pay the rent.

I notified our landlord that I was moving out (30 day notice) requesting a reference for my new apartment which he gave me. The friend completed an application for which the landlord denied saying that the two of them had inadequate monies to pay the rent. Regardless, this female friend did move in with my soon to be ex-wife.

He informed me that he was still holding me legally liable for the full term of the lease and any unpaid rent. We each have children from a previous relationship. I am now a single parent paying my current new lease.

I obviously could not stay with the tension in the relationship that would certainly have escalated and she was clear that she was staying with her children. Last I knew, she has continued to fall behind on the rent and is anticipating an eviction in the near future.

Considering I gave 30 day notice, and my wife attempted (or should I say didn't attempt) to mitigate the damages can he truly hold me liable? It would seem the situation was such that I was in a position that I could not mitigate damages to avoid this. Do you have any legal advice?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You are legally responsible.  The lease did not become invalid because of your marital situation.


Title: [USA] Where would you form a business if your goal was to insulate yourself from frivolous lawsuits?

Question: I wish to sell a legal, but controversial product online. The people this product would piss off have much deeper pockets than I do, and I would not be surprised at frivolous lawsuits in an attempt to get the product removed from marketplaces. In order to best avoid legal bullying, where would you choose to form your business, and in what form? Stay inside USA? Go international? LLC? Stay with USA based web host and payment processors?

Answer: Just so you're aware...forming a legal entity does not stop frivolous lawsuits if that's what they want to do. It just stops you from being *personally liable* for lawsuits.


Title: In CT, is it legal for local cops to pull you over for an expired registration if you haven't broken any other traffic laws?

Question: I've been pulled over three times in the last six months in my town. I've had some trouble getting my car registered due to emissions. Each time I've been pulled over, its simply because a bored cop ran my plate as I drove by. I wasn't speeding, my marker and headlights all work properly, want driving erratically... I just happen to drive an older car which looks out of place in the rather affluent small town I find myself living in. Is there a legal precedent for this? My insurance is current at least.

Answer:
 Yes, it's legal for the police to stop you for a registration violation only.

Often, they don't have to run your plate first, the color of the sticker (at least here) will tell us if it's expired or not.  The computer check just confirms it.


Title: I'm a mixed race student whose professor told them to wash their greasy hair

Question:
Hello all,

I am in school for a medical profession which requires us to do unpaid education credits called clinicals. On clinical, we are working under the constant supervision of a clinical instructor who is not paid by the university, but has taken instructor training courses, signed a contract with the university, and is aware of what we need to be learning, etc. One week into being with this clinical, and the instructor has been less than professional. She has made comments about my performance that were not constructive but insulting. Today however, she crossed a line when she sat me down and told my hair is greasy and I need to be sure to shower everyday because "we serve a certain kind of clientele here and you want to be sure people take you seriously." (a.k.a. it's an uppity area)

The kicker here is, I'm mixed (paternal grandfather is African American). I've only ever had a few people ask me about my ethnicity, so I assume most people don't see it. I wash my hair every other day and it's oily, there's really nothing to be done about it because I just have stereotypical oily black people hair.

Never in a million years would I have thought I would experience racism because I am of course, pretty light skinned. But that is what this feels like. I can't imagine why someone would think it's appropriate to say this. Does she think it's okay to say to someone who is more obviously of another race? I would like to address this with someone above her but I'm very afraid of retaliation (the instructor is the sole grader in this pass or fail course). Do I have any legal protection whatsoever? My classmates are telling me this could be a lawsuit waiting to happen for this instructor, who is a practicing medical professional.

Answer:
 Actually you’re in a minority if you are mixed race and have greasy hair - most have very dry hair. Anyway.

You say you wash your hair every other day. Maybe that’s not enough. Or maybe it is. Maybe you need to post on sites which can give you tips to minimize the oily appearance. Or at least make it look healthy. My granddaughter is mixed race and frankly her hair looks best when it has a ton of oil on it.

I’m not seeing racism here. I’m seeing a professional concerned that you aren’t presenting a professional appearance. Now if it the comment had been about you having natural hair, I’d be with you, but that’s not what this appears to be. Frankly anyone supervising you would be doing you a disservice if they didn’t point out to you an area of your personal appearance that could use improvement.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Prank calls at workplace are getting out of hand

Question:
I work at a small hotel (69 rooms, three floors) in a small town (population less than 15,000). For the past few nights, usually starting around 9pm and going on sometimes until 2am, we've been getting consistent prank calls from the same private number (it's the same voices every night). They'll often call a few times in a row, not say anything, and hang up after a moment. Sometimes they'll just breathe into the phone. And other times they'll ask dumb questions "Do you sell condoms?" Or say things like "I found your bra in my bathroom" or "I know where you live". Childish and lacking creativity. But anyways.

It's getting annoying. We have to answer the phone in case it's someone with a legit question or wants to book a room or whatnot. And it's tough to do our work when we have to keep running to the phone every 30 seconds. The other night I was here for five minutes and they already called 8 times. These numbers aren't an exaggeration, either.

My boss said that calling the cops would be pointless, and besides, we don't even know their number since they keep blocking it. We have no idea who these people are, why they keep calling us for hours every night, or what their relation is to the hotel. I understand pranking a business once or twice for a quick laugh, but this is just strange and getting out of hand.

Is there anything any of us at the front desk can do about it?

Answer:
 The number is blocked... to you.

That doesn't mean the cops and the phone company don't have access.


Title: is my website illegal?

Question:
Hi, thanks for helping:

I'm building a website, and I'd like to know if I can put it up without fear of being sued. The site scores text difficulty according to an existing method which goes under the registered trademark owned by WordCorp. WordCorp's method scans the text you upload and gives you their WordCorp^(R) Score, which is calculated, as they tell you, by looking at some easy-to-determine properties of the text, such as the number of clauses per sentence (NCPS) and the average word length (AWL). They have a site up already that you can upload documents to, they'll calculate the NCPS and the AWL and tell you them, and they'll also tell you their WordCorp^(R) Score.

My question is as follows:

Given that they have a registered trademark on the WordCorp score, is it illegal for me to have a website that allows users to upload documents and it calculates their estimated WordCorp score?

If not, can I calculate the non-trademarked components of the score, such as the NCPS and AWL? Can I make my own proprietary formula called a BlurdCorp score that combines those? And can I tell people a way of converting a BlurdCorp Score into what they really want?

For any of these, does it change the legality if I do or don't try to monetize the site?

Thanks for any help or advice you have.

Answer:
 You getting money or not has nothing to do with the legality.

Trademarks and patents are 2 different things. Trademarks are more logos, names, that kind of thing. Patents are processes, methods, inventions. It depends on whether this company has a patent on their method (likely). If you're using their method to come up with your own thing, you may have to license their patent from them so you can legally use it in your own process. For example, an iphone uses tons of patents to get to the end result.

You may want to see an intellectual property attorney to figure out all the details.


Title: [NY] I'm a college student. I went home last weekend to visit family. Tonight I received a letter than I'm being charged with illicit substance use on February 14th. I think I have enough proof to absolve myself, but I'm not sure.

Question: I have a bank statement of purchases on the 14th and a movie ticket in my pant pocket that has the movie location and time, 8:00 pm. I live 4 and a half hours away so there is really no room for me to have come back and use "Illegal Substances". I received an email saying I have a meeting Monday. By presenting these documents am I in the clear or are there other actions I should take?

Answer:
 That completely depends.
Maybe they got the date wrong.
Maybe they found illegal substances in your dorm. If there is even a small chance that the you may have had or used a illicit substance in the recent past you need to get a lawyer.

You and I have no information.

Is the meeting between you and the college? Who is the ticket from? I would really speak with a lawyer before going to any "meeting". This can have drastic effects on your future. Answer #2: 1.  Document, document, document.  Do it now while you still remember details.

2.  Do not admit anything. Do not talk to the police.

3.  If you want, you can get a written statement from family members that you were with at the relevant time.

4.  If it looks like they will be charging you with something, get a lawyer.


Title: [CA] Someone broke into my garden and stole my garden's harvest, is there anything I can do?

Question:
Waking up this morning to a completely stripped vegetable/fruit garden was pretty crappy. Every single tomato, zucchini, pepper, lemon, and orange were taken from my garden. I was away from home from Monday morning until late at night, I had watered my plants in the morning and everything was fine. Monday night I didn't really check on my garden so I don't know if stuff had been stolen yet, and this morning everything was gone.

Raccoons/Birds/Rabbits do have a habit of nicking a tomato or two, but *everything* was gone. Every last bit of produce was picked, this was definitely not the doing of an animal.

There are a few possible culprits. My gardeners who I've known for 20+ years and have never done anything like this, contractors I have working on my pool in my backyard, or a sneaky neighbor who knew of my garden and knew I was out.

I have no video evidence or anything like that, is there anything I can do?

Answer: Without evidence, there's no substantial proof of anything, including the fact that a crime was committed.


Title: I feel like my bank is stealing from me

Question: So two weeks ago I recieved a check for $100. I did a mobile deposit, went on vacation, and then came back to a letter telling me that the check bounced and that my account is getting charged. I talked to the person that gave me the check and they consulted their bank and said the transaction went through. So not only did I not get the check, but I am getting charged for it. Not really sure what to do?

Answer: Have you talked to the bank about it before jumping directly to accusing a financial institution of stealing a fairly small amount of money from you?


Title: Abandoned Vehicle

Question:
I live in Baltimore Maryland ( City) there has been a van parked on the street since October 2014. It is covered with a tarp but it takes up valuable parking spaces. The owner lives a block down and indicated she will have it towed. But several months have passes. It has rats running in and out of it. It is located on the street adjacent to my house. What can I do?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Call Baltimore's parking enforcement.Answer #2: Start here...

http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/onlinereport/abandoned.html

http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/trafficmanagement/traffic%20teams/abandonedauto.html


Title: [CA] Parental rights for a man if mom and dad are unwed - are they nonexistant?

Question:
Asking for a friend...

They've cohabitated for 10+ years and been engaged for the last 3.  They have 2 kids - one thats 7 years old and the other is still a baby.  He is on the birth certificate for both but unsure what other documents (if any) he's signed to indicate he is the father.  No paternity test.

Recently they split up.  The mom has moved out and so far has allowed him to see his kids regularly.  However she frequently threatens that she could "take the kids away" and uses them as leverage to get what she wants, including money, keeping their house, etc.

I read online that dads have no rights when it
comes to custody (mother has sole custody) if unwed.  Is this true?  And if so, what can a man do in this situation to ensure that the mother doesn't just abscond with the kids and he has a fair chance in court to have at least partial custody? She isn't even able to financially support them alone at this point.

Answer:
 > I read online that dads have no rights when it comes to custody (mother has sole custody) if unwed. Is this true?

No.  Wedded status has little to no effect on custody/visitation.  Your friend will almost assuredly have some custody/visitation - the amount or split will depend entirely on the full circumstances of the situtation.Answer #2: He needs to talk to a lawyer--he has as much right to the kids as she does until a court indicates otherwise.


Title: Can you please explain the logic in forcing non-custodial parents to pay child support in cases where the custodial parent can afford to raise their child entirely by themselves and previously promised NOT to seek child support?

Question: In such cases, the amount being spent on their children would remain the exact same, but the custodial parent would simply get to line up their own pockets with the additional money. Just how exactly would this be fair to the non-custodial parent when the custodial parent previously promised NOT to hunt them down for child support?

Answer:
 Sure.

Both parents made a child. Both parents are expected to contribute to the support of that child.

There is nothing that can absolve a parent of that obligation, and the custodial parent can change their mind even if a previous statement to the contrary was made.

**Just like** the non-custodial parent can promise not to try to get partial custody or visitation, and then change their mind later and go to court to pursue that.


Title: Developer tries to get retroactive permission to cut the 106 trees he already cut (ON Canada)

Question:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/valery-trees-1.4248554

Long story short, the developer applied to the city for a permit to chop down a whole lot of trees on several lots of woodland.  The application was denied, but surprise!  He'd already cut down 106 trees.

He appealed the decision to the planning committee, who told him to pound sand.

He's facing charges under city bylaws that include a fine of up to $5,000 per tree, and the possibility of a special fine of up to $100,000.

So my question is, how likely is it that a Justice of the Peace in Provincial Offences Court would impose the maximum fine in such a case, and are special fines of this nature commonly imposed?

Answer: I'd say it's a definite possibility. He had the opportunity to get a license, he knew he needed one, he fucked off on it and cut the trees down anyway and now he wants permission after the fact? That's like asking dad if you can borrow the car while pulling into the laneway with half the bumper missing and a used condom in the glove box.


Title: [MO] Parents died within weeks of each other. Trying to get advice on how to proceed.

Question:
My step father died mid January. I live in IL so I planned to attend the memorial for and with my mother. My mother was found deceased the day that I was traveling to her house Feb. 4th. Apparently she died peacefully in her sleep. I got to tell her the night before that I loved her and was happy to be her son, I'm grateful for that.

We found an estate plan/will from my step father that was drawn up by a LLC that is no longer in business.

My question:
How do I proceed? What sort of attorney should I seek and what other documentation will be needed to get the estate in order. They had a paid off house, effects, stocks and bonds. Unfortunately they had four dogs that we are seeking new homes for. One is at this time spoken for.

My sister and I are the only surviving family on my mothers side. My step father had no biological children.

I've never had to deal with this sort of thing so any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Thanks all for your advice and responses.

It's good to have a forum to ask for clear advice in troubling times.

It's hard to think clearly right now with so much going on while at the same time knowing that I'll never talk with them again.

Indescribable feelings, like being in shock.Answer #2: Well, look for an elder law / estate planning attorney in the local area where the house is located.

The attorney will open an estate in the local probate court and submit the last will & testament.

The named executor (or successor executor) will be appointed unless there is a good reason not to, or they are unwilling or unable.

The executor then has a duty to submit an inventory to the court of the deceased's assets and then to distribute those assets in accordance with the deceased persons wishes.

Upon opening the estate, the executor will receive a few "letters of authority" from the court which will allow him/her to move or distribute funds from financial accounts or to proceed with the sale of real estate as necessary.


Title: NSFW Is everything on pornhub/subretts legal? Located in USA. overly worried!

Question:
Long story short I wanted to ask if subreddits such as r/strugglefuck or whatevers is legal? Came across a video there that is of a rape fantasy except it doesnt say fantasy in the title? Or is it just one of those fake titles? Also, I was on pornhub and saw lesbian twin vid and normally it would be blocked in my country but I did a bad thing and clicked on it and it loaded up and played... kinda regret that now. USA located. Worried about being in trouble and vowed to stop watching porn already..

Or am I being overly worried. I do suffer from ocd.

Answer:
 _Probably_ not, but odds are good that what you saw was legal.

Pornhub actively polices their content, based largely on user reports, to remove content that contains minors, nonconsensual sex, or consensual sex published without the consent of the subject. However, they're not perfect, and user reports aren't a great baseline for catching every last piece of illicit pornography. There's almost certainly child porn, revenge porn, and a bunch of other genres of illegal or dangerous material on Pornhub. Given that the vast majority of their videos are uploaded by the studios themselves, or by independent producers directly, unless you're looking for specifically illegal content, you probably won't find illegal content.

Reddit is much more of a crapshoot. The exact intersection of Reddit's weak oversight model and the blurred consent lines for subs like r/StruggleFucking are a breeding ground for illegal content. Assume some portion of the posts there are either actual rapes - i.e., you're watching a crime - or are consensual rape play where the participants may not all have known that the recordings would be published. It's not necessarily illegal to view that, but it should give you pause, and it may be more illegal than simple copyright infringement to republish it.


Title: What can you do if your lawyer is avoiding you?

Question:
Basically my husband keeps trying to get a hold of our lawyer he is never in and never returns phone calls, his secretary claims that he, the lawyer is having family issues and is avoiding all of his clients (now i understand that its sad and all ) but we need to know whats going on with our case. He is a partner in that firm do we have to go to the senior partner do we wait or do we get a different lawyer?
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 > his secretary claims that he, the lawyer is having family issues and is avoiding all of his clients

FWIW, if my secretary told a client that, I would reprimand her in writing. If she did it again, I would probably fire her.

That aside, your lawyer or his staff should respond to your inquiries in a *reasonable* way within a *reasonable* time. The reasonableness of the nature and the time of the response will depend on the circumstances of the matter and on the nature and content of the inquiry. There's no simple, one-size-fits-all answer.

I have had clients who called *every day* to ask what was happening even though I had told them *in advance* that delays are very common and that I would update them as events occurred. When they didn't get their mania under control, I eventually started responding to every call with a letter. That brought them around to seeing reason - probably because they get tired of paying a daily 0.2 hourly charge for my responsive letters.


Title: Can I be fired?

Question:
I work at a large rehabilitation center/school for at risk youth.  I do activities with the kids, monitor them during free time, have counseling sessions and help them get to school and do school work. Two days ago I had a grand mal seizure while I was having a counseling session with one of my kids.  I went to the hospital.  Now two days later work is requiring notes from my Doctor as well as my Neurologist which is expected. However after the notes they said they'll decide if I can continue working there or not. Can I be fired for having a seizure???

EDIT: I'm in the US, live in Massachusetts

Answer:
 State matters here.

If you can't physically do your job, even with reason accommodations, than yes, you can be fired. Not for cause, so you can apply for unemployment. Answer #2: The USA is a union of many states, each with their own laws. You'll have to be more specific.


Title: What are the Canadian laws on homemade sailboats?

Question:
Like if me and some friends built a raft or something with a sail, no engine, and tossed it into lake ontario, what would happen?

Do I need a licence? Should I expect the navy?
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 While many children dream of Tom Sawyer-esque living, don’t think about it on the Great Lakes. Living on a Great Lake or two away from you, an 8 am lake of glass can become a ten am stormy sea. Your nearby sail club offers sailing classes for eight and up. Have your parents sign you up in the Spring.

TLDR: always wear an approved life jacket on a boat.


Title: HOA Board attempting to change the Covenants to block me from renting my home as an AirBnB after I have already listed it and have renters.(Florida)

Question:
Does anyone have any experience with this? When I moved in, I signed the HOA CCnRs that did not have any restrictions on rentals. I'm the only home in the neighborhood who has chosen to rent my home (only six months of the year while I'm deployed) and a neighbor found out and petitioned to have the covenants changed. It's in the works to change the covenants now, while I am deployed.

Wouldn't I be grandfathered in? Is this something I could pursue in court as punitive restriction since it is solely geared towards me being I am the only one who chose to rent my home and they are blocking me specifically?

Answer:
 If the covenants change, they'll apply to you unless something's very weird.

Consider your neighbors' viewpoint: they have a quiet neighborhood, and they don't want a bunch of randos coming in and out at all hours wrecking the place.