Title: Can a 19 year old take a minor across state lines for vacation with consent from only one parent?

Question:
This is for a vacation. We are dating. Her parents are married but they haven't lived together for a couple years. They are not legally separated, they are catholic so they never got divorced. Her father is absolutely okay with it but her mother wouldn't be at all. I am wondering if we just need her fathers consent or both parents? My plan was to get written consent from her father and get it notarized. So ican be covered. But i also want to ask you guys.

She recently moved out of her mothers house a couple weeks ago because her mom was mentally abusing her and making her life hell. She also hates me. If that helps. Thanks.

Less

Answer:
 Could you end up in jail for taking a minor across state lines with the (assumed) intent to have sex, yeah. That is a crime. And if dad agrees and mom doesnt: you shouldnt do it. Because mom can call the police on you. Answer #2: Why risk it? You DO NOT want to go to federal prison for transporting a minor across state line for sex. All it takes is a judge wanting to prove a point. Remember those 14 year olds a couple years ago who were texting explicit photos of themselves to their same age boyfriend/girlfriend and got charged and convicted with distributing kiddy porn?? So totally not worth it. Answer #3: Several people have given you answers that boil down to "this is a bad idea, and could cause you all kinds of trouble". That may be true, but I would like to give a different answer:

Doing this would not actually violate any laws. Having a document from one parent will absolutely help if there is any question \-\- as they are married, either parent has the right to give you permission to transport their daughter. \(Which can also be withdrawn by the other parent: if mom shows up, hand over the daughter immediately!\) Could it cause problems? Yes. ANYTHING \-\- even just walking across the street \-\- COULD cause problems, and police are especially sensitive to what they fear might be a child abduction. But bringing a 16\-yr\-old along with you on a vacation when you have her father's permission is NOT against the law.


Title: Tx - ex took dog after breakup. I have paperwork. What do I do?

Question:
So my ex and I split, and we previously agreed to split time with the dog. She would have him for a couple weeks, then I would. On the move out date she woke up before me and took him to her new apartment. We moved, and she told me then to not contact her even about the dog, and blocked me on everything.

He is an akc registered pure breed. I bought him with cash. I have since tried to contact the breeder but I believe she has since passed away.
I have the original pre registration form from the breeder with only my name on it, I have his actual pedigree, his registration certificate (has both our names on it), but I also have his microchip information which is registered to me only. I always paid half of the vet bills as well.

I believe my only advantage may be his microchip implant, and the pre registration form showing that I was the original buyer. What can I do to get my dog back? Would a police officer be able to take these credentials and get the dog back? I am trying to avoid court, but I will do whatever it takes to get my dog back.

Answer:
 The police will tell you it is a civil issue.

Your recourse is to sue her in small claims court for the value of the dog.  (Without getting into a mostly theoretical discussion about which jurisdictions might allow "Replevin" cases of an animal)

Be thankful that the plan to split time with the dog did not go through.  That would have been a disaster.


Title: 16 year old niece coming to live with us for the next two years.

Question:
My wife and I (and our two year old) are open to the idea. Her mother and younger brother are moving out of state in June and my niece would like to stay in this state to finish high school and go to college. Her father passed away many years ago.

 I'm assuming a power of attorney will be an absolute minimum requirement so that we can handle health/school issues without her parent present. Are there other legal steps we should take to protect ourselves?  Her mother has indicated that she will help out with some of the daily expenses, but the details haven't been hashed out yet. My niece owns her own car, but I may have to put her on my insurance.

She's a good girl and I don't expect trouble from her, but I can't help but think there has to be more to it than a simple power of attorney.

Thanks

Edit: Location - Colorado

Edit2: Thanks for the advice on guardianship. I will definitely pursue that. Anything else we should consider?

Answer: You should get temporary guardianship of her. You'll be able to make school and health (and general parenting) decisions with it.


Title: (Ontario) ex girlfriend is dictating when I can see my son and saying I should feel lucky.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Time to visit family Court.

Need to get the visitations in writing. Answer #2: You have no orders.  It means anarchy and chaos and you can both play games with each other til the cows come home.

Get ye to court.Answer #3: You need to go to court. Then you can have scheduled visitation time.


Title: My brother died. My dad wants to keep his business going. His manager is refusing meetings and keeping keys and cash. Now what?

Question:
My little brother had a little business where he lived that had 2 locations. He hated running it after a few years and finally just let one of his employees manage it for the last 6 weeks. He died 2 weeks ago, and now I guess the business is owned by my father, who was the only investor. Its a cash business, so as far as I can see, there is a lot of bad cash controls, but the primary issue is that this manager person thinks she's in charge now and will not come to meetings or handover keys.

Its really not a lot of money, and its more of a headache than the business is worth, but my father feels loyalty to my brother to make it work. Neither of us even live in the STATE that this business is in. What kind of steps do we have to do to legally get this manager out of there if she doesn't meet/turn over keys, etc. My father would like to keep the business going for some reason, so I am going to end up fixing it or selling it, but we need to know how we officially proceed. There was no will or anything. Thanks!

Edit: the business is in Austin Tx

P.S.: this is all so gross. Please make a will even if you're young.

Answer:
 First, I am very sorry for your loss.

Not legal advice, but a better way to handle this would be to have you slide in while she's still there under the guise of you being part of her team.  Make her feel comfortable.  She most likely knows a lot about the business you and your father don't.  Take a few weeks to learn every single thing you can from her both on the front end and in the back office.  Do the same with any other employees and get a feel for the employee relationships.  She might end up being valuable.  If not, you can fire her after you've gotten all the information you need from her.

Was this a sole proprietorship, an llc, a s corp?  You will probably need to retain a lawyer in the business' area to help you with the legal transfer.

Hope there's a useful nugget of information buried somewhere in there that helps a bit.

Answer #2: I'm very sorry for your loss.

You want a probate attorney.

As a general rule, the administrator of your brother's estate is the one who ends up with immediate control of the assets while the estate is being probated. In other words, the first step is generally to get an administrator appointed by the court.  The administrator can then get rid of the manager.

My understanding is that's a pretty fast process, but I don't do that area of law.  For a probate attorney here in Austin, you're probably looking at a few thousand dollars (assuming the estate isn't otherwise contested).


Title: Girlfriend running away from home, what am I allowed to do?

Question:
My girlfriend lives in Ontario, Canada, and I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is 18 years old. Her entire family is abusive and toxic, and her father is going to send her away to her home country as soon as she finishes high school. Previously, her father was going to let her stay in Canada to get a post-secondary education, but after a recent fight, he said, essentially "You are now under my complete control. You will not get an education, you will not get a job, you will be sent home and be married off to the highest bidder." She has no hope for a future if she stays.

I offered to let her live with me and my parents, and she decided that is the best course of action. I have paid for a plane ticket for next week. She will not be informing her parents of her decision (or anyone else for that matter), as they would likely react by beating her senseless and forcing her to leave for her home country immediately.

I have done lots of research online, and I have found that in both Nova Scotia and Ontario, you can choose where you want to live from the age of 16, regardless of parental consent. However, I have also read that if you are a minor, and the family that you run away to helps you to run away (e.g. paying for a plane ticket), the family may face criminal charges.

So my questions are, since she is an adult in Ontario, but not legally an adult here in Nova Scotia, will we be facing any criminal charges? Is there anything else that is illegal going on here? Is there anything else that needs to be taken care of before or after she comes here?
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Not sure about Canada, but in the US when this happens at 18, it’s not “running away,” it’s “moving out.”


Title: What if my husband wants nothing to do with our kids!

Question:
Hypothetically what if we have a divorce and he wants absolutely nothing to do with our children after the divorce. What are the legal precautions that should be taken to ensure this?

[AL, USA]

Answer: Are you trying to ensure that he *does* spend time with your kids or that he doesn't? You can't do the first, and you need really really good reasons (beyond just not being a great dad) to make the second happen.Answer #2: There are no precautions to take. If you get divorced file.for child support.  He will have to pay that. If he wants to see the kids he will request custody or visitation.


Title: Been waiting 90 days for CPS to come inspect my house and close case. I want to know my rights.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >She says she is very busy and didnt consider our son to be in danger,

This is a good thing, it means that when she does show up she's not going to be looking super hard for any infraction and its probably gonna be all right.

Fighting her will probably make her have to go more by the book and make things harder for everyone.

CPS is already an overworked and underfunded job normally, and PR is in a huge debts crisis right now right?

Im sorry, but you'll likely just have to tough it out. Answer #2: CPS worker here. Them not coming to your home right away is a good thing. Yes it's frustrating to wait, but that's because they are busy with REAL abuse cases and apparently they don't believe yours is. The more noise you make about getting your file closed will give cause for them to wonder why you are so anxious for this to happen. What are you hiding? Just wait patiently  it's your best defence.


Title: NY based company failed to provide a service

Question:
I am in Italy. I bought something online from a company in New York and was promised delivery within 12 hours. I have begged and complained repeatedly for more than 30 days and still not got what I paid for.

I have thought of suing, but it does cost a bit. Is there a regulatory board or something that I could report to before I consider suing? If I were to sue, what would I sue for - would it be misrepresentation?
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: Have you tried doing a charge back on your credit card?


Title: Work is requiring attendance at the company Christmas party, it will not be paid, and not attending "may result in disciplinary action". What should I do? Oregon

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Haha don't you love mandatory fun events? I would seriously just not show up. My time isn't free.


Title: Can I get a paternity test on myself?

Question:
Hi, I'm 16 y/o and have good reason to think my mom and dad aren't my real parents. I had a much older sister who killed herself when I was 6. She was 26 when she died. All of her stuff is in the basement in boxes. I don't remember too much about her honestly and it makes me sad sometimes. My parents don't talk much about her. There's a painting in our house that she painted. It's a very nice painting of a swamp. It's my favorite thing. I decided to go looking through all of her stuff mostly for more pictures. What I found was a bunch of notebooks of writing she did mostly poetry. I felt weird reading them at first because they were mostly about her depression then I read this one that was about how she had a baby and someone took him away. It's really short and I didn't really understand it like a lot of it seemed metaphorical I guess is the word. Anyways I asked my mom if she ever had a baby and my mom was real weird about it she wanted to know why I would ask that. I said idk I just found some stuff in the basement and was curious. She got real mad at me and told me not to snoop and said she didn't have kids. Well I started thinking about it. I am the spitting image of my sister but I don't look like my mom or dad. I casually asked my mom to see my birth certificate the next day and she got mad again and wouldn't let me see it.

TLDR I think my dead sister is my real mom. In Florida btw.

Answer:
 I would tell your parents that you found the stuff in the basement and have a rational, adult conversation with them about what you found. Remember that it's much more likely that they are your real parents and that they don't want to talk about their dead daughter. The hypothesis that makes the least assumptions should be chosen, per Occam's Razor. Good luck!Answer #2: Can you get a copy of your birth certificate from the town hall? I am not in FL but here it would cost $3 for a copy.

Also, if you have a good relationship with your parents, talk to them. And remember that regardless of whether they are your bio parents or not, they chose to raise you.

Also also, losing a child is horrible. They likely experienced profound trauma. If your sister did have a child (you or someone else) that got taken away from her, there could be even more trauma. I would suggest seeing if you can arrange to see a therapist either alone or as a family if things start getting rough.

Good luck!Answer #3: In some states you can order a copy of your birth certificate online by putting in information you likely have and paying a fee.


Title: My parents filed for SSI disability for me as a teen, I got denied (am now 20) and the judge said horrible things about my character, will that hurt my chance of employment in law enforcement?

Question:
I'm in the United States. I did not want disability but I was very sick with an undermanaged autoimmune disorder that does still keep me at doctors appts every week. However, I am getting better with new doctors and treatments and am now going to college.
Issue is work: SSI judge said I was a "liar" and other horrible things I'm nervous that future employers (including maybe firms or law enforcement agencies, I'm studying criminology and I'm really liking the classes, if I get healthier I was thinking about law school too but that is far away) will see this in a background check and not want to hire me, what can I do? Is is a real problem or am I worried about nothing?

I wasn't a liar, and I wrote to appeals court but I have not heard back from them so I assume I better just accept the bad judgement, no matter how embarrassing it is.

Answer: No one will ever see the ALJ's opinionAnswer #2: This is not going to come up in a criminal background check.


Title: Im being charged of assaulting a police officer with a weapon

Question:
Okay first of all I wanna say that I know what I did was very stupid and reckless and I wish I didn’t do that but it happened and I really need someone’s advice on the situation. Yesterday night I got drunk at the club and at some point I went outside and I threw an almost empty can of pepsi towards a group of police officers that were annoying people coming out of the club from a distance. Im not sure if I really hit one of them, if I did it was on someone’s leg/feet. I wasnt aiming for the officers, I was aiming for the ground close to them. They didnt see me and I went on with my night, couple of hours later I ran into them and they grabbed me and arrested me saying they saw me on some camera footage. I cooperated they put me in the back of the car and said they were charging me with assaulting a police officer with a weapon. I think thats a pretty serious charge and I’m wondering what I should do

Thank you
Topic:
Canada

Answer: this is a very serious charge. You need to get an attorney as soon as possible.


Title: [TX] I think my coworker's lying about a vasectomy. Questioning the legality of his story.

Question:
So a while back I worked with this dude in a retail shop where the majority of our customers are families, or parents shopping for children. I was just a regular associate and my shift had been with another associate and the manager. My manager, when no one was around to hear, always talked about how much he hated kids. One night when we were all closing the store together, he told us that he hates children so much that he had a vasectomy. My coworker asks "When?" and I can't remember the date he gave, but he said he'd been having some sort of medical procedure done on his genital area, and before going under, asked the surgeon "Is it possible for you to perform and bill me for a vasectomy today?" To which the surgeon asked, "Are you sure?" And my manager replied, "Yeah I mean. You're already gonna be down there ya know?" And the rest is history. He was 29 at the time of telling us this, about to turn 30.

So I kinda repressed that memory until recently when I worked with him again. I do feel like he acts a bit inappropriately in the workplace and don't exactly trust him. I remembered the story he gave about that and wonder...is a spontaneous vasectomy legal? Can you have one done at 29 or younger? I've always had suspicions that he was a compulsive liar so this would be interesting to learn about.

Also as a bonus question, if you lie to someone about having a vasectomy and then have unprotected sex, what are the consequences if it results in pregnancy? I never intend to have sex with him but he talks all the time about dating girls and having girlfriends, so I'm wondering what the outcome would be in that kind of situation.

Answer:
 This is the weirdest post I've seen in a while. Why do you care?

> Can you have one done at 29 or younger?

Sure. My uncle had one done when he returned from Korea, he was 20. Said he didn't want to bring any children into this "messed up mess of a world we made a mess of."

Takes about an hour and is outpatient surgery.

> if you lie to someone about having a vasectomy and then have unprotected sex, what are the consequences if it results in pregnancy?

If the pregnancy produces a baby you are the father of the baby and pay for the baby, maybe take it to a ballgame or two.


Title: What is my course of action?

Question: So I met this new drug dealer for bud. He seemed chill at first and I picked up from him once. A small amount (2g). I was looking to pick up more so I bought a "half" from his cousin who he middle manned for and it cost 150$. I realized after I scaled it out it was not 14g and only 9.5g. Then I called out the bastard and he was all chill saying I can bring it back to him and he'll get his cousin to give me back the money in exchange for the bud. I give him the bud and he goes to meet his cousin, doesn't show back up and takes the bud and the money. I called him out again and said if I don't get the money back I'll have to get somebody else involved. Reddit you're that someone. What would be the trouble I'd get in if I brought in the legal forces? What would he get in to? How hard would it be to get it all done?

Answer:
 Ooo - it's been months since we had one of these "my drug dealer cheated me posts - can I report him to the cops?"

Answer: this is what happens when you deal with people who break the law for a living. I'd ask you what you think might happen if you turned him into the cops, but simply by asking the question I have to assume, that you're not exactly on the ball, so I'll tell you: you will get arrested. The dealer **might** get arrested, but you most certainly will and you won't get your money or your drugs.Answer #2: LOL! You got jacked, fool! TWICE!Answer #3: Sorry, but contracts to perform illegal actions aren't enforceable.


Title: I saw someone in my yard shortly before my neighbor's house caught on fire. Should I contact someone?

Question: Around an hour ago I heard a loud bang outside my window, right near my shed. I looked out the window and saw a tall, male silhouette sprinting through my yard, towards the road. Then I heard a car taking off. A couple minutes later I found out the place a few trailers down had caught on fire. I suspect arson. Should I contact somebody and tell them what I saw? And if I should, who should I contact?

Answer:
 When you have evidence of a crime you call the police.Answer #2: >Edit 3: I'll call the police tomorrow.

What's the matter with you?  CALL THEM RIGHT NOW.  Why would you possibly wait to do that?  If someone had witnessed a crime against you, would you want them just chilling on the info?

CALL.  THE POLICE.  NOW.Answer #3: Call the police. Is the house still burning..? If so you should probably call emergency services Answer #4: Wtf, just call them, it'll take around 15 minutes and you won't get in trouble for not reporting it earlier. And like somebody else said, wouldn't you want somebody who saw a crime happen to you to call the police?Answer #5: Why call tomorrow? You should wait a week and post questions on Reddit.Answer #6: When you see anything like this you REPORT IT TO 911 at once. What if it was your place?Answer #7: Call them now, what is wrong with you?


Title: Virginia. Game Warden gave me a violation of Game Dept. Posted Rules. I can't just pay the fine. I have to go to court. What should i expect?

Question: So i was going out on the river the other day with a bunch of friends and obviously we were drinking.  We are all of age, college students.  We walked down the ramp to where we were launching our rafts and a few of us had open beers.  We didn't see the game warden until it was too late and he came over and issued four of us tickets.  He gave us the talk and then said we were cooperative and he was gonna charge us with "Violation of Game Dept. Posted Rules" (4Vac15-40-280) so we didn't have to have an alcohol charge.  I went to the court office, tried to pay the fine, and they said i could not pay it and that i would want to go to court because this is a misdemeanor and if found guilty i will have to put this on job applications, etc.  So, court is Wednesday at 9:30 i don't have a lawyer and I have no idea what i am supposed to say when the judge asks me what i did.  Do i tell him we were drinking?  What posted rule did i actually break?  What is my best move?

Answer:
 The code you cite makes it a misdemeanor to use public land for an unapproved use.  Drinking is not listed as an approved use.

You're charged with a criminal offense, which as you note has permanent consequences, and you should absolutely call a lawyer ASAP.  A lawyer would talk to you about what evidence you could present, ways to reduce the punishment, and whether it makes sense to plead guilty or not. If you decide not to talk to a lawyer, the best I can tell you is that the judge won't ask you what you did—or at least can't force you to answer, as you have a right to not incriminate yourself.  The arresting/citing officer should be there to present the evidence against you.


Title: My mom is cheating on my dad

Question:
My mom is cheating on my dad, my mom has been drinking heavily everyday and insulting us everyday and tries to get us to break down. She has been yelling about divorce but does nothing about it. I'm afraid that when I tell my dad they will but that not the problem.

The problem is I'm afraid she will get our house and try to get custody of me. My mother is an abusive manipulative liar, I'm afraid she'll like to get her way. We live on 7 acres of land in a 3 story house and I like it here but don't want her to get it if she tries to ruin everything and I especially don't want anything to do with her. What do I do?

(Sorry for bad Grammer I'm using a phone)

Answer: Unfortunately, what you want to happen with your parents' property in the event of their divorce is of no consequence.Answer #2: How old are you?


Title: Do I have standing to sue the makers of the Ninja Blender for false advertisement?

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer: Does the advertising make any promises of quiet operation?


Title: Check deposited twice online. What should I do?

Question: Hello first time Reddit user here. This may or may not be the right thread to go to but I'll spill anyway. I recently received a check from my place of employment, I deposited it online using the picture taking service with my bank, for some reason it kept freezing and saying it wasn't going through so I had to take the pictures and submit it several times. I waited a while for the check to show up in my account and found that it had been deposited twice. I'm not sure what to do about it, my friend said he wouldn't say anything, but I'm worried I might be charged with fraud or something if I don't correct it, even though it was the banks fault. The place I work is a disorganized mess of a business and I not sure what the odds of them looking at the statement and noticing are. Morals aside, should I say something to the bank? What are the chances they try to pursue me over an accident? (Iowa)

Answer: Call the bank, get it straightened out. You're not going to get to keep the money once they figure it out.


Title: Doctor exposed patient details

Question:
Hi all from Colorado!
So I'm new to posting in fact this throwaway is my first Reddit account. Please be patient with me.
A Doctors office here whose focus is trans care just emailed me about how they are updating things administratively. All fine and good but it appears they cc'd all the patients in what seems like a simple "oops, checked the wrong box" situation. We(patients) are now in this gmail group. Thankfully some accounts were obvious throwaways but others were clearly real. In shock, I could not help but click through and was able to see what some patients did this past weekend by ending up on some of their social media links.
Thinking it may not be so bad since it's a positive community here and was sent to patients. Here's the kicker though. I am not a patient. I simply emailed/called around feeling options. So it wasn't just patients they emailed. There are nearly 600 people listed in the email.

I really don't have any other info to give because it's personal for so many. This feels very wrong but I'm stuck on feeling like no way did this just happen.
On my part I don't know where I fall. My account is not linked to "me" but my identity in the community. Thankfully I kept most of my personal info off of it. I use it for anything trans related mostly.

Thank you for your time and advice!

Edit: Forgot to say I emailed them right back and told them what they have just done to their patients and others. What hurts the most is this is one of those horrors people in the community worry about all the time especially starting out. I hope it is not giving out too much private info but my heart dropped when I saw one was in highschool

Answer:
 You can let the office know they made this mistake and to be more careful in the future.

If you wanted, you could file a HIPAA complaint against them. You won't get anything out of it but the office may get audited and fined heavily if this is determined to be a violation.

Which way you go would depend on if your end goal is to help them to correct this for the future or make them suffer for their mistake.


Title: URGENT Someone was told I served them a civil subpoena when I did not

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Don't sign any paperwork that says you did something you didn't do.  That paperwork will be filed with the court, and you could face charges for perjury.


Title: Former coworker said the N word at a get together. I shared this story with someone at her current agency. Story got shared and pointed to me as a source. Many people at her work heard it. Her boss called my boss...

Question:
Now my boss is attempting to handle it. Our agencies work together. Think the realms of education, law enforcement, social work, etc.. There is a lot of crossover work.

1. I don’t care that I shared it.
2. I shared it during a professional setting, tho we were having a private, personal conversation.
3. I’m asking legal advice because my boss said it could tie into my upcoming appraisal.
4. What if I actually got fired?
5. There’s nothing in my conduct policy against this.

My belief is that it happened in personal time. I shared a personal conversation. The person that said the N word is trying to get me in trouble and/or fired. If you don’t want your personal stuff shared, don’t invite your coworkers or community peers into your private life. You carry that responsibility.

Am I wrong? If I lose my job, do I have legal recourse?

Answer:
 You can be fired for any reason other that your membership in a protected class. Or no reason at all.

Making drama at work by gossiping about coworkers or people with whom there is a business relationship is not protected. Your employer may govern their actions based on this event.


Title: In the civilian world, my husband and I would be able to sue for negligence that resulted in serious psychiatric problems in my step-children and derailed both our careers. But can we take action against the military? (SC)

Question:
TL;DR: Military officers and civilians employed by army offices enabled Soldier's documented mentally-ill wife to abscond with their children with their negligent execution of their job duties.  This eventually derailed his career, as well as mine, and put the kids under some serious mental duress. I know it's hard to sue the military for personal injuries sustained in military jobs, but can't find any information on an issue like this.  Should we even bother consulting with an attorney, or will it be a waste of time?

I'll try to keep this short.  I just want opinions on whether or not we should even bother contacting an attorney over this.  Any input appreciated!

Here are the basics... Ask me anything for clarification.

*Soldier is assaulted by his wife in 2012 and is arrested for domestic battery in the third degree.  Soldier notifies the proper channels in the army and the assault is recorded by Family Advocacy (the army's version of CPS).

*One year later when soldier is at a duty station where he has supports in place to assist him with childcare, he takes physical custody of their children and refuses to send them back to his wife because they had been emotionally abused and neglected.  They have no legal custody agreement so this is 100% legal.  IMPORTANT NOTE: She lives over 1,000 miles away from his duty station.

*Soldier informs chain of command of all issues.  Provides CoC with documentation of his wife's mental disorders, physical ailments, and a record of the FAP report, her arrest report, and court documents.  CoC indicated they understood and that they would work with him the best they could to accommodate his emergency family situation but that he's still be expected to work.  Soldier was assured that his schedule could be altered because he was a COOK and there are several different work shifts available to cooks.

*When Soldier's wife figures out he is keeping the kids, she calls his CoC incessantly. She calls FAP incessantly.  She sets up a meeting with FAP that SHE is supposed to attend and Soldier is supposed to attend.  NO ONE INFORMS SOLDIER THAT SHE HAS DONE THIS, AND THAT HER PRESENCE IS EXPECTED AT THE MEETING.

*On the day of the meeting, I watch his kids while he attends.  On the way to the meeting, his direct officer asks where his wife is.  Soldier responds, "1,000 miles away from here."  DIRECT OFFICER SAYS NOTHING.  DIRECT OFFICER **KNEW** HIS WIFE WAS IN TOWN.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Remember, all his CoC knew he'd been the victim of domestic battery, and the record was available in the army database that FAP had access to.

*Soldier arrives at the meeting.  Meeting begins.  His wife is not present.  STILL NO ONE MENTIONS TO HIM THAT HIS WIFE IS IN TOWN.  Meanwhile, his wife is staking out my apartment, waiting for me to leave the residence with the kids.  When I do, she blocks me in and removes the children from my vehicle with barely a word to me. I could not do anything because she legally had access to the kids, even though I wanted to stop her.  I call Soldier and he races home while on the phone with 911.

*Soldier arrives back, with a police officer behind him (who started following him because he was driving like a crazy person on city streets trying to get to us before his wife left).  Tell police officer what happened, but there is nothing he can do since there is no legal agreement.

*Soldier goes back up to base to inform CoC and FAP what happened.  He also goes by the Army Community Services Center to ask a woman who worked there if she had seen his wife as they knew each other.  ACS worker denies any contact with his wife.  BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT SHE OFFERED TO HOUSE HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN WHILE SHE WAS IN TOWN AND HAD SPOKEN WITH HER ON THE PHONE MULTIPLE TIMES THAT DAY AND THE DAY BEFORE.  WHEN SOLDIER'S WIFE LEFT MY APARTMENT, SHE WENT STRAIGHT TO THIS ACS WORKER'S HOME AND STAYED OVERNIGHT.

*Soldier got temporary legal custody of his kids two months later and that was finalized a year later, but by then he had been let go from the military because of his family conflicts and because no one would agree to serve as guardian of his kids if he had to go to the field, deploy, or go to a special training program.  I refused because the army had basically enabled his wife to pull this crap which resulted in further mental damages to my (now) step-kids, and I was worried she would do something again if she knew Soldier was gone for an extended period of time.

HAD THE ARMY OFFICIALS AND CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES INFORMED SOLDIER PROPERLY, HAD THEY READ HIS FILE TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WIFE'S DOCUMENTED MENTAL ILLNESS, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.  OUR LIVES HAVE COMPLETELY BEEN DISRUPTED UNNECESSARILY AND MY STEP-KIDS WERE EXPOSED TO FURTHER MENTAL STRESS BECAUSE OF THEIR NEGLIGENCE (and they have been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, so this little episode damaged them more than it would most children who don't have this disorder).

CAN WE POSSIBLY TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE ARMY FOR ANY OR ALL OF THESE INCIDENTS?  DO WE NEED TO FILE AN ADMINISTRATIVE CLAIM BEFORE DOING ANYTHING AT ALL (we have two years to file an administrative claim, right?  So we need to move on this as the "kidnapping" episode happened in July 2013)>

Please let me know if you can shed any light on this at all.

Thank you.

Answer:
 First: FAP is not CPS by any stretch of the imagination.

Second: CoC and the military are not family court. Dad should have filed for custody.

The army has no responsibility here. They did nothing legally wrong. The father should have gotten custody then none of this would have happened. If mother was so bad he could have gotten a military or civilian RO.

edit: the person that caused the harm was the mother. You can try to sue her for emotional distress if you really want to sue someone


Title: My friend got charges for intention to sell , thrown on him after being pulled over in hist vehicle with 4 separate concentrate containers and a scale

Question: So my friend was driving home the other night in south LA when a sheriffs car pullled up behind him and flashed his lights so my friend (lets call him x ) pulls over, when the officers walk up tho the window and after asking for license and registration they proceed to get him out of the car. When X asked why he had been initially pulled over the officers said the would figure out in just a moment they asked if they can search the car X clearly told them NO. The officer claimed to smell weed and said he would search the car anyway . Keep in mind X does have s recomendstion for marijuana in the state of CA . So they searched the car and came across 4 separate jars of concentrate (marijuana wax) they also come across a small scale that X had in the car . In all honesty X only has the concentrate for personal use . The scale is slso only for weighing marijuana when X gets it from a dispensary to make sure he's recieved your correct weight on your medication . He told the officer these two things that i know for a fact are true X is no drug dealer . So heres the thing he went to jail that night for about a week with a felony charge of cintention to sell/distrubute that concentrate when it is for personal use . He was released from jail and has court on may 5th . How should X prepare himself to fight this ? The search was initially without his consent . What should he do to fight the case ? There is no evidence that he sells ? The only thing they have is the scsle and concentrate? If he goes to jail he will have a felony and they would be throwing an innocent man in jail. Whst should he do ?

Answer:
 >s recomendstion for marijuana in the state of CA

No idea wtf that means.

>How should X prepare himself to fight this ?

He should hire a criminal defense attorney.

>The search was initially without his consent

The officer smelled weed. He has probable cause to search the vehicle, even if your friend doesn't "consent"

>The only thing they have is the scsle and concentrate?

Are you having trouble typing this out? It is really hard to follow what you're trying to get across. Having four jars of wax and a scale *looks* like gear a dealer would have. He needs to try and demonstrate *why* he has that gear.

>If he goes to jail he will have a felony and they would be throwing an innocent man in jail. Whst should he do ?

He should hire a criminal defense attorney. Answer #2: >How should X prepare himself to fight this ?

Get a criminal defense attorney.

>The search was initially without his consent . What should he do to fight the case ?

The officer smelled marijuana (and was right about it). His consent does not matter.

>There is no evidence that he sells ?

In most states if you have at least a certain amount and a scale, it counts as intent to distribute. Doesn't matter if he actually was going to. Answer #3: He should get an attorney.  That's his only shot here.


Title: How do I Nullify a Last Will and Testament postmortem of my abused grandmother without disrupting her in her last few months of life? TN

Question:
My grandmother (‘Beth’) is being financially abused by her power-of-attorney caretaker (‘Jon’) and signed a Will that designates him as Executor of the Will and the primary beneficiary of all real-estate and property (an estimated $300,000 value). She is convinced she wouldn’t be alive if he was not caring for her, when really, anybody caretaker, family member, or friend could have stepped in to care without all the financial abuse and isolation happening.

My grandmother ‘Beth’ is 92 and lives alone in her home in Tennessee. She is in poor health overall and uses a walker, only staying in the far wing of the home that gives her access to a living room for TV, a bathroom, and a bedroom. She has 2 children and 6 grandchildren, including me. She has weekday hospice visits every morning by a staff member for basic things like showers and check-ups that recently started a few weeks ago since a doctor estimated her to have 4 months left to live.

Since 3 years ago, ‘Jon’, in his mid-40s who works in the daytime as a city clerk, checks on her every evening and does basic house chores and caretaking things for Beth and cooking a ready-made meal for dinner. Jon has no family relation to Beth. Jon asked to step in as a caretaker through an ex of a family friend, so he is quite removed. Our family didn’t question the decision and went along with it at the time since he lived in closest proximity to Beth.

I’ve been visiting my grandmother every year for the past few years for a week at a time, and I’ve noticed more and more stuff of value missing each time; family pictures removed, pictures of Jon and his family are being replaced in Beth’s accessible field of vision from her recliner where she sits most the day. Beth’s brother is 88 and disabled himself, but tries to make a visit every week, but he is only allowed to come while Jon is present.

Beth made it very clear to me that she wants her current lifestyle preserved, where she gets to stay in home where she would like to pass away when the time is right, and have Jon remain as her caretaker in the evening, and for ‘no drama’ to happen while she is still alive.

Two months ago, I suspected something was happening after Jon changed the locks right before Beth went to the hospital. I live in Washington State, so I was only able to plan a trip later during her recovery in a nursing rehabilitation home, and I was there for Beth on the day she got out and stayed with her for a week to help her recover in her home. When I arrived, Jon was there, exhausted from ‘cleaning’ the place. Beth asked about her gun collection, which numbers over one-dozen prized firearms from her late-husband’s collection. Jon later said he took them into safekeeping and cannot return them because ‘he’s too busy’.

I got curious and decided to snoop through her stuff for the first time since I had been visiting. I found Beth’s financial statements. I discovered Jon had been siphoning $4,000 a month from her through cash withdrawals, which is $3,000 more than her previous caretaker was taking out for monthly expenses, and not leaving any receipts. In addition, direct checks written to Jon amounting to around $45,000, including a note written for a ‘new car’ and tire purchases and tens of thousands in debit card expenditures. I scanned the statements and check copies.

Then I found and read the Last Will and Testament of Beth dated last year. It leaves nothing of value to any of her children or grandchildren, while designating Jon as Executor of the Will and inherits all properties and assets. Needless to say, with the guns missing, the frequent cash withdrawals, direct checks, and primarily the inheritor of the estate as executor, I was furious now recognizing that my grandmother has been the victim of elder financial abuse. This also explains why she has been difficult to contact and not everything family had been sending to her had been received.

I called my grandmother a few days after I left TN, and she said she didn’t want anybody over but Jon, and that everybody was out to get her stuff, and that Jon had returned the guns (I presume to ‘keep’ them away from me taking them and convince my grandmother that they were being kept ‘safe’ for her, then give them back as ‘proof’ that I was out to get them?). Even though she gave me a new key to the house and said I could live there and stay forever, she went from trusting me to not wanting to talk to me on the phone, and also wanted her brother to stop visiting. I feel like I already know Jon must had played a role in convincing her that her family is after her stuff, when really, Jon had been pulling off a con the entire time.

I recorded a conversation during my visit with her in which she said that she was very vulnerable at the time she signed the Will, and she said she would like to draft another Will someday. I asked her what she would want in a will, and she said she would like for her grandchildren to have her estate, and her children are already on her life insurance policies as beneficiaries. I doubt that she will ever have access to an attorney to complete that process, as Jon is power-of-attorney. I have already contacted a mandated reporter from the hospice care who is doing their own investigation, but I do not believe they will be able to gather all the evidence that I have gathered to make a proper case indicating abuse, nor recover anything stolen, nor be able to stop the Will from being processed. They made a mistake by contacting Jon himself that there might be a conflict of interests. When that happened while I was there in Beth’s home, he lashed out at me in anger and yelled directly face-to-face in front of my grandmother giving her no chance to escape. She said ‘I want my guns back’ which Jon said he was too busy. Coincidentally, I had my mobile phone in my pocket and sound recorded the exchange.

I looked at the Will carefully and found that the attorney who processed the will was a personal friend to Jon. In addition, the attorney signed herself as a witness to the Will as well as her own sister as the 2nd witness! (TN requires 2 witnesses be present). I looked up the attorney and there are already 3 censures on her record for ethical and professional misconducts. I looked up the American Bar organization which stated that Conflicts of Undue Influence can potentially invalidate a will as though the person never drafted a will, and by default, would go to the next-of-kin (children/grandchildren).

**Here’s the deal**: I wish to grant my grandmother her right to die as she chooses, in her home, with Jon as her caretaker (as abusive as it is), and without any drama in her life. It is only after she passes that I would like to throw the full weight of the law on her and possibly fight on behalf of the estate for her family. I don’t quite understand how Probate Court works, or how to press charges post-mortem for elder abuse or financial crimes, or if removal of firearms by anybody from someone’s home against their will post-mortem is a federal crime.

What can I do to best prepare for that time when my grandmother passes away, so that I can legally press all possible charges against Jon for his abusive conduct, theft, and invalidate the Last Will? A Will she stated was signed at a time she felt vulnerable, which I have a sound recording of her saying that. Would he get in trouble if he removes/steals the firearms immediately upon her death? Any help would be appreciated, and **I will do updates too!** ~The Grandson Guardian (edit: formatting)

**Edit 1**: Conservatorship or taking away Power of Attorney are not options. I can't do anything that would disrupt the care she is currently receiving in the way that she wants it. Jon has already demonstrated his emotional outbursts and if he feels threatened, he might take it out on her, which I do not want anything bad to happen, and she's made it clear she does not want to leave or go into any nursing home. To give you an idea of her solitude, she bought the neighbor's house and the property next-door just so she wouldn't have neighbors to deal with.

**Edit 2**: On my grandmother's mental state: She has progressively declining memory and cognition and is easily emotionally manipulated. During every meal after I've cooked for her, she would say 'You're a great cook, I ought to hire you!' but say that a few times each a few minutes apart as though it was the first time she said it. She has a social worker who visits once every other week that specializes in providing therapy for those with severe memory and dementia. During the same day, sometimes she will repeat the same Depression-Era story of how she wore clothing made from potato sacks. When asking her a question, she might answer it, or she might go off on complete tangents talking about the depression or world war II.

Also, 'caretaker' is a bit too misleading a word for Jon because that suggests he actually 'cares', more like housekeeper with a bit of physical care for those needs. I don't believe Jon has ever sat down and listened to my grandmother's stories, which cheers her up to talk about them. I'm a therapist by trade and I shared the recording with a psychiatrist family member who also agrees that these are all the signs of emotional abuse and isolation (we're both mandated reporters and know the signs), not counting the financial abuse. I recently talked to a family that Jon has previously had their late father/grandfather taken care of by him, and Jon had got their father to sign a new will that gave Jon the lion's share of the estate (he was there for only a few months) and he also convinced their father to stop making life insurance payments, which cheated his children out of being beneficiaries.

Also before Jon, my grandmother had a caretaker that was removed because she was caught stealing money from those cash withdrawals by another family member. This time around, Jon has secured a position where he has mentally isolated my grandmother from her family and friends and changed the locks so nobody knows what is going on in the inside, except for me. I'm the only family member that my grandmother has given access to be in her home and live and stay as long as I like there.

Answer:
 This is an extremely complicated matter you've described.  You should talk to an attorney about his mismanagement of funds, especially if he used them for personal gain.  You might be able to get him removed as guardian, but then you will upset Beth in her last years.  Tough call.

It won't be an easy battle if Beth is on his side.  If you are interested in seeing how a "late-comer" can ruin a family, read up on the legal battles between Anna Nicole Smith and her elderly husband's heirs.Answer #2: Its going to be difficult but you would probably need a lawyer and more family members who are just as concerned as you are. Because she is still mentally able to make her own decisions, would be the biggest challenge. I dont know much about this but there are some things that you can try to do to keep things in check, bring in outside people with no vested interest other than the best interest of your grandmother. You know how some people spend a billion dollars on a toilet seat or how about the person who passes away and leaves millions to their pets. Not much you can do about crazy. But on the positive note, when you are older you will have the right to make those some decisions for yourself, even if they are questionable.


Title: (Maine) My sister's boyfriend is an addict who recently crashed 2 cars while impaired, and I don't want him to come to a property we own jointly.

Question: I've made it clear to my sister that my feelings about him aren't personal dislike, he's a nice guy who cares about her, but due to his addiction, he has caused a lot of damage. I'm concerned that if he is in possession of any drugs while on property we both own, that there could be financial and legal problems for me.  Can I restrict a non-family member from the property?  Should I take it to local police?

Answer: If you and your sister jointly own this property, then she doesn't need your permission to bring guests and vice versa. Your only recourse at the moment is to report him to the police if he causes damage and then sue him for the replacement costs.


Title: Neighbor below us smokes weed, it's coming into our apartment (We live on top)

Question:
I live in washington where it's legal to buy weed and smoke it (In certain areas anyway) On my lease it states that no tenant is allowed to smoke in their apartment. We've asked the guy politely to stop smoking and he said sorry but he keeps doing it. Management gave him a notice to be fined, (a warning) and he continues to smoke. Sometimes he tries to be sneaky and smoke at 5 am but I'm usually up around that time because he keeps me up all night talking and laughing loudly on his phone. I don't go to sleep until around 8 am because of him. (My boyfriend can sleep through a chain saw, though)

He's also abused a woman in his apartment and we called the police at 4 am over it. I've told the management about all of this, I've complained SO much and they just keep giving him warnings- That's it. They don't enforce anything. My doctor told me I'm allergic to weed because of the symptoms I display when I inhale the smoke or eat it, so I haven't consumed weed in over 10 years.

The weed was coming through our sinks, and I taped it up and we didn't smell it since, but now it's coming through the heater vents, which seems even stronger vs the sinks. I certainly can't plug up the heater vents, because we need heat for the winter here. Otherwise, I'll have to so I stop having allergic reactions.

A cop told me we can force the management to evict him as he's breaking the rules that protect us. I'm not sure about this. All I know is we pay 965 a month plus utilities, and renter's insurance and experiencing this guy being inconsiderate. He pretty much hates me because of how much I've complained.

TL;DR Neighbor won't stop smoking weed, I'm allergic to it, and management won't actually do anything to remedy the situation.

Answer: Does your lease say that NOBODY in the apartment complex will smoke and they promise a smoke free complex for you or that you are prohibited from smoking?


Title: (KS) Name misspelled on birth certificate and social. Do I have to get a name change?

Question:
Hello,
So on my birth certificate and social security card my name is incorrectly spelt. The thing is that it's just one letter I need changed. Would I have to legally change my whole name in order to correct this or is there a simpler process I can do to change the minor error in my name? I live in Kansas but was born in Missouri so would I have to take care of this in my birth state?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Are they both the same? if so, that's your name, you've just been using the wrong name this whole time.


Title: [USA] Company is selling houses to itself?

Question:
Sorry if this is the wrong place for this question.

I work in title prep for housing sales, sorta.  One of our major clients handles thousands of sales a year where one LLC sells a property to another LLC, registered at the same address.  I've seen upwards of 8 or 9 different LLCs, all at the same address, selling the same property over and over - some of them every 4-6 months.

I'm sure whatever they're doing is profitable and legal, but I'm baffled as to *why* or what loophole/exploit they're using.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 Sounds like it could be something similar to the TRM real estate scam in North Carolina like 15 years ago.

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/25/AR2010092504246.html?itid=lk\_inline\_manual\_1](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/25/AR2010092504246.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_1)

The company scammed a bunch of people by convincing them to buy into a real estate development which never ended up turning into anything. They had their own employees sell the lots back and forth to each other at ever higher prices to make it look legit. Victims ended up buying lots for 250-300k that were really worth 20-30k.Answer #2: They are probably 1031-ing back and forth to avoid paying taxes on the gain of the sale of some other asset.


Title: Can my college kick my out for not being in attendance when the school is closed for the holidays?

Question:
I live in Mishawaka, Indiana. My mother got an email today that I’m being kicked out of my college (beauty college/ trade school) for missing 14 days in a row of school. 7 of these days were shut down periods because of the Christmas and New Years holidays. The days I did miss were not consecutive. They are claiming by federal law that they have to count these holiday shut downs as part of an absence.
The days off were;
Dec 24th-26th off  and Dec 30th- Jan 1st off. They days In between that I missed were where I had to help my disabled mother to doctors appointments. I am my mothers legal care taker through real services.

Do they have any right or legal obligation to kick me out?

Answer:
 > The days off were; Dec 24th-26th off and Dec 30th- Jan 1st off

That's only six days: December 24,25,26,30,31 and January 1.

You missed eight other days in that same period?


Title: (NY) Best way to get out of this parking ticket?

Question:
I recently visited my girlfriend in Queens and parked in what I assumed was a legal spot; there was a fire hydrant nearby, but I wasn't parked where the curb was yellow, and there was also a metal pole which seemingly indicated where it was okay to park. There were also no signs that stated I could not park there. [For reference, here is a picture of my car in relation to the hydrant.](http://imgur.com/GqS2JAS)

Lo and behold, I wake up in the morning to a $115 parking ticket, which I naturally think was/is unfair given the circumstances. I appealed the ticket with the following defense:

"According to New York traffic laws, vehicles are not allowed to be parked within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. However, there were no signs or any other indications near this particular fire hydrant that stated this law.

In Rhode Island, where I am from, the law states that vehicles can not be parked within 8 feet of a fire hydrant, or at least where the yellow paint on the sidewalk deems parking unlawful. In the photo that I have provided, you can see that I parked my vehicle to abide by this particular rule, as there were no signs indicating that I should do anything different.

Due to a lack of the law being stated, I feel this violation should be dismissed, as there was no reason for me to believe that I was doing anything unlawful."

After reviewing my appeal, they replied with:

"The respondent has been charged with violating Traffic Rule 4-08(e)(2) prohibiting stopping, standing or parking a vehicle within fifteen
feet of a fire hydrant. Respondent testifies that he was unfamiliar with the NY hydrant rules, and parked in accordance with the RI
rules that require you to be 8 feet from the hydrant or beyond the painted curb lines. He states there were no markings or signs present that indicate the correct distance, and submits a photo in support. This is not a valid legal defense. Respondent does not state the actual distance the vehicle was parked from the hydrant. The City does not paint curbs or post signs for fire hydrant restrictions, and it is a violation to park within 15 feet of a hydrant. The respondent does not dispute that the vehicle was parked within this distance. Summons sustained."

Surely, there is a case to be made here, right? I understand that not being aware of a law is technically not an excuse to break it, but when there are signs informing citizens of *every other potential parking violation,* I don't think it's unreasonable to make this case. Furthermore, they say the city does not paint curbs, but it's clear from the picture that they did in this instance.

I know this probably seems trivial, but I'm in a position now where I'm watching every cent I earn, and I would really prefer not to fork over $115 for a questionable violation, which I had no intention of making, and for which there was no indication I could possibly make. Is there any way for me to get this overturned?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 >New York traffic laws, vehicles are not allowed to be parked within 15 feet

The law is such, you didn't follow it. No one has to put a sign noticing you of every law.

The laws where you live are irrelevant.

You broke the law and were properly cited. You have no defense


Title: My Father killed himself on the 8th of this month, we have to pay for the funeral, the life insurance conpany keeps coming up with new things we have to give them and are really not communicating with us.

Question:
So as I stated in the title, my father recently commited suicide and we have bill we have to pay for the funeral with the life insurance. Now the company (Aetna) has been taking an incredibly long time to get it to us. First they said we had to wait for his company that he worked with to send them proof of death. We waited and waited and they hadn't done it after a week nor were they answering our calls so we faxed them the death certificate ourselves. Now it's been a while since that and they're now saying we need to send them the divorce decree of my mother and him and that just makes no sense to us. We asked them why and they said they couldn't say, they just needed it.

 I'm just wondering if anyone could help me understand why they need all these things or why it would be taking this long considering my grandfather got my grandmother's life insurance 5 days after she passed away.

Edit: I want to thank all of you for your help. I'm sorry if I sound paranoid or like I'm jumping to conclusions. Me and my siblings are really young and we have no other means of paying for his funeral so we were getting a bit worried.

I'm also located in Utah if that matters.

Answer:
 >Now it's been a while since that and they're now saying we need to send them the divorce decree of my mother and him and that just makes no sense to us.

It makes perfect sense and 100% common. When my father died they needed to verify that my father was actually divorced from his ex-wife and there were no conditions in the decree that would prevent giving his heirs his insurance payout. 100% common.


Title: I (19f) was legally adopted as a child but now my legal father and my mother are getting divorced. What happens to my last name?

Question: When I (19 f) was about 8 years old I was legally adopted by my step-father. He became my legal father, and has been for the rest of childhood. Now, I am 19 and my mom and my legal father are getting divorced. My mom is changing her name back to her maiden name. What happens with my last name? Do I keep my legal fathers last name or does my last name switch to my old last name I had when I was born/ my mom’s maiden name? Please help I am not quite sure what to do in this situation.

Answer:
 Assuming you're in the USA, your name is unaffected by their divorce.

Your name stays the same, always, until *you* take explicit steps to change it.

>Can I legally change my last name back

Yes.  You can legally change your first, middle, last, or any of your names to almost anything.  You must provide a reason for the name change, but unless that reason is something completely off the wall, they're rarely rejected.

[https://guides.sll.texas.gov/name-changes](https://guides.sll.texas.gov/name-changes)

>and if I did how would that affect the legal relationship with my legal father?

It doesn't affect it at all.

Your name is just your name, nothing more.  If you change your name, only your name is affected -- nothing else.


Title: [Virginia] (fairfax county) Adverse Possesion/ Squatters Rights?

Question: So I've been living in my house for 16 years now I have a new neighbor trying to tell me that the fence that's been up longer than I've owned the house is on her property. I searched 8.01-236 and am unsure if I am in the wrong or not? Should I contact a lawyer?

Answer:
 > Should I contact a lawyer?

For an adverse possession claim? Almost certainly. However, make sure your use of the land hits all five of these:

1. Is the land nominally your neighbour's? Get a survey and compare it with your property records, rather than taking your neighbour's word for it.
2. Is your use of the land hostile? If you (or the previous owners, more likely) had permission from the owner to place your fence there originally, then the owner can revoke that permission, even decades later and after either or both properties change hands.
3. Do you actually occupy the land? Enclosing it in a fence connected to your own property likely counts.
4. Is your use of the land open and notorious? Again, the fence isn't exactly a secret, but the neighbour needs to have had reasonable opportunity to discover your occupation of the land.
5. Is your use of the land continuous and exclusive for the last 15 years? It sounds like it, if the fence has been in place continuously since you purchased the land.

It's possible you have some claim to the enclosed portion of the land, but adverse possession is well beyond the ken of free internet advice: a Virginia real estate lawyer can advise you on whether there's anything to pursue or defend here, and if so, how to go about it.


Title: Certified Doula trainer included chemtrails, anti-vax materials, antisemitism and other conspiracy theories in their training session. Do I have any legal grounds to refuse payment as this is not part of the IBCLC's (Lactation consultant board) curriculum.

Question: I recently began (but did not complete) a training course to become an IBCLC certified Doula. I attended a training session at the practitioner's house. During the first three hours, the practitioner made negative comments about the Jewish community, ranted about chemtrails, and I was instructed to inform parents not to vaccinate their children to prevent autism. As far as I know, these policies aren't supported by the IBCLC and should not be included in the curriculum. I know I'm probably SOL here but any advice would be appreciated.

Answer: I’d definitely report it the certifying body.


Title: Assistant manage a Kroger grocery store. We have a no-dog rule, and people keep breaking it with fake Service Animal bullshit. How do I get them to leave? [SLC, UT]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Do you have video of these interactions? Their car/license plate? If you've instructed them not to return and documented that (with a police report), then the next time they come back you could have them cited for trespassing.

HOWEVER. You should not touch this with a ten-foot pole until you have consulted with the company's legal department, or whatever you've got. Because if you make a mis-step, the ADA will fuck you right up.
Answer #2: I'm interested in how you verified the 'service animal ID card' is fraudulent. My wife has a disability that isn't frankly obvious, which has led to some harassment a few times when we parked in handicapped spots. Be very careful in going after these people, because there's a chance you're wrong and if you made that mistake with me and my wife, I'd go after your company as hard as possible.


Title: [VA] I accidentally cut down a couple dozen of my neighbors trees. What do I do?

Question:
I've been clearing some wooded area almost all the way to my property line so I can expand my garden. I had a survey done about two years ago and was pretty certain of where that line was until yesterday when I came across a survey marker and realized I've cleared at least 10 feet too far and cut down at least 15 mature trees. There's at least another 150ft of wooded area between there and my neighbors house so I'm not sure he'll even notice. On the off chance he does, what do I do?
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer:
 Oh boy. You are on the wrong side of what could be a very very expensive mistake. If your neighbor came here, the advice would be for them to find an attorney and an arborist to determine the replacement value of the trees. Mature trees can cost tens of thousands of dollars, each.

Here's a similar thread, from the perspective of the tree owner.
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5lzmzx/neighbor_cut_down_my_tree_new_york/

You should likely proactively contact an attorney. A first consultation will be free, and it may help to get out ahead of this.


Title: I'm pretty sure my unpaid internship is illegal (US)

Question:
So first a little background on my situation. I graduated from college a year ago and have been trying to get into marketing.

I got an internship at a digital marketing place in Michigan. It is:

* Unpaid hourly
* 20 hours a week
* 15 weeks
* $500 stipend at the end if I complete it (which breaks down to $1.67 an hour)

I've read into the U.S. Dept of Labor rules on unpaid internships and:

* Im not getting the same experience as I would in a classroom (also no credit because I graduated).
* the work I'm doing is writing blogs, offers, landing pages, emails etc. for the company's clients, so they are profiting from me.
* myself and the other 4 interns, while not displacing are definitely in place of other paid employees.

Is this internship illegal and what can/should I do?

Answer: The hard part about this is you want to do it to get the experience and possibly get a gold job. Do you want that? If so, take the internship. If you don't, don't do it.


Title: My bank refuses to give me my money back after admitting to taking it by mistake.

Question:
A few months ago I noticed some fraudulent charges to my bank account from Hulu. I am a subscriber to Hulu so seeing a charge isn't a red flag.  However this day there were 3 different charges totaling around $150. (My monthly payment is $40).

After looking through my statements, there were several other charges from months prior from Hulu that were not apart of my monthly bill. All the charges in total were around $400. I called my bank within 30 minutes of the $150 being charged.

I was surprised how quickly my bank credited my account for the full amount.  (the first $250 was within the hour of me calling the bank, and the $150 that was pending at the time of the call was refunded the next day).

About a month later I notice that the credit i received for the $150 was taken back by the bank. I immediately called the bank to solve the issue. The person on the phone stated that the system automatically did this because it was passed the 60 day time frame to report a fraudulent claim. ( Obviously this wasn't true because they took back the credits for the charges I called about immediately). The bank employee even stated that it was an error and that she would foward the issue to the fraud department to have it fixed.

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Over the next few months I would call about the same issue and I would get a similar response, with no solution from anyone other than they would forward the issue or they would send me some mail about the resolution.

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At this point it has been over 3 months since my first call.  I finally spoke with a supervisor on Friday. The supervisor apologized for the situation and stated it was their fault for not solving the issue. And then he stated that they could no longer help me because they could not resolve the issue in 90 days and they will not reopen the case. They stated that I must now take it up with Hulu. ( Hulu deferred me to my bank months ago).

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Is there anything I can do at this point to get my money back?

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TLDR: My bank revoked a credit they admit they shouldn't have, now they say they can't reopen the case because they couldn't solve the issue within 90 days. Basically telling me I'm SOL.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Reg. E states that for unauthorized transactions reported within 2 business days that they happened, your liability is limited to $50.  If you are reporting a transaction between 2 business days and 60 calendar days, your liability is limited to $500.  And if the transaction occurred more than 60 calendar days, you can be held liable for the entire amount.

If you think the bank is in violation of Reg. E, and you can show that you reported the transaction on Day X, and the transaction occurred on Day Y (and those dates are less than 2 days apart), then I would recommend filing a complaint with the CFPB.


Title: Being demoted because another employee is jealous and has been bullying me

Question:
Hey! Any advice would be appreciated.

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I was recently promoted to be on the same level as another co-worker, and this co-worker did not like this at all. For the last month he has been bullying me non-stop, nitpicking anything I post in Slack, accusing me of twisting his words, and deleting messages that he sends to me.

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I've been taking screenshots and reporting him to our boss. Finally, after threatening to quit, my boss had a chat with him, and then said he wanted to have a chat with me.

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I didn't record the video call, but I took notes. On the video call, my boss said that since my co-worker "has many envious feelings", I'm being moved back to my previous position. I point-blank asked him, "So, there are no issues with my performance? We're only doing this because the other employee doesn't like me?". My boss responded, "Yeah, basically, that's it."

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Thoughts? What are my options?

Answer: If you are not okay with being demoted (and I wouldn't be), you need to find a new job.  There are no legal issues here, just a shitty employer.


Title: My law school made a "mistake" with my scholarship and wants me to pay them back. What can I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I'd contest it as much a possible.  They offered you the money officially, you accepted it officially, you used it accordingly and unfortunately you just don't have any means to pay it back.

If they really think they deserve that money back after their own mistake make them work for it. Give them whatever unfortunate sob story you can to make them pry hard for it. Be as nice as possible and see if you get what you want. Then consider being more adamant if it doesn't work.

They might not soften up, they might write it off. Write a letter about how much of a hardship this mistake  was to you and that you'll pay it if the person responsible for the mistake is officially let go so that the mistake doesn't happen to other people. Maybe it was a simple mistake, maybe it was intentional bait and switch to boost enrollment by offering enticing scholarships and then clawing them back after students enroll. Answer #2: A similar thing happened to me just recently, except after I came back from medical leave.

Essentially the financial aid award letter will probably have a stipulation that if you change the amount of credits/program/etc, they can review your financial aid package. If you switched from the AJD to a normal track JD, I'm betting they are "able" to do this.

Check your financial aid letter.Answer #3: I'd fight it, but it's pretty normal for scholarship offers to stipulate a certain number of hours or other program restrictions (like GPA). Consider you just extended your tuition there by another year; it makes sense they didn't intend on your scholarship to support three years.


Title: HELP! Minor runs away to another country to start a new life

Question:
Minor asking me to move into my place. I haven't agreed yet. She's apparently living a quite horrible life right now. I'm not gonna go into the details, but she's being abused. I met her on Omegle 6 months ago and a couple of days ago she added my Snapchat which I apparently gave to her back then. I don't remember it at all really, but that doesn't matter. She asked if she could move in for some time.

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I'm from Denmark, she's from Sweden. I'm 25 years old and I live in my own apartment, I'm leaning towards agreeing to her request to moving in for some time if she wants, and it's legal. I want to help her start a new life, and I know Denmark would be a good place to start a new life. I know I should probably contact legal services etc, but I've already advised her on that, but apparently they do nothing.

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I want to ask if it would be legal for her to come here, and I wouldn't have to worry about false charges of kidnapping etc? Could she legally come here and "move" in? Not having her address here, just living here.

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Before you all say it, it seems fishy a bit, I know. And she's young and a child, so she makes rash decisions, but I've already asked her all these questions, and I as an adult understand that she may want to get away. I would do the same even if I were an adult. Problem is, she's not. So she can't just randomly disappear.

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Again, can she legally come here, just straight up leave her home and come live here? If not, could I contact her parents and ask them if it'd be okay for her to come here? Would that be okay then?

Answer: This is a great way to find yourself arrested for international kidnapping.


Title: Florida-My wife is trying to have me arrested. She called he cops and accused me of assault. Although I did not hurt her. Cops are on their way. More info in post.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You cannot pick people up and throw them outside of their own homes. That is illegal on a few different levels.

So.... this may not go well for youAnswer #2: >So I picked her up and carried her outside and closed the door and locked it.

Uhh oh.....Put another way, you committed domestic assault and possibly kidnapping.

>What should I/can I do?

Don't speak to the police - at all. I assume it's too late for you to read this, but explaining your way to innocence is how you go to prison over this.  Demand an attorney, refuse to leave the house (but don't physically resist), and go from there.  You need to call lawyers ASAP.Answer #3: being on reddit is probably the last thing you want to do. You're about to get arrested, call a lawyer pronto and tell them you'll probably be meeting them down the clink.

Even in your sugar-coated one-sided version you messed up badly. Answer #4: For the record, what OP has described may be [misdemeanor battery](http://codes.findlaw.com/fl/title-xlvi-crimes/fl-st-sect-784-03.html) (you could argue *de minimis* and consent) but it is [definitely not kidnapping](http://statelaws.findlaw.com/florida-law/florida-kidnapping-laws.html). Answer #5: > So I picked her up and carried her outside and closed the door and locked it.

Oof, assault *and* attempted illegal eviction.  I'd call a lawyer.  Answer #6: If they charge you, get a criminal defense lawyer. And in any case, get a divorce lawyer.


Title: Campus security search

Question:
First time poster, long time lurker, really need advice

I go to a private college on the west coast (California). I live on campus in a suite of 4 people total with two rooms and a common area.

A day ago campus security along with the RA came by at 3 in the morning, unannounced and proceeded unlock our door and come into our room. They wake my roomate and I up and search our room, finding nothing. The reason you might ask? A no parking sign seen through our other two suitemate's window is "suspected" to be stolen.

The problem is that
1. My two suitemates aren't home
2. The sign that was spotted wasn't stolen, but was bought online

Campus security then proceeds to search through all of their room and the common area. They confiscate the usual dorm items of alcohol and my suitemates bong from the common area. For my suitemates, they found a small bag of weed, and a fake ID while also taking the sign.

My question is whether the reason given to enter the room at 3 IN THE MORNING for a "stolen sign," is a valid one. I also have to point out that the room was dead silent, so there was no bs noise complaint to allow them a way in.

My university has a code of conduct that says a search is warranted:
"When there exists a reasonable suspicion that a violation of student conduct expectations is being committed, or has been committed, and/or the delay would endanger the health and safety of the resident"
The break in the student code of conduct that allowed for the search will probably be cited as
Theft of property.

With that being said am I being unreasonable by wanting to appeal the fine we've recieved by calling the search completely bs.

From our POV you can look through anyone's window and see any item, such as a TV, and just claim that you think it's stolen. The search at 3 a.m. without consent when it could have been conducted anytime also seems odd to me. It all adds up to a gross misuse of power, where campus security will claim that the ends, finding legitimately illicit substances, justify the means, entering a room and searching without consent and without a cause that anyone would call reasonable.

At the end of the day I can live with the small fine I personally will receive, and the repercussions of breaking the code of conduct about alcohol in the common area. It just irks me the way in which the search happened and the reason given why.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Tl:dr  Campus security breaks into dorm because of suspected "stolen sign" on wall, and find weed in their room. Was this a legit search, and can we appeal?

Answer: If this isn't a theoretical question then this belongs on r/legaladvice.


Title: Some guy took my Girlfriends phone number out of her application to smalltalk and induce flirts.

Question:
This happened today in Germany. Some guy is using my Girlfriends Number and contacts her over Whatsapp while not talking about anything application related. When asked where he got her number from, he said he took it out of her application. We are both a little confused and upset that her data was basically abused. Is this legal at all?

Thank you for your time!

Answer: Did you screen capture the conversation? You could and should contact his boss at the place she applied. I have no idea if this is legal or not in the EU but it's highly unethical and he should be reported.


Title: Roomate subleasing individual (one-person) lease for 1/4 bedrooms. She's trying to illegally let a couple move in with only one signing the lease.

Question: So I live in student apartments at a big state school in CO. One of my roommates is studying abroad next semester. We each sign individual leases so no one is liable for another's rent. It is a 4 bedroom. She is trying to sign one of a couple from out of state to the sublease, with their SO living with them off the books. That violates the lease, and none of us remaining roommates want to be paying fines for having a person live there without being on the lease. Our utilities are provided but if we go over the cap we pay. We will go over the cap with 5 people. Is the best course of action to tell someone at the front desk about it? I do not want to be liable for anything nor do I want to live with 5 people in a 4 bedroom student apartment. (The couple is older as well, not students)

Answer:
 > That breaks the lease, and none of us remaining roommates want to be paying fines for having a person live there without being on the lease

Your roommate (or her subtenant) violating the terms of her lease will not affect the rest of you directly, since you're all on separate leases.

> Is the best course of action to tell someone at the front desk about it?

Yes. Just let the landlord/property manager know and move on.

In the event they're okay with it, you likely have no recourse unless your lease gives you control over choice of roommates. That's very unlikely in a situation where you're renting individual bedrooms.Answer #2: Yes, you can definitely report this to the management.  I'd also imagine that subleasing, especially to non-students, is specifically disallowed in the lease.


Title: Is it a crime to pull a gun on someone who's robbing me and demand that they hand over ID before I let them leave?

Question:
I wouldn't want to shoot a person over a robbery but I'd want them arrested. However, the implication is that I'll shoot them if they don't do what I say, and I wouldn't be acting in defense of myself or my property at that point. Would I be committing armed robbery?

This is in California FWIW.

Answer:
 Are you also prepared to shoot them if they run away?  If you draw a deadly weapon without being _committed_ to using it, you're going to get hurt or killed (or sued) yourself, because now there's a fight, and there's a gun in the fight, and you brought it.

Don't do dumb stuff with guns.  Either use it in defense of yourself and your life, or don't, but don't imagine that someone mugging you is going to see your gun and think 'golly, he has a pistol...i guess I better hand over my ID before I skedaddle!'

If you don't want to shoot someone over a robbery, then your option is to not shoot someone if they demand your wallet.

If I were a concealed carry holder, I think I would try everything possible to not have to draw a gun on someone, but if I had to pull it out, it would only be because it's time to literally keep myself from being hurt or killed.  And then I would use it without hesitation, because I tried to give the person every chance to leave me, but the one thing I will not give up to someone is my life.

I don't carry a gun, and I've never been robbed.  So I suppose I'm just talking hypothetically, but hopefully so are you.


Title: Daughters father filed a restraining order

Question:
He had been missing our weekly pick up of our daughter and for the past year I've been willing to reschedule with him multiple times a week until I ended up losing my job. So for the past month when he wasn't at pick ups I would simply leave and not contact him again about rescheduling. Well I let him pick her up late on the 13th. Our pick up was supposed to be on the 10th. That day he went to the police station and filed assault charges against me. Then went to the court house and filed for a protection order and full custody. He was granted the order but not custody. He has been texting my boyfriend to try and get my daughter. Things like "Y'all need to be at blank police station Tuesday at noon to drop of little" "Y'all running late?" Basically trying to talk to me but going through him. BF hasn't been responding to any of the messages as per my instructions because the order clearly states to not contact each other through 3rd parties. And I talked with the officer who served me my paperwork because when I was served he had little one. I was told if he texted and wanted to meet to basically not respond and send someone else to get her. But now he's trying to get her back. Which I can't explain to him isn't happening. Am I allowed to report him breaking the protection order by contacting BF? I'm worried he's going to show up at my home with the police. Which I was told explicitly is a no no because that's still contact through a 3rd party.

Forgive formatting. On mobile and don't post very often.

Answer: You need to consult an attorney.


Title: ATT let someone purchase a new iPhone and LG Tablet online and add a new phone line to my account. All without my permission or ever notifying me

Question: I’m still on the phone with their customer service now, but the extra charges from these lines caused us to not have enough money to make our payments on current medical bills for my newborn son and my wife’s recent delivery. I feel like I’ve been wronged here. Am I entitled to anything from ATT in this case?

Answer:
 That depends.  Do you have evidence that AT&T is in the wrong here?  The fact that the line got onto your account isn't evidence of that.Answer #2: You had auto pay or something? I assume they will resolve and remove charges/return money. What are you seeking? And why do you assume ATT let this happened instead of also being a victim of a 3rd parties deception?
Answer #3: Ask them to remove the extra lines and charges. ATT needs to refund you. Bump it up to their fraud department and maybe remove the autopay feature or direct it to a CC. Answer #4: ATT has a pretty excellent fraud/LP department, you should get in contact with them (and not the default customer service). They will sort it out.

Take screenshots of everything (the fraudulent transactions, accounts, etc) for records. And freeze your credit so they don't keep buying shit.


Title: US - IL; Asylum seeker drivers license pulled over for expired home country license.

Question:
One of my family friends is a political asylum seeker with a pending status in the USA. He has been in the country for a few months, living in Illinois, and his home country drivers license has expired. He has tried to apply for a drivers license through the Illinois DMV but they wont allow him to take the exam without a social security (which is still pending) yet will not allow him to receive a temporary drivers license that is meant for individuals without a social security or a legal status - because an asylum seekers status is legal. He is told to wait until September (when he receives his social security) to be able to drive. He continued to drive with his home country drivers license.

While trying to figure all this out, he is pulled over and fined for driving with an expired home country license (2 days past the expiry date). What options exist for him to drive legally?

Answer:
 I don't see how there would be any options for him to drive legally - if the DMV is saying no, they're saying no.

An attorney would be more up to speed on this type of thing, but he may need to find other methods of transportation while the wheels of bureaucracy move slowly.


Title: I'm looking to understand this a bit better. Im making home brewed mead and i would like to sell it in Wisconsin. Can someone help me decipher this?

Answer: That statute states you can make homebrew but **not** sell it. If you want to sell, you're beyond homebrew and you need to get a license, be taxed, etc.


Title: Fired for poor performance after being issued more work than is possible for hours given.

Question:
Can a California employer require an employee to do more work than is possible to do in the number of hours given and then fire them for poor performance?

Situation: Working at a retail store for minimum wage being paid hourly. The store manages to get around the new laws requiring them to provide insurance options by keeping all employees from working more than 30 hours (I'm not sure what the actual law is here but this is the store policy), making them all part-time. This means everyone is required to clock in and out at specific times and not work any extra (or face a write-up). Many employees are given their standard work as a cashier or stocker, etc. in addition to extra work, that demands extra time to complete. In order to eek by they do a poor quality job at everything or ignore certain tasks. They are then told they are not doing a satisfactory job at completing their tasks. Is it legal for the employer to fire based on low performance after asking for too much work?

I find this practice to be an end around to the law requiring employers to pay for all hours worked because employees are forced to not report their hours worked in order to complete the tasks or scope required or face consequences and any hope of moving up at the company.

UPDATE: Thanks for the reply everyone! it's unfortunate to hear that this is legal. I guess this is more of a supply and demand issue in the job market. If there were more jobs or fewer people to fill them, employers would have less incentive to put unreasonable demands on their employees and employees wouldn't have to take it.

And to clarify, this is a generic situation that isn't happening to me, but one I've seen repeated way too many times with friends, family and coworkers through the years.

Answer:
 Sure they can, but they are going to churn through employees.

You probably ought to start looking for work from a more reasonable employer.


Title: Can I chose someone who is not a lawyer to represent me in court .

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No.


Title: My crazy uncle and a known predator have manipulated my senile, 83-year-old grandfather into changing the family trust dealing with a multi-million dollar ranch to exclude me and my immediate family

Question:
(Santa Barbara County, California) My grandfather was a well-respected businessman that retired to a ranch. He had a wife and four children. Uncle one is legally retarded. Uncle two is literally crazy. My mom is the only independently established sibling. And there’s my aunt.

My uncle is crazy. He did a ton of drugs and was also (most likely) undiagnosed bipolar. He has never held a solid relationship, but he has one daughter (avaricious lawyer whose mother is raising her fatherless son and balancing her checkbook). My uncle is extremely intelligent and manipulative, and has tried to murder my grandfather on multiple occasions. He went to jail after he caused a shut-down of the major highway from his house where he stockpiled weapons after breaking a restraining order, and the mental health analysts suggested that he be held for tests instead of released on his bail. He did time and was released, but is completely off his rocker, believing that my parents moved out to California to steal my grandfather’s ranch from him. My grandfather asked my parents to move there because he and my grandmother were in poor health and he was scared. My uncle had an unsuccessful business and then owed a lot of money to the people who posted bail for him.

My oldest uncle, who is legally retarded, is in a program where he works for the state. His guardian was my aunt.

My uncle and my aunt have always feuded, for as long as I can remember.

My grandfather is in his 80s, and we believe that he has a frontal-lobe dementia. He has become obsessed with sex and pays prostitutes constantly. My grandmother saw that he was degenerating, and she tried to leave him, and he wouldn’t let her. She became an alcoholic, so no one took her seriously when my grandfather convinced everyone that she was crazy and living in the past (he even went to see a prostitute the day she died—on her deathbed). My grandfather is a master emotional-manipulator—playing the confused old man when it benefits him, or acting sharp when he wants to make the impression. He has always loved me and my siblings, so it is very hard to be mad at him when talking to him in person. My brother works for him at his request. My grandfather refuses to listen to doctors and takes unhealthy amounts of Viagra. He drives around his ranch, even though he is blind in one eye and has been in more accidents and dangerous driving situations than I can count—even driving my boyfriend and I into a fence, insisting on showing us his ranch.

My uncle hired (the rumor in the small town, and very likely) a predator who has a history of elderly abuse with her own grandparents, cases of credit card theft, a mentally-ill mother who is in an asylum, and a million testimonials against her and her character. This girl came up to the ranch after my grandfather’s death and manipulated him into dropping the restraining order on my uncle, and filing for guardianship of my oldest uncle. She got him to create a restraining order on my aunt, and she got him to hire her in my mom’s place as the ranch’s bookkeeper. While my family was on vacation, she got him to fire his lawyer of 25 years and hire her attorney (the same attorney that is representing my crazy uncle). She got him to change the family trust and prevent my mom and dad from having any say or knowledge of his medical situation or anything else. She pretty much took over his life, despite all of his good friends, doctors, and legal advisors counseling him against it. My brother and I told him that we don’t like the girl and that she’s controlling him for his money, but he won’t believe us. She wanted to have my brother fired, but my grandfather never could do it (in fact, for all of the conflict, he had lawyers do everything—from firing my mom to getting guardianship of my uncle—to avoid direct contact).

Now, my grandfather still loved me, and I’d visit him at Christmas and things. He always let me go up on the ranch, running and four-wheeling, etc. I went up with my boyfriend and some friends who had been up there before and who had signed liability wavers. I had gone earlier that day to ask if we could ride up on the ranch, and he gave me the keys to the gates and was all smiles. He told me to come back with my boyfriend later, and made some crude sexual references, saying he should be done before 8:30, but that to come before 9 because he’d go to bed. When I came up with my friends, I noticed there wasn’t a visitor yet, so I took my boyfriend to say hello to my grandfather. He gave him a big hug, and waved to the people in the jeep. Then, the predator girl pulls up in the car, so I go to leave with my boyfriend. She asks my grandfather, “Is that your granddaughter?” and he denies that I am. I went up riding with my friends, and not long after, I get a bunch of texts from the predator, saying that I shouldn’t have gone up and that my grandfather is upset. She said I should have told him I was bringing friends, and that I had never told him about anything. I said that I had, and she said that he would have remembered. I said I didn’t understand what the big deal was, but that we’d come back if my grandfather was upset. My grandfather then comes charging up the dangerous, steep roads. I go up to talk to him and he asks me why I did this. I was confused, and I explained that I had asked and he said it was okay. He said he didn’t know that people were coming, and I said that I had asked and then brought them to the house, and he said that I just overwhelmed him and shouldn’t have come out and that my whole family was trying to have him locked up so that they could sell his ranch. I reiterated that Angelina was manipulating him, and he refused to take it. He told me I shouldn’t come up on the ranch anymore, and I said fine (and uninvited him from my hypothetical future wedding out of hurt).

There have been multiple visits from elderly services and law enforcement, but because my grandfather knows his name, the day of the week, and who the president is, they say that he  has the right to make poor choices—even though his capacity for making rational decisions has obviously completely diminished, and he is losing everything he ever worked for. The predator has been given thousands of dollars on top of her employment as the ranch’s bookkeeper now. My uncle and the predator are always at the house. My grandfather has lost his marbles, and it drives my brother crazy, so he’s trying to look for another job.

It is all very sad. Because she and my uncle now have my grandfather’s money, they have good lawyers and resources. She goes to doctors appointments with him and filed for him and my cousin to take guardianship over my oldest uncle. It’s like an HBO family drama on steroids.

Is there anything that my family can do? Should my family wait to press charges against her until my grandfather passes away?

Answer:
 Get a lawyer right now and see if you can get the will contested. DO NOT WAIT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

The reason you do not want to wait, is that the executor has wide powers over the estate, and while they have a legal obligation to fulfill the terms of the will, it is extremely hard to get money out of someone that has blown through it like a division of Marines plowing through hookers and beer on shore leave.