Title: Friend suing me in small claim court for $25?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You should just pay him the $25 and save yourself the trip.Answer #2: You must be joking. You want to run the risk of losing in court, being ordered to pay for opposing counsel's attorney's fees and costs, and then having a judgment on your credit report?

Over $25 goddamn dollars? *$25 lousy dollars.*Answer #3: Just pay him the money. It'll be cheaper for both of you (look at filing fees for small claims in your state... very likely to exceed the $25) and it ends it.


Title: My mom is keeping my passport from me. Can I get a new one with just a driver's license?

Question:
If I report it lost/stolen, would I be able to get a new one with just my license? What else would I need?

Edit: This is in California

Answer:
 Call the cops and report her for theft. This is actually a federal crime since passports are technically property of the federal government.Answer #2: https://www.usps.com/international/passports.htm

If you're under 18 your mother could just confiscate it again (technically they have to return it when you turn 18, but...you know)Answer #3: Assuming you're in the USA

You can apply online or in one of the passport offices,  bring your license and there's going to be a fee to get a new one.


Title: Practicing without medical license NM

Question: I know someone practicing medicine without a license and without proper supervision. Who do I notify?

Answer: A good start would be the New Mexico Medical Board. Their site will probably have a link to report this.


Title: [MO] $100K plus in child support owed by out of state father. Details in text.

Question: My best friend is owed well over $100K in child support that has been accruing for 10+ years. The "father" lives in Hawaii. They have never shared custody, the child is now 15. He will make a minimal payment, usually less than $100 every few months. He does not have a job, at least not one that's not under the table. There's nothing to garnish. He is the one that actually went to court to sue and lost and was ordered to begin paying child support. My friend will call and talk to various officials a few times a month, has for years, and they always tell her, "Call back next month." She's a single mother, one income, and has been for the child's entire life. What can be done? Who can she contact? Who can I contact on her behalf? She's so frustrated by this at this point that she's ready to give up. There's enough going on in her daily life without the frustration of another call that leads nowhere. I have time.

Answer:
 The CSED will help her out. They can levy his accounts, take his tax returns, revoke his license, put it on his credit, and many other things to help her collect.

If she collects state assistance they will be even more aggressive in collecting. Answer #2: Although it is often convenient to file for child support through the state and allow them to handle the situation, it's not mandatory.

In this case it sounds like the receiving state is fairly backlogged and is not willing to put priority on a case that is out of state and gains them nothing.

But - she can also choose to get a lawyer herself, and pursue child support enforcement orders  through the courts.

In most states this will cost three or four thousand dollars.
But many lawyers will allow you to make payments because the process does take several months.

She should also request and her lawyer may even suggest that they include in the petition that the respondent be required to pay the petitioner's legal fees.

Because his back child support is significant in amount and she has made efforts over the years to collect this through the state, it is quite likely that a judge will grant that as well.


Title: [Ontario, Canada] My mother put $600,000 CAD into the man's account she cares for, his POA took it, and also signed the house over into his name

Question:
Pretty much all in the title.

I called a family law firm in town and requested a consultation. They'll apparently call me back tomorrow.

Am I fucked? The older gentleman did *not* give permission for either the money transfer or the house being signed over.

I can't afford a length legal battle. I'm pretty much hoping Canada has a law that protects against this kind of thing, otherwise it's all gone.

Answer:
 Why did she put the money in the account? Best thing to do is to ask the POA about returning the money, failing which you may want to contact the police as this is clearly theft.

As for the house and the like, if the POA used it to transfer the house into his own name, this is clearly an abuse of the POA. The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee should be contacted for assistance.

The POA should be revoked immediately.


Title: Past employer is not paying me 1.5 months of back pay. (X Post from Personal Finance)

Question:
TL:DR
I m not getting paid by a contractor of a large ISP for 2 month of work. What do I do? I’m in Georgia

Hello, I've lurked here for awhile now and really appreciate all the awesome info. But I need advice about not being paid the money i'm owed by a past employer. I was working as contractor for a engineering contractor that installs an very new, very fast internet service fro a very large company that is well known for their search engines and phones. I have billed for time during training and am not receiving my money from the contractor. He has since stopped contacting me regarding having me come into work.

Backstory: I started working for a contractor that designs and installs the installation of said ISP fiber on apartment and condo units. I was to be paid $25 hour to draw up CAD drawings, $40 an hour for site visit/ surveys and $10 per unit for a drawing a set of drawings for a apartment/ condominium building. If the project was completed on time (in 2 weeks) then my fee would be the $10 per unit as well as the $40 an hour for survey. For drawings in which I'm being trained or were not completed, I would receive 6$ per unit per building and whoever helped me complete the project would receive $6 per unit.

IE: an apartment building with 100 units would be billed like this. Initial meeting: 2 hours = 2 hours x$40= $80 100 units in building x $10= $1000 Total bill or project =$1080.00

However during training, my boss and I knew I may not make the deadlines since this job was new to me, as my background was in architecture and not telephony design.
I billed close to $3k for March and it took him until Mid June to responds via email with this
“ please eliminate any reference to providing drawings because drawings were never delivered. Also eliminate the first few days we spent together because that was mutually understood as training, then resend. “

Which means I wont get paid for any drawing that I did, regardless of completion or not. I uploaded my drawing to my Dropbox, and it populates across others dropbox, as requested.

I'm unsure what I can bill for anymore. Hes asking me to change my invoice despite agreeing to these terms. We have no contract,  however.

Does not having a contract means I have no means of legally getting my money?

It seems that everything that I worked on , will not get paid to me, despite working 40-60 weeks on learning this new job. The only thing he did not object to was billing for my time when I was on site meeting with clients. Which amounts to much much less than my original invoice.

I don't know what to do. I don't want to sue because my wife and I are struggling financially with 2 kids under the age of 2 and I'm not not employed any longer, and lawyers are expensive.
 Any advice about securing my money would be very beneficial?

Thank you.

Answer:
 Let's go over basics:

1) Contracts do not necessarily need to be written down in order to be enforceable. You just need to be able to prove what was said. In this case, you have a response that does not say "I didn't say you could charge for that" but rather other things, which is pretty good evidence that they did say you could charge for that.

2) In order to win you need consideration. A contract cannot be "Give me fifty bucks". That's not a deal, there's no consideration going the other way. But, you were asked to do work in exchange for money. You did the work (provided your consideration to them) and therefore you are owed money (their consideration to you).

3) This is a small enough sum of money to work its way through small claims court. You don't need to hire a lawyer, they won't be allowed to have a lawyer. This will be straight between the two of you. Filling in small claims is cheap enough that anyone can swing it. At worst you're talking $110, probably much less. [Here](http://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-topics/magistrate-court) is a quick cheat sheet on what it is and what they do.

4) If you win, or if they decline to answer the suit, then you can take the legal judgement to their bank and the bank will simply give you the money. No need to wait around for the guy in question to pay up.

My answer? Don't change the invoice. Go to small claims. Get the order, withdraw the money from his bank directly. Don't let yourself be pushed around like that. Deals are deals, and enforcing contracts is absolutely essential to our economy actually working.


Title: [Florida] Was in a minor accident at stop sign and got cited for something not related.

Question:
First time posting here (thankfully?) so sorry if I break any etiquette.

So I was on my way to work and stopped at a stop sign. I was watching left for traffic to be clear. I had checked right and hadn't seen anything. I was stopped for maybe 5 seconds when I saw my opening and started accelerating while looking forward. I had barely touched the gas when a kid entered crosswalk and at very low speed (like 5 mph) my car hit him on the side. Car pushed him a few feet before I hit brake. He managed to stay upright and only stumbled off his bike. I got out and apologized profusely and he said something to the effect of "no no I should have been looking".

So to shorten the rest of it from here. Ambulance was called, he had a sprain and they took him. Cop eventually came and I was cited for two things, expired tag (expired 2 weeks ago and I didn't notice, my fuck up there) and for FS 316.123 b which I will copy paste here...

At a four-way stop intersection, the driver of the first vehicle to stop at the intersection shall be the first to proceed. If two or more vehicles reach the four-way stop intersection at the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right.

This doesn't seem to have anything to do with what happened. It was not even a four way stop. It was entry on to a main road with continuous traffic 2 ways and stop signs for the road crossing it.

I'm sure I could have done more to not hit the kid and I'm really sorry he is hurt but I also don't want to be cited for something if I don't have to. Even if it's a technicality, I'll take the out. Can I get this dismissed for being irrelevant or wrong citation? Can I be recharged with something that does apply if I do challenge it?

(I have a work account for SFW reasons called Lucky2u2 so my responses may come from either.)

Answer: Yes, this is serious. You hit someone with your car. Call your insurance provider and let them know what happened.


Title: Ex-Gyno giving us a hard time about sending records to new gyno?

Question:
So after 4-5 years with a gynocologist who slut shamed me at 15, refused to let my sister switch off the pill, and told me I had "the fishy vagina thing that guys think is gross," my mom, my sister, and I chose to switch gynecologists.

My mom recently mailed them a letter with all 3 of our signatures requesting that all of our files be faxed/mailed/whatever over to our new doctors office. My ex-gyno had her nurse call my mom & tell her that she would do it, but we would have to pay $0.50 per page "especially since we have a thick file." I know thats not that much, but it still sounds a bit absurd.

A friend recently told me that she can't legally do that & hold our files like that if we refuse to pay because they're *our records*, but before my mom goes in & causes a scene & asks for our records, I just wanted to make sure she would be doing something that couldn't be turned back on like "uh no you're wrong/out of line."

Thoughts? Is this legal? What is our best method of action to switch the files over?

Answer: Have your new doctor request the files. Doctors are required to transfer medical files electronically to other doctors without a cost. If the doctor has to copy and print documents for a patient they’re allowed to charge a reasonable fee. Answer #2: They can charge up to $1 per page, max $100 per patient. Here's some more details: [http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/News/Consumer&#37;20Briefs/state-board-of-medical-examiners.pdf](http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/News/Consumer%20Briefs/state-board-of-medical-examiners.pdf)


Title: Should I sue my old firm?

Question:
I'm in San Francisco. A couple of years ago I joined a small firm with offices here and in St. Louis, Missouri. All the litigators were in St. Louis, except me. My contract said I'd get X% of what I billed on their matters, that they collected. I worked extensively on several California matters for them, saving them from hiring local counsel and/or traveling to make appearances *pro hac*, in addition to cranking out (e.g.) motions for summary judgment when they were too slammed. I don't have any contractual privity with their clients.

I have low six figures in uncollected billings on matters I worked on for their clients, all of it at least a year old. They continue to send me paltry little checks, as they get paid by clients with outstanding invoices - I don't think they're intentionally 'screwing me.' But they also haven't taken steps, beyond sending out monthly invoices, to collect these old amounts.

About a year ago, the St. Louis office broke off from the firm, keeping their offices, employees, clients, and cases, and joined a midsized firm out of Chicago. My old firm is basically winding up now, and everyone at the S.F. office (which we sublet and vacated last month) has been acting as a solo practitioner (or has gone on to new firms).

The contract says I only get paid when they "collect." But in California, there's also the [common count for services rendered](https://www.justia.com/trials-litigation/docs/caci/300/371.html)... (And I'm not sure the contract is binding in California; at all times the firm was organized as a Missouri LLC, but, [neither foreign nor domestic LLCs can provide professional services](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CORP&sectionNum=17701.04) - i.e., practice la -  in California.)

It's a lot of money on the table that I could really use. And there are other breaches of the contract, though they're low five figures at best. WWYD?

Answer: Come on, man. You're a lawyer, you know better than this. Go hire an attorney to represent you.


Title: San Diego Court system will not leave me alone

Question:
About 5 years ago I was in a weird place in life, constantly using and selling drugs, and just generally being a shit head. I was arrested and served a month in jail, and had to do community service in san diego. When I finished all of my obligations for screwing up, I finished my probation and I was able to move back to the east coast, part of that agreement was that all of my fines needed to be paid. After a long time being completely broke due to lawyers fees and paying fines I finally made it back to the east coast where I work in my dream job in the industry that I love, Im very healthy thanks to jiu jitsu, and im generally pretty happy with how things have turned around...except every month I get a paper in the mail from San Diego saying I owe them another 2400 dollars for "probation supervision". I paid everything I owed them and Im done with this part of my life, when I talk to someone at the office they tell me unless I have a receipt showing I paid them for this supervision then I need to pay them the 2400 dollars. Im wondering what my options here are, Ive just been ignoring it for a while now but I would like to finally handle this so I can put it behind me.

Thanks in advance for reading this.

EDIT: Fixed wording

Answer:
 > probation was revoked

That does not mean what you think it means. [See here.](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/probation-revocation.html)


Title: Got a Questions about Stray Cats in Texas

Question:
Throw away due to the nature of the post.

I am trying to find out the legality of euthanizing stray cats in my neighborhood in Texas. We have about 20+ cats living here that are fed by a neighbor, but none of them live indoors. Now to be clear I'm not talking about stringing them up and ending them Jeffrey Dahmerr style. I just want to know if I'm at any risk of legal action if I leave out cat food laced with acetaminophen on my property.

 \&nbsp;

The main reason I'm asking is due to several things. I recently moved into this neighborhood and noticed that my neighbors feed these stray cats, but none of them live inside. Which while annoying isn't really a big deal but it makes it pretty clear that none of these cats have an actual home or owner and instead its just my neighbor keeping their own cat colony. I wouldn't have an issue with this, but I'm a bit of a casual bird watcher. I keep a birdhouse that my dad built hung on my porch, a bird bath in my garden, and I love sitting outside in the mornings and listening to the different birds communicate while I lay in a hammock and drink coffee. I generally enjoy birds as a whole. Sadly, with a load of stray cats that stick around for the free food, we don't have birds. My bird house has been empty for almost a year and the cats keep knocking over my bird bath either because they're trying to drink from it or they're trying to get another meal.

 \&nbsp;

I've contacted Animal Control about it and they refuse to come out to catch the cats and instead offered for me to \*buy\* traps for $60 a piece and that I could use them and \*then\* they would come out to collect. Annoying to say the least as I'm not too fond of buying an expensive trap just to do their job for them. Also, I know once I catch them and they're sent off to the local animal shelter they're like to be euthanized anyways.

 \&nbsp;

All of that brings me to option three, euthanizing the cats myself. I did a bit of research about how to go about this in the most humane way and from that concluded that acetaminophen laced food would be the most ideal option. I wanted to make sure first though that I won't risk any legal consequences if I go through with this.

 \&nbsp;

\*\*THIS IS MY LAST RESORT OPTION. I AM OPEN TO ANY OTHER OPTION AS LONG AS IS GETS THE CATS GONE.\*\*

Answer: The best option is to trap them and have animal control take them away.


Title: [UK owned/hosted] A user on my partner's text-roleplay site is threatening to take legal action to acquire sensitive information on another user.

Question:
Hey guys, my partner just recently informed me that someone on his text roleplay site (owned by him and hosted in the UK, he is a UK citizen in the UK) is having issues with another one of his users, and apparently it's gotten to the point where one of them is demanding access to sensitive information and/or getting the government somehow involved to force him and his site to better prevent such 'awful' things being said about them in the future. Here is the message they sent him...

 "I am concerned over the fraudulent comments being posted around your discussion board/chat. I have reported this to the relevant law enforcement agencies in the US, UK and Australia noting these are the countries involved.

I am currently investigating legal actions for abuse and deformation regarding this matter. I have also directed my legal team around that regarding the use of a carriage service to allow this activity to continue.

They may wish to ask you to provide your view on using your site to perpetuate this behaviour. I will provide them with the advice you have given me to date. If they require anything else i will have them contact you directly.

Thank you"

They are claiming that abusive and/or 'deformating' (I assume they meant defamating? Even though that isn't a word) information and/or discussions are being held on his site and that they demand these things stop.

What is the kicker on this is: If this were to become a legal thing, my partner (the site owner) is terrified that he'd be fit by a 5000 pound fine simply for being the medium through which this person was defamed and/or 'abused' due to something to do with that just being how the data protection stuff works over there.

How real is this threat? Is that person really on grounds to demand such information? If they blew this all up over some dumbo saying dumb things on his site, how much trouble could he really be in? If he were to be fined 5000 pound over this, it would ruin his only-just-starting 19 year old life.

I am happy to answer any other questions. He is refusing to get help himself (my partner) because he is scared, and not very confident. A goofball to begin with so I am doing this for him.

UPDATE 1: This user has now stated: "i'm asking you as my friend and the site owner. I don't want to do shit to x at all...I love x and everyone on it...however my legal team has asked that I have him removed from the site for the future and present safety of users. He has been committing harassment and deformation nearly constantly for the last 3 days and before that a few months ago for weeks"

They want the user removed. The one they hate, who we have found no evidence against having scoured the logs both public and private.

UPDATE 2: I talked my partner into just banning them for good and demanding anything official (and further) go through their 'legal team' to him. Also I found out what the supposed 'defaming' user did to the one complaining. You're gonna fucking love this...

They 'spread rumor' (true ones mind you) that the person complaining was in a polygamous relationship without their knowledge. This person tried to then get back at the truth-spreader by getting then banned, claiming that they are 'just doing a good thing' by threatening legal action. But it gets better...

When they were asked to get their 'legal team' to contact my partner directly? The response was (and I'm only paraphrasing to point out these 2 names that they 100% used in seriousness): 'Then you will be contacted by Scotland Yard and the FBI'.

I have no words anymore. None. Sorry for the false alarm. What a crooooock of bullshit.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Ignore this idiot, who almost certainly does not have a legal team. If your partner gets any correspondence from a lawyer about any specific comments, then consider removing those comments.


Title: /r/BestOfLegalAdvice has already lost over 5,000 subscribers since last night, and this subreddit has only gained 230 subscribers since creation.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
>Will we continue to see losses at this rate in the future?

Probably not for more than 6 more days.
Answer #2: Yeah. Honestly, I try to keep my sub list to what fits across the top of my screen. I didn't have space for three connected subs, so bye-bye r/bestoflegaladvice. This one fits in, but... eh. :/  I don't blame those that said 'screw it' just unsubbed from everything after how thing went down.

::edit:: As for the ones that stay subscribed over there after everything settles, I'd be willing to bet the vast majority of the ones that stick around are either throwaway, deleted, and/or otherwise abandoned accounts that artificially inflate the sub count, you know? :/

>Will this post be removed by the mods?

Depends  - how fast can you gain a star in the main sub? ;)


Title: Friend was driven by a discriminating person during ride sharing [NY]

Question:
One of my friends who is seriously considering transitioning was recently in New York and when talking a ride sharing trip the driver continually talking about how a certain president would keep the tranny's at Bay and other comments like how it was good "tranny's"couldn't serve in the military.  This too a emotional impact on my friend as she is sensitive to these types of comments. So what im getting to is is there anything that can be done?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: It's not illegal to express opinions while providing services, generally. Honestly, your friend needs to grow thicker skin. The government's job isn't to keep people from saying mean things.


Title: $1,000 Speeding Ticket [Montgomery County, MD]

Question:
I was pulled over for speeding on the highway. Officer tells me I was going 80mph and asks for license and registration. I realize I forgot my wallet and apologize. He then informs me that he will have to arrest me. I ask him if there isn't a way to look me up in the computer. He says no. I ask if I can provide my identifying info including SSN to which he again decline and repeats that he will have to arrest me. Then he told me to wait here. After returning with a pen and paper he calls my house (19 year old still living at home during college) and talks to my father. He confirms I did not steal the car which is my dads and then gave me a ticket for speeding and reckless driving for $1,000. I was shocked I had never hear of such a high speeding ticket. I am going to go to court and was hoping to explain that it was an unfamiliar car (usually drive a slower older much louder 1997 BMW) and didn't realize I was going a little fast. As a student I don't know how I can pay such a massive fine and I am quite sure I wasn't going over 75 if even that! What can I say to the judge to get the fine lowered or even changed to community service or something else??

Edit: Forgot to mention the officer changed the speed he claimed I was going several times and on the ticket said 110 mph even though he did not use the radar to actually clock me.

Answer: You seem to have all the facts, what do you need /r/Legaladvice for?


Title: [CA] Psychologist faked test results and wrote fraudulent Social Security Disability report, seeking damages

Question:
**TO BE CLEAR:** This isn't about me disagreeing with the SSDI determination itself (most people fail on the 1st or 2nd try), it's about the psychologist fraudulently reporting test scores in my report for tests that were never administered.

**Question:** How and where do I properly seek damages against a psychologist for disenfranchising me out of an SSDI decision for 3 years and causing me not to trust mental health professionals, despite that I need them to help me work through my disabilities but am too triggered to trust them.

2012 I became work disabled through progressive culmination of mental health disabilities I’ve had over the years (C-PTSD, Major Depression, and Autistic). I listened to my doctors and therapists and applied for SSDI in early 2014, and by mid-2015, was scheduled for an SSDI psychological evaluation. Later that year, my SSDI was rejected based on the psychologist’s fraudulent report. It have an SSDI adjudication hearing with a judge this September for a final decision, but the damages have already been done.

**Plot Twist:** Before I became disabled, I studied, administered, and wrote psychological evaluations for SSDI applicants as part of my placement training in a clinical psychology Ph.D. program I dropped out 2 years short of graduation a decade ago. I am innately familiar with the interview process, testing procedure, and report writing. These examinations require at least a few hours to administer and a few hours of scoring and report writing. Contracted psychologists are paid per SSDI report, not by the hour.

After the initial denial, I received a copy of the report and found egregious errors that are not simple mistakes. The psychologist entered data for tests that were never administered, which created false composite scores, and wrote her findings based on the fraudulent test scores. In addition, the tests were not administered properly and I knew that many questions were skipped. I requested copies of the marked testing materials used for taking notes and scoring, as they must be held for 7 years according to CA law. However, the psychologist ignored my certified letter and I doubt at this point that the psychologist kept those records (I already reported her to HIPAA, but they could only reprimand her for not providing my records).

My trust in the mental health profession was been shattered and I have been unable to make any group or individual psychotherapy since. I reported the psychologist for fraud to the state psychology board and to social security (but there is zero traction on the latter). My SSDI case looks favorable given my long history of therapy and medications, but my trust in the profession is broken and I’ve struggled without any disability income these past few years as a result of the fraud.

**TL;DR:** I applied for SSDI and caught the psychologist faking test results. I have experience administering these tests to know better. Already reported psychologist to the state board and awaiting SSDI determination. My disability agency processing my SSDI case only pursues the disability case itself and does not get involved in any civil cases. Looking for what kind of damages can be collected for compensation, and what are the steps and process of making that happen, and when is the best time (such as waiting until before or after the final SSDI determination)

Answer: The psychologist probably has immunity in this context, so it's unlikely you can sue them.  Nor would you be able to prove "fraud" just because one psychologist has a different opinion than you think they should have.


Title: Can I trust the results of a passed polygraph exam?

Question:
For reasons I won’t go into, someone important in my life has taken a polygraph exam. The examiner was highly experienced, worked for the FBI, etc. I did research the subject, the internet is littered with people talking about how easy it is to “beat” a polygraph. I always believed that a false fail was much more likely than a false pass, and attempts to subvert the test would more likely result in an inconclusive (unless the person is a complete sociopath) than a true fail. This examiner said that this person “passed the polygraph hands down.” How much credit should I give that result? I have chosen not to advance any legal proceedings at this time based on the result.

I would really only like factual answers from anyone who has real life experience. Conjecture and doubt and uncertainty I have plenty of on my own. 🙂

Answer:
 So the science behind polygraph tests is actually really fascinating. It's not actually testing whether a person is telling the truth or not, it's measuring the levels of stress a person feels as they're being questioned. The idea being that the vast majority of people become more stressed when lying then telling the truth. This theory does not prove true for every person. An anxious person could show stress results for both truths and lies and fail a test. A very calm person could lie their head off and not show any signs of stress. Polygraphs are still used by law enforcement (Edit: They're still used, but the results are no longer admissible in court) but the scientific community currently believes that they're largely unreliable.

Here's a pretty great article from the APA talking about it. I'm in the boat that they're at best useless and at worst dangerous but your mileage may vary.

http://www.apa.org/research/action/polygraph.aspxAnswer #2: Three Xanax and a clear head and I could be telling the truth about being a thirty two year old poodle named Princess Petuna of the fields.


Title: Shoplifting situation (NYC)

Question:
This is first time getting in trouble with the law. I have a clean record. I took about $600 worth of things. I have a court date in two months, I was told by the cops that there's a high chance that I wouldn't be charged with something that would stay on my record.
Can I face jail time? What would be my consequences? Is there anything I can do to prove that it was a stupid mistake and I learn my lesson?

Answer:
 Shoplifting of that level is considered Petit larceny, with a maximum penalty of one year in jail, it is a class-A misdemeanor.

You may qualify for a diversion program for a class-A misdemeanor.

This is serious business, if you are pretrial diverted then no crime would be on your record if you complete your diversion program successfully.

You need a lawyer and you need one yesterday, it could be the difference between repayment and a diversion program and spending a year behind bars.


Title: Ex let’s small child ride in front seat, and without a booster

Question:
My daughter is 8 years old, but still pretty small; only about 4ft tall and 52lbs. Yesterday, she FaceTimed me from her (non-custodial) dad’s phone and she was sitting in the front seat of his car. I didn’t want to argue, especially in front of her, so I told her it’s not safe and asked her not to sit there even if her dad says it’s ok. I tried talking to him about it later and he was very dismissive and non-responsive. Today, she FaceTimed me and was in the backseat, but wasn’t in a booster seat. This has happened previously and I thought he was going to make sure she was properly restrained, but that obviously hasn’t been happening.

I thought about trying to screenshot it while FaceTiming, but I so rarely catch it happening, and he definitely won’t let me now that I’m hassling him about it again. Is there anything I can do besides filing something with the courts? If that’s my only option then I will, just looking for my first steps.

Edit: Nevada

Answer:
 Obviously a child that size should be in a booster because the laws of physics and physiology are even more important than the laws of the state, but some states' booster laws end at eight years. There is a reason you are asked several times to provide your location.

Edit: Nevada does not require a booster past six years. Your ex is making a bad decision but not an illegal one.Answer #2: "Children who are younger than 6 years old and weighs less than 60 lbs. must ride in an approved safety restraint system."

https://www.dmv.org/nv-nevada/safety-laws.php


Title: Experimental Pap smear

Question:
Hello,

My fiancee(F) recently turned 21 and had to have her first pap smear as every woman does. Her insurance came back saying the procedure was experimental and they will not cover it, stating she owes $700 out of pocket. She filed an appeal already with the insurance which got denied almost immediately. Is there any steps I can take to dispute this? I don't see it's fair to have her pay out of pocket for a procedure every woman is required to receive. She already spoke to the doctor who performed the procedure who advised everything went as standard procedure. Thank you in advance wonderful people of reddit!

Answer: Have the billing office for the doctor check to see which code was used. It's possible it is a clerical error.  More relevant help at r/insuranceAnswer #2: IANAL, but I work in cytology and I've never heard of an experimental pap smear. I could only guess that the billing codes were not entered correctly.


Title: my parents live a house that I bought(in full), but I am last on the deed... they took out a home equity loan(I didn't sign anything for it), they're terrible financially... i'm concerned about my credit being impacted..

Question:
It's only a matter of time before they just lose the house (they just don't think they need to take responsibility for anything, not that they don't have money) ANYWAY, when they lose the house, will my credit get messed up?

I live in Phila, PA and the house is in IL

Answer: Is the loan in your name?


Title: Legality of Attending a Crazy Hedonistic Debachourus Party on a Yatch [International Waters]

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Laws don't disappear when you get into international waters.

The laws of wherever the ship is registered apply in international waters.

#BAM- LOOPHOLED!Answer #2: This is the stupidest thing I've read all day, International waters aren't some sort of lawless hellscape where anything goesAnswer #3: It's spelled "Yacht." I am not a maritime attorney.

Once a ship is outside of the contiguous zone, you're looking at maritime law (high seas / international waters), which states that the law of the ship is based upon the law of the country whose flag the ship is flying. In this case, it is likely that US law would apply (though enforcement is another matter).

If you want a "no rules, anything goes legally" ship, then it would need to be considered "without nationality", which would require the US to relinquish claim to the ship. Be warned that this status means that other ships may consider the vessel a warship, and act within their own interests with respect to your vessel.

While the US doesn't follow the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, it is largely respected; it includes provisions to allow outside vessels to stop vessels engaged in drug trafficking.Answer #4: IANAL but I believe there are laws designed to specifically prosecute people who travel to different places with the intent to circumvent age of consent laws. I don't know if this would apply to you in this situation.


Title: Pranking customer service

Question: As a joke, I made a fake message on the Geek Squad Live Chat on the BestBuy page. They messaged back staying that I had done something along the lines of breaking their code of conduct. It was a harmless prank, I wasn't harassing them, but they said they had recorded my IP Address and may be in contact with the authorities for proper action. I researched and found out they couldn't gain my location from my IP without a court order. I know this is probably no big deal but it's been stressing me out and I wanted to make sure I hadn't actually broken the law. Thank you!

Answer: We don't know what you said, so we can't know. "It's just a prank" is not a viable defense to any crime I'm aware of. But it really depends on what you said. Calling in and asking if their refrigerator is running? Not a crime. Calling in a fake bomb threat? Totally different can of tomatoes.


Title: Boss is having me create websites calling out bad experiences he has had with companies.

Question:
I work as a general office assistant for a small business in Western New York. I do mostly work related to the company that I was hired for, but  the company president frequently has me do personal work for him: I've sold a car on his behalf, rented out an apartment, backed up and transferred service when he got a new phone, etc. All sorts of things.

&#x200B;

Recently, he had a bad experience with a vacation house that he rented for his family. He had me create a website with the explicit purpose of shaming the landlord until she refunded his security deposit and whatever else he paid her for. He sent me the pictures he wanted me to post and all the text that he wanted on the website, including layouts. The text of the website explicitly states that he will take down the website when he is refunded. I was uncomfortable with this but I did it because I did not feel that I was in a position to say no.

&#x200B;

This week he sent me another website he wants me to create, this time shaming an airline for charging him several hundred dollars for a flight which they later kicked him off of. This site also explicitly states that it will be taken down when he is refunded. This particular airline is a significantly larger organization than the landlord he had me create the first website for.

&#x200B;

I doubt  a large airline is going to care about a threatening website from an angry customer. However, I am increasingly concerned that this will fall under slander or defamation. Thus I have two questions:

1. Does this fall qualify as slander or something else illegal?
2. Am I liable as the person who would create these two websites (via GoDaddy with a company credit card)?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: You are rendering services on behalf of a corporation, in the event that you are held liable for any of the damages incurred then your employer will be held liable for any of the compensatory damages as you are not an officer of the company and are rendering services on behalf of the company and cannot be held responsible for the fiduciary responsibilities of the actions of the company.


Title: Disabled boyfriend was transferred from ER to mental hospital where he was ignored and we sat in waiting room for 4 hours with no one speaking to us. We left.

Question:
Two weeks ago my boyfriend (22M, paraplegic) had a serious mental breakdown. I took him to the emergency room and that night they transferred him to a “mental hospital and behavioral healthcare” place literally three blocks away and told us he would be directly admitted.

As soon as we got there, the front desk people looked at us like we didn’t belong and told us “we can’t take care of him.” Mind you, the previous hospital provided them all paperwork needed and they knew we were coming.

We then sat in the waiting room for hours. They wouldn’t give him a pillow. I had to take him into the bathroom and change him into clean clothes with no help. No one would speak to us or tell us when he would get a room.

I finally demanded to speak to a supervisor, (at this point we’d been there for four hours, it was now 1:00 AM)  and when she came in she went straight to a different patient and wouldn’t speak to me. So I interrupted her and asked “why were we told to come her, when he has no bed and is receiving no care?”

She had no answer for me other than “I can’t tell you why Hospital XYZ told you that.”

So I got my boyfriend together, into the car, and we drove two hours to the closest metropolitan area where he is receiving EXCELLENT care.

My question is what kind of action can I take against their discrimination due to him being in a wheelchair? I can’t describe how angry I am with the lack of treatment or help we received. I want retribution.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 Why do you believe he was discriminated against for being in a wheelchair? It does not seem like that was the problem, but that the behavioral health center was not prepared to see or admit him. This could be for a hundred reasons.

You can speak to a medical malpractice attorney, but I think you'll have a very difficult  time proving damages. Answer #2: The ER doesn't control intake at the behavioral health center. We have no idea why there was no room but unless you have specific damages your only recourse is to lodge a complaint.


Title: Michigan Mortgage Service Provider Forcing Me to Buy Insurance. Do I have any recourse?

Question:
Our mortgage service company (the company that we pay our mortgage to) requires us to hold insurance on our property and to provide proof of this insurance to them.  If we don't, they'll buy insurance and force us to pay for it.  Fine.

We have provided them with proof of insurance.  We followed their directions and mailed it.  Received another letter asking for proof.  Talked to them on the phone and they said they hadn't received anything.  So I faxed our proof of insurance.  Received another call demanding that I provide insurance.  I had a copy of the fax and told them the date, time, and number it was sent.  They confirmed it was the right number, but said that they still had no record.  They said to email it.  I emailed proof of insurance and contact information for our association board treasurer if they needed any other information.  I just received a letter saying that they will now add $1,164.45 to my mortgage payment for insurance.  I am livid.

Can I file any sort of complaint, lien, or case against them?

Answer: Are you relying purely on your HOA's insurance?  They probably expect you to have a condo homeowner's policy as well.


Title: 2 Strikes in CA, which states am I safe?

Question:
Hello,

I have two violent strikes in CA (2counts attempted robbery committed at the same time)

Does anyone know which states I could move to where the CA strikes would not follow me? I would like to move to Colorado but from what I undedstand, some states will use prior records from other states during sentencing. I'm tired of having a target on my back and I'm terrified that some random incident some day is going to get me sent to prison forever.

Answer:
 You'll be safe anywhere as long as you plan on following the law. Your arrest and conviction record will always be a factor in future sentencing. Answer #2: > I'm tired of having a target on my back and I'm terrified that some random incident some day is going to get me sent to prison forever.

Literally billions of people live their lives without ever committing a felony.


Title: [CA] My "landlord" promised to refund me first months rent and deposit. Now I'm being ignored and lost $1700

Question:
Long post I'm sorry in advance

Hi everyone, I'm in serious need of some guidance in the right direction.

On April 1st, I visited my University's housing portal looking for a short term 2 month place to stay in California for my graduation in May. I found a listing and contacted the landlord, and we discussed everything and agreed via my student email that I can rent for two months, move in within the week after signing lease and paid deposit and rent for first month. Lease was signed, wired my funds and set  ready to move in.

After a few days he emails me saying his lawyer advises him not to rent the place to me due to lack of job (about to graduate with a professional degree) and not confident in my ability to pay second month rent, and someone else is willing to pay up front for 6 months rent. So he asked me to pay second month rent up front just because he promised me the place and that even though I already signed a lease, he said he'll refund me everything right away if I decide not rent there. I became extremely suspicious and respectfully told him it's better for both of us for me to rent elsewhere. He said he'll refund the original funds, and after 3 weeks of false promises and a fake confirmation number, he is now ignoring me.

I feel really idiotic but the only reason I paid up front and signed a lease like that communication only email was because it was allowed on our universities portal and I had done this prior years and so have my classmates.

I'm not sure if I should file a police report, speak with University, or a lawyer.

He's from out of state but has property rentals all over California for students on the actual different college sites. If he's a fraud then how is he still listing so many locations. If not fraud, then why isn't he replying to me or returning my money.

All I have is his name, email, phone number, and information given to me for wire transfer.

Thanks in advance for any advice everyone. And sorry for the vent/long post.

Answer: You’ll have to sue him, that’s if he is even who he claims to be.


Title: Do wiretapping laws cover conversations with cats?

Question:
I apologize if this question is too stupid:

Basically, I'm just curious if wiretapping laws and one and two party consent laws only cover conversations between multiple people, or if a person talking to a cat or to themselves would also need consent to be recorded? What if they don't talk? is it illegal to record a fart without someone's knowledge.

Answer: Are you asking if you need the cat's consent?  Or are you asking if a 3rd party can record you talking to your cat?  If it's the former, no, of course not.  Also, like a cat would ever do anything you asked it to do.  If it's the latter, then you yes you still need consent.  That's the whole reason for 1\-party consent: to prevent some 3rd party who isn't in the coversation from recording you


Title: 22/F, Indiana. Employer delayed submitting my information for insurance and then prescription insurance.

Question:
My parents retired, and removed me from their insurance. Nbd. I’m able to enroll in insurance via my employer if my parents drop me like that even if it’s not during open enrollment. Filled out the paperwork right before the holidays, figured I was all set.

Come mid January I find my application has never been accepted and I wasn’t given notice. Ugh, whatever. I find out they didn’t approve it (and didn’t tell me, neat) because they needed proof that I wasn’t double insured. That takes a day to fix, but then it’s taken care of. Swell. Eventually I get my dental card in the mail, and I have to call again to get my regular health insurance card but eventually I get that too. Everything peachy, yah?

Nope. I went to the pharmacy yesterday to pick up prescriptions and tried to update my insurance. The nice pharm tech gently explains I’m not covered, my prescriptions will cost $700+, and I ought to talk to HR at my job if I’m sure I’m covered. I confirm this is the case by calling the pharmaceutical insurance myself, and I’ve emailed HR this morning to correct this.

My prescriptions are necessary for my day to day function. I’m off one today and if I don’t get it within 12 hours the withdrawal is going to kick in. In 24 hours it will be debilitating and make coming to work incredibly difficult. (Paxil, if anybody is curious). I doubt this will be cleared up today, and I’m dreading it.

Do I have any recourse for this delay in coverage? I’m supposed to have been covered since the 19th. I’ve been paying for that coverage. The lack of coverage is going to cause big problems for me.

I’d just like to know my options. I’m aware it’s likely not worth it, as I’m with a private employer in an at-will state.

The prescription insurance is Cigna if that matters at all.

EDIT: thanks for the advice on how to get my scrips. I have it handled. Unless anybody has anything more to say on the legal front I’m all good. Cheers!

Answer:
 Borrow the money to get the prescription, then file with the carrier to get reimbursed.

Also note that you should shop around for the best cash price on Paxil and that there are cheap generics available.


Title: Friend is getting raped by boyfriend

Question:
My friend just told me that her boyfriend that she can't stay away from regularly abuses and rapes her. She doesn't want to seek help. I don't know what to do. She said that she doesn't feel like it's "rape" because she's consented before.

I'm not sure what I can do legally for her, she refuses to talk to a lawyer, the cops, a doctor, or a therapist. She's started using drugs and drinking excessively to cope with everything. This occurred in Michigan, in the United States.

I managed to get a crappy recording over the phone of her admitting to him raping her, at least monthly. Also a better recording over her admitting he has strangled her on multiple occasions, but she also admitted to using drugs in the recording and I don't want to edit anything, in fear of not being able to put him away.

Both parties are adults. They've been together for quite awhile. She doesn't tell me much except for when she's really upset, so I know there's more going on. What can I do?

Edit: I'll be more concise - What can I do legally to put him away?

Answer:
 Right now, you're better off being a supportive friend to her. Let her know that consenting once does not mean consenting forever. If you give her a healthy, safe space, she may talk to you. Let her know about RAINN. But you cannot force her to go to the police.Answer #2: You can report what you know to the police but if she won't cooperate it might not go far. Continue to encourage her and offer her help thru places like  RAINN but be careful to not pressure her. Answer #3: As others have said, if she doesn't want to go to the police there's little you can do but be a supportive friend.  What you can also do is to educate yourself about how to help people in her situation by reading books or talking to support networks yourself.

Is she asking you for money or things when she tells you this?  If drugs are involved, consider this may be a sob story to get you to pull out your wallet.

If being a good friend to her is difficult and she is not willing to do anything to resolve the issue, then you may need to reconsider how involved you are willing to be in this relationship.


Title: BDSM website (Missouri)

Question:
So I was on OKCupid and met this gorgeous girl who wanted to have a Dom/sub relationship.  I of course being the desperate person I am decided to do everything she said and signed up for this website only for the thing not to lead anywhere with the girl.  Now I am on this site and no way to cancel the membership.  When trying to cancel online there is an error everytime regardless of what computer im on.  Also trying to email them doesn't work because it gets an error.  As for calling customer support.... well lets just say I was worried I was going to run out of minutes (unlimited minutes) with the amount of time I was on hold.  No one ever answered.  This can't be legal can it?  Right now I plan on cancelling the card I used and washing my hands of the situation, I also understand it's my fault for being so stupid to fall for it.

Edited: grammar.  Also want to thank everyone for the advise, and how professional you were.  I was a little embarrassed to post this even on a throwaway.

Answer:
 > So I was on OKCupid and met this gorgeous girl

No. You met somebody who had a picture of a gorgeous girl on their fake profile. Cancel the card and be done with it.


Title: [OH] I got my criminal records sealed. I did a background check on myself through an on line service and it came back with the sealed records. I got a background check for a career job next week. Need help.

Question:
In 2008, I was charged with 2 misdemeanors. I got the records sealed/expunged last year. I did a self check on myself though Verispy and those sealed records were on the background check. Only a government agency is allowed to view sealed records.

Did my lawyer not follow up on something or did this company just use an outdated database. I did pay $20 bucks for it too.

This is a concern for me because I just landed a job and all I have to do is pass a background check. Should I be alarmed at this?
Topic:
Background Checks and Expungements

Answer: All reputable background investigation companies fall under the FCRA. A week doesn't give you enough time to sort this out, so familiarize yourself with the dispute process for criminal results just in case you need to follow through with it.


Title: Advice on my landlord asking me to leave

Question:
So I signed a 1 year lease with the owners property manager in September 2019. The women was incredibly rude and the owner of the house fired her.

My first question, is our lease voided?

The second issue is May 6th she told us that she is being transferred to a seperate state for coast guard. And she is putting the house up for market and asked us to be out the 1st. Finding this apartment in the first place was impossible and we have no where to go with a voided lease. Does that mean we can't get back our security deposit or she has to pay the amount for breaking it? She told us for every day past the first she would be charging us a prorated rent price.

She doesn't have a right to do this right? Or does she since technically we aren't tenants? I don't have a place to move, people to help, money to pay for anything.

Also are there rules in michigan for bill suspension right now?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Your lease is still in effect. It carries with the property. The new owners would be your landlord. Why do you think you aren't tenants?


Title: If I want to discuss a business idea with someone, how can I guarantee they won't run off with my idea?

Question:
Kalamazoo, MI, USA

I'm looking to start an app/website business. In order to do so, I need to get vendors interested in the app/website, so that means I need to discuss in depth what the business is. Are there any forms that I can have them sign saying that they won't do anything like start their own business or something similar? How can I ensure my idea is safe? General ideas for how to go about doing this? It's my first time starting a business so any advice about this type of thing is very welcome.

As a generality, my product idea is a service app, kind of like Spotify or Facebook or something.

Thank you in advance!!
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 You need a non-disclosure agreement. That'll take an actual lawyer to be done right.

Getting them to sign it, though, might be a challenge. As in, what's in it for them?


Title: Can I get sued for referencing an event that happened at my high school? Tx

Question: I'm making a short story film for college, while attending high school a student had a toothbrush shoved up rectum would it be possible for them to sue me if I don't mention the person's identity or the school's name?

Answer:
 Why are you mentioning it in the film? Honestly without that person's permission this just sounds shitty.

EDIT: to be clear this pun was unintentional, don't know *exactly* how I feel about it. Literally suggesting that it's morally questionable to present this without the consent of the victim.


Title: Loud washing machines and dryers in apartment.

Question:
I just moved into an apartment.  My room is right next to the laundry room for the complex, and evidently the washing machines/dryers can be heard through the wall.  It is very distracting and virtually going on at all hours, since there are many people who live in this building.  The dryers are especially bad, as they rumble on the ground and give off a continuous low rumbling/vibrating noise.

It was not disclosed to me that there would be this sort of noise coming from the other side of the wall when I signed the lease.  Is there some sort of law in place that grants tenants of apartments a certain degree of protection from noise pollution?  Something like, the right to enjoy a reasonable degree of silence, or protection against a level of noise that would be distracting to a typical person, however that is defined?

I live in New Jersey.

Thank you for any advice.

Answer:
 You should take a look at the washers and dryers to make sure they're level. They usually have some sort of adjustable feet at the corners. If they're uneven, they'll rock around and make a hell of a racket.

I doubt you have any protection here legally, but your other option is to ask the landlord to institute some sort of "no laundry later that 10:00 PM" rule.


Title: In the United States, do infants/children/minors have the right to freedom of religion?

Question: IOW at what age does the Bill of Rights and US Constitution apply to an american citizen?

Answer: The freedom of religion is a right from to choose your religion without the interference of the *government*.  Parents can make their kids go to specific churches and the like. They obviously can't tell them what to believe, but to a certain extent can force their own religion on their children.  Are you having some problem that you need help with or is this just hypothetical?


Title: (AR) is the hotel liable for the damages while car is parked in their garage.

Question: Anniversary get away and our car was broken into in the hotel parking garage. Arkansas.  Thanks for the info.

Answer: Generally the thief or vandal is responsible for damages to your vehicle.   Do you have a contract with the hotel promising you won't have a damaged vehicle?


Title: I think my valet service is up to something suspicious (New York City)

Question:
So I live in NYC, and as everyone knows, parking is hard to find on the streets so I use a garage with valet service near my building.

A couple weeks ago, I was with my fiancée in the car when she found a condom in front of the passenger seat. (We don’t use condoms, for the record).

I didn’t think much of it at first, because I live in the city and maybe someone stepped on the jimmy in the street.

But today, my friend was in the car and he found a condom in the backseat. So now I’m thinking the parking place is using my car so someone can turn tricks. I don’t know what to do though.

TLDR: found condoms in my car twice now. Suspect valet service is up to something.

Answer:
 You'd probably need evidence. Say setting up interior/exterior dash cams, keep/photograph receipts/tickets.
Lawyer's won't care for just a couple of empty condom wrappers they need hard evidence, no pun intended.Answer #2: When this happened to George Costanza he had to move garages. Answer #3: Question, does your fiancée ever drive said car?


Title: I'm a disabled veteran, and I was put on involuntary sick leave for a previous suicide attempt

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 If you work with firearms and you made a suicide attempt it only makes sense that you'd need to be cleared for that. I suspect that you weren't specific with your doctor about the firearms component of your job on purposes because you knew it might be an issue. Your employer realized the same.Answer #2: >What are my options if I don't get fully cleared by the doctor?

They can attempt to accommodate you. Given the job requires being around firearms, they may make the case that there is no reasonable accommodation to be made and terminate you. They may also attempt to move you to a new position where firearms are not necessary.

>Are they allowed to do this in the first place?

Yes. Verifying a suicidal person can be safe around firearms is perfectly legal.


Title: Neighbors stole my keys and assaulted my roommate. Cops can't do anything. Please help.

Question: This took place in Ohio. One of my roommates had a party at our house and whoever was appointed to watch the door decided they had better things to do. I step out of my room to go to the bathroom and I come back to some guys I don't recognize blocking my door. Things get heated as i am trying to get back into my room and suddenly this guy comes bolting out of my room and the rest of them run off after him. On the way out they had time to start a fight and punch my roommate in the face. I go out after them, several people are out looking at them and managed to get pictures of their license plates before they peeled off. I call the police, they explain that because there was a house party there isn't much they can do besides run the plates. My roommate comes up and explains that he sees that car everyday and that those people were our neighbors. They say to call if the guys come back. 4 hours later I see them park the same car with the same plates and drunkenly try to sneak to their door. I walk up and as calmly as I can manage ask if they're the same guys and if so can they give what they took back. One of them says "I'm not going to jail over this give him the fucking keys back" and walks inside. It takes them a minute to figure things out, but the eventually settle on the story that they were indeed the men who were in my room and ran out of it but that they don't have my keys. Then they refuse to talk further and lock their door. I call cops again, explain that what just happened and the cops come back, knock on their door a few times and say that there is nothing more they can do since the guys didn't open. I can't afford to get the lock and key for my car replaced and I'm basically fucked. We have at least three witnesses who saw these guys, pictures of their plates, and they literally told me they did it. Is there really nothing I can do here? I am so frustrated I feel like I have no options.

Answer:
 Cop here.

Go back to the police and tell them you'd like to sign a criminal complaint for theft against your neighbor and need their assistance in identifying your neighbor's name and serving the criminal complaint.

I'd also articulate clearly to the police that a felony burglary has been committed as your neighbor entered your house without permission for the purpose of committing a theft. Ask to speak to a supervisor and explain it again.

You may also be able to get the landlord's assistance by reporting this incident to them.


Title: I'm a C.I. and I have some questions [MD] UPDATE

Question:
[Original Post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2w7xyh/im_a_ci_and_i_have_some_questions_md/)

Hey guys,

I met with the officer yesterday. He apologized about the department being very busy and how this whole thing should have been over with a long time ago.

This is what happened:

Asked him about getting a copy of my signed contract-- He told me that they don't give out a copy for the C.I.'s safety.

Told him that I'm worried about getting into contact with these dealers again because I lost contact with them-- He told me that we'll try and if it doesn't work out then he'll figure another way I can help out. :/

He also said that there isn't a specific deadline.

Answer: what part about getting a lawyer right now did you not read in your previous post?Answer #2: Tough spot you're in.... you've made the right move by getting the scumbags out of your life but at the same time the cop sounds like he wants results and you to re-establish contact.....  If you make friends again, and they get arrested the next day it's pretty darn easy for any amateur drug dealer to realize who ratted them out. I'm not going to pass judgement because we're only hearing one side but I really hope he's not going to put you in danger after you made a huge effort to fix yourself and get out of that life. I would still consult with a lawyer..... or hope his line of "*find another way to help out*" means washing his car or something. Good luck.


Title: [CA: Los Angeles] My brother's dog bit his 9mo. daughter. We're furious, including his wife. Can anything be done to remove the dog?

Question: My brother has a small dog that's a terror. No one, not a single person except my brother likes that dog. That dog has bitten his 9mo. old daughter on multiple occasions. At this point I think his dumb ass cares for his dog more than his own kid. What can be done to forcibly remove this dog?

Answer:
 Instead of removing the dog, remove the wife and child.

Pretty sure your brother will rehome the dog when his family is gone.Answer #2: I'm unclear why the wife doesn't just draw a hard line and say that they need to get rid of the dog to protect their child.  There are no magic wand approaches that make the dog disappear without you or his wife needing to speak about this to him.  Answer #3: I know a couple whose 1 year old son was killed by the grandparents smaller breed dog. All with them in the same room. It happens quicker than you know when their is a tiny body.

I would tell your brother that you are going to report it to CPS and animal control if he doesn't handle it on his own. And let him know that it will be a lot better for him to find a home for this dog then have it go to the pound and never get adopted because it has a history. The dog might do fine in a home with no children, and lots of training. Answer #4: Contact animal control and CPSAnswer #5: You don't remove the dog. You remove the child. That man should not be around childrenAnswer #6: I highly recommend you intervene asap. This exact situation happened to a really good friend of mine but there were no signs or reasons to think the dog would react like that. You could be over reacting but you never know.


Title: Kansas waitress wage question. I make $2.13/hr. + tips, but I am only able to make tips for about 3 hours out of my usual 6 hour shift (due to lack of customers). Is it lega!l for my employer to only pay me $2.13/hr. during the untipped 3 hours instead of minimum wage?

Question: I feel like if I make $35 in tips over the course of 3 hours, my avg. Wage is about 13.80/ hr. While including my $2.13/hr. base pay. But my boss makes us stay to do grunt work (ie. Wiping down walls, running other servers food) even when we can't take tables because there aren't enough customers or my section turns into a sauce filling station and people can't sit in it. Instead of having me clock in as untipped waitstaff, at $7.25/hr. They make us stay at $2.13/hr. Which turns my average from $13.80 into just under $8/hr. And my employer only has to pay me $2.13 of that... I feel like a slave.

Answer: I believe as long as your average wage over a 2 week period is equal to minimum wage, it is legal, unfortunately.


Title: [Alberta Canada]I'm afraid I may have "created" child porn.

Question: I myself am a minor (17) and recently I climbed a mountain with some friends (who are also all minors either 17 or 16 years of age). When we reached the top of the mountain one of my friends thought it would be funny to strip down and pose naked at the top of the mountain. I had my camera on me and thought it made for a funny picture (my friend did too and he encouraged me to take the picture). This picture depicts my friend naked at the top of the mountain with his exposed buttocks facing the camera. So now I have taken the roll of film from my camera to be processed at a film developing lab (bad idea I know). It didn't occur to me until someone among our friend group pointed it out that the image could be considered child porn and that the lab might report it to the police. I am quite worried that I might be charged with something that serious and Im not really sure what to do.

Answer:
 1. If arrested, or if questioned by the police, _shut up_. The only questions you need to answer are "what is your name" and "where do you live." The answer to any other question is "I'm not answering questions until I've talked to a lawyer." It's not even "yes" or "no," even if the question has an obvious yes or no answer. Shut up immediately and totally, as your choice as to _when_ to insist on a lawyer can, in some circumstances, be used as evidence.

2. [Photographic child pornography](http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-163.1.html) requires that at least one of two things be true about the image: that it depicts a minor engaged in explicit sexual activity, or that it depicts, for a sexual purpose, the sexual organs or buttocks of a minor. Mooning the camera _probably_ doesn't count, but that may end up being an argument your lawyer has to make in front of a judge: the film tech can report this to the cops, and the cops may well decide it's prosecutable.


Title: Air force hospital didn't sterilize equipment

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The first thing you do is handle the medical side.  Then you consider the legal issues.  Until you have information about the first, you won't be able to find a lawyer or take any real action.


Title: UPDATE: (Miami, Florida) My husbands former employee is harassing me on Facebook and Instagram.

Question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3ttfqb/miami_florida_my_husbands_former_employee_is/

Its gotten worse since the weekend. She's been contacting corporate offices and telling them I'm an anorexic drug addict. She's also gone into a store in the mall and demanded they remove my pictures/posters or she'll start campaigns to boycott the company.

I sent her another copy of the cease and desist letter my lawyer drew up but he won't be back from vacation until after Thanksgiving.

Answer: Just listen to your lawyer.  If you don't like her/him fire her/him and hire another.  Don't post here unless your lawyer says it's okay to do so.Answer #2: Document the details of the continuing harassment. Screenshots, names of those who saw it or heard it, when and where it occurred, etc. Give it to your lawyer when he gets back from vacation and listen to his advice. A person who doubles down on their conduct after getting a C&D is not someone who can be reasoned with. Defamation claims are highly fact specific and context dependent, so you will want all the details you can gather. Answer #3: Calling what corporate offices? And what pictures? If you want help, you'll need to give actual details about what's happening.


Title: Business Using My Photo in Their Ad

Question:
I posted this in the r/ask and was told I should try posting it here... so here it goes:

&#x200B;

I posted a shot of my tea collection (yes... I like tea a lot!) on instagram. I tagged the company because I like them and they’re pretty active on social media. That was months ago. Today they ran an ad for free shipping. It caught my eye. I thought, hey, nice pic... and then I realized that it was MY pic! Of my collection! I pinged them saying that, hey you used my photo! Does this mean I’m on your payroll? They responded saying “Thanks for the pic, it’s a good one.”

I realize social media is a hideous ball of knotted string when it comes to fair use etc, but is that really okay? They’re making money off my photo and it doesn’t sit well with me.

Am I over-reacting? Can they just use whatever photo they want without any credit given?

Thanks for the help.

Answer:
 > Am I over-reacting? Can they just use whatever photo they want without any credit given?

Not in any advertising, that's for sure. If it's your picture, you own the copyright. You can tell them to stop using the picture, or they can keep using it for a licensing fee of $X. Then, they'll either need to stop using it, pay you, or you can sue them.


Title: [Philadelphia]Just had an absolutely demoralizing experience in Municipal Court. Do I appeal in Court of Common Pleas or just let it go?

Question:
My husband and I went to small claims court this morning. We were suing the woman who sold us our home in January 2016. The details of my case are in my post history.

Basically, the woman that sold us the house made lots of repairs to the home without permits and had the work done by a contractor that did not have a license. It was actually her brother, and he works in retail. We did not find out about this work until after we owned the home. The damages are approximately $20k. She also lied on the sellers disclosure and wrote that there was nothing done in the home that required permits. We did have a home inspection but because the issues were behind the walls and hidden, he couldn't have been expected to find it.

We decided to go to small claims court so we wouldn't have to hire an attorney. We consulted with multiple attorneys who all said they didn't think we needed to hire one. The judge refused to hear  most of what we had to say. She even said "I'm not spending  a lot of time on this." She would not let us speak about a lot of the issues we had. She did not know what Work in the home required permits and was pretty dismissive of the fact that the seller hid all of the Work from us.

The judge awarded us 3k out of the 12k we asked for. Damages we estimated at more like 20k.

My question is should we shell out the money for an attorney and appeal in the Court of Common Pleas, or should we take the 3k and forget it?

I truly feel like we didn't have a fair hearing and more than one attorney has said that "municipal judges aren't the brightest."

Answer:
 > She did not know what Work in the home required permits

That should have been spelled out in your petition.

> My question is should we shell out the money for an attorney and appeal in the Court of Common Pleas, or should we take the 3k and forget it?

Thats on you. You likely need to come to a decision fast. Perhaps contact the attorney you originally asked for assitance from.

> I truly feel like we didn't have a fair hearing and more than one attorney has said that "municipal judges aren't the brightest."

When it comes to hearings doesn't matter how bright the fact finder is, its the burden of the petitioner to explain the case in such a way that it can be easily understood. That what attorneys get paid to do.


Title: Concerning alimony

Question: U.S-MO. My soon to be ex wife is divorcing me after we got into a fight after being drunk. She stated that she is not pursuing alimony. Could she pursue alimony for one incident that did not result in any impairment? We are meeting with an attorney where we both sit down and discuss terms this weem. Do I need to lawyer up on my own? We have no assets as we are in college. Just electronics and two cars and furniture. Any advice is appreciated

Answer:
 >Could she pursue alimony for one incident that did not result in any impairment?

Yes, alimony doesn't have much of anything to do with any single incident.


Title: [Washington State] Repeated problems with dealership not fixing warranty work on vehicle.

Question:
We bought a brand new Jeep Cherokee. Within a week of owning it sunroof started making noise. It became worse over time. I've brought the issue up every time I take it in for an oil change and they always say they fixed it. As soon as I drive off the lot the noise is back.

This isn't a minor noise, it's a very loud, knocking, clicking type of noise. Like the entire sunroof is loose. Everyone in the vehicle can clearly hear it, even with the music on. If we were to sell the vehicle no one in their right mind would buy it once they hear the constant, annoying noise.

We've had it in the dealership 4-5 times now and I'm going to take it back in again today. I've called Jeep directly but they also seem to be no help. They just tell me to take it back in to the dealership. The warranty period is going to expire soon and I'm afraid we'll be SOL at that point.

I told the dealership to buy the vehicle back from us since they can't fix the problem but they basically laughed in my face saying that since it's not a major mechanical issue they have no obligation to buy it back. They did offer to upgrades us into another vehicle and use the current one as a trade but the overall price was in that deal was just another laugh in the face.

I've been keeping detailed notes of this for almost a year now. What can I do?
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer:
 Insisting that the dealer buy the vehicle back would occur under the [Washington lemon law](http://www.atg.wa.gov/general-lemon-law).  It seems like there is a legitimate question as to whether this defect qualifies.  Certainly the dealer will argue it does not as the issue does not affect use of the vehicle.  Your argument that it will dramatically affect value may have some merit.

In any case, I would let the dealer know that if the issue cannot be resolved you will file for arbitration under the lemon law with the Washington Attorney General.  I would also try to escalate with Jeep customer care.


Title: If an abused woman were to cut off her husband's penis, shortly after he raped her, would that possibly be considered self-defense?

Question:
I recently read an article about Lorena Bobbitt, who in the early 90s became Infamous for cutting off her abusive husband and John Wayne Bobbitt penis and throwing it off into the woods, shortly after he passed out after raping her. There was a history of him being physically and sexually violent towards her. She was arrested and charged, but she was acquitted under an insanity defense.

When it comes to cases where domestic violence victims engage in violence against their abusers, it's often viewed that there is a blurred line between self-defense and retaliation. Many women have been convicted of murder for killing their abusive husbands. I got something that I'm wondering, is if the Lorena Bobbitt case happened today in 2017, is it likely that she wood be acquitted today. Is it more likely that she would be acquitted today, given the greater awareness of domestic violence? Is it possible that her actions, depending on jurisdiction, would it be considered self-defense, and she be charged with a crime in the first place?

https://wearemitu.com/no-pos-wow/lorena-bobbitt-cuts-hisbands-penis/

Answer:
 "Self-Defense" is only a thing if you're actually currently being attacked.

You may have some kind of temp. insanity defense, but not self defense.Answer #2: In some jurisdictions the defense of provocation may be available to a defendant and can reduce a murder charge to manslaughter. It has also been used by women trapped in abusive relationships where the provocation occurred over months or years. I believe the relevant case is R v Aluwhalia.


Title: Here's a weird one for you: If an allegedly-haunted location was caught hoaxing paranormal activity during for-profit ghost hunting events, would paying ghost hunters have grounds to sue on behalf of their "evidence" being bunk?

Question:
 I realize this is a strange question, but I'm currently watching a great  shitstorm develop in my weirdo social circle and I wanted to see what a lawyer thought about this. Here goes:

There's a special effects company out there who claims that they've been providing a "haunt hoaxing" service to over two dozen private individuals and larger companies who run allegedly haunted buildings. They claim to be completely discrete, and will never reveal their actions to anyone unless they have a warrant in their face. The company claims to do do all the usual spooky shit - apparitions, temp fluctuations, gadget malfunctions, and even making a group of people feel sick at once.

Ghost hunters, particularly the ones who consider themselves "serious researchers", and pretty pissed about it and raising some ruckus.

So here's the question: If an allegedly-haunted location is charging ghost hunters (sometimes in the thousands of dollars) to investigate their building, and they don't disclose that they have a team on site secretly faking paranormal activity, do these ghost hunters have grounds for any legal recourse?

My gut feeling is that they'd be laughed out of court, but I figured I'd get some expert opinions. The company I'm talking about operates in KY/OH, but since this is more of a theoretical situation, I'm interested in potential nationwide consequences.

EDIT: More interesting stuff - most ghost hunting teams have gone out of their way to designate themselves at non-profit entities - does this mean they'd lack quantifiable damages? On the flip side, if one of this ghost hunting teams did decide to sue a location, that location might then miss out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in event revenue - could that leave these small teams open to a big countersuit?

Answer: It depends on if the ghost hunters had any quantifiable damages due to this practice. Are they just allowing access to property for a fee or guaranteeing an outcome (that the place is really haunted)?


Title: [LA] I'm being held in contempt for no reason?

Question:
Hello all, I am young and inexperienced with the court system so maybe someone could clarify what's going on for me. I work in care coordination with at-risk youth and sometimes that requires that I go to court with them mostly to support the family and show good faith to the judge if I'm called. I went in with the family at their request on Jan 27th and the youth was placed in a detention center until 2/17/16, and the judge ordered that a psych. evaluation be performed and that I sign the family up for family therapy. I worked closely with my supervisors and had two different family services lined up for the youth when he gets home. I am not qualified to do evaluations and neither is anyone at my agency. I showed up again today at court to support the family and waited nearly four hours before leaving to attend to my other job duties and appointments. I spoke to the mother prior to leaving and she told me that she was told he would be released today with probation and that I probably didn't need to stay. Ten minutes after I left I get a phone call from the mother expressing that the judge was very upset that I wasn't there and said that I was in contempt of court because I was subpoenaed and not present.

I never received any summons or subpoena in any form so I was not aware that it was court ordered that I be present. I did everything in my power to help the family and am continuing to support them in any way possible, but the judge did not release him because I was not there to deliver an assessment. I forgot to mention that full psych. eval was scheduled with the youths psychiatrist but he missed it due to being in detention.

Tldr; I went to court to support a family on 1/27, showed up this morning and waited 4 hours to be called before leaving for other job duties. 10 mins after I left I'm being threatened with a contempt charge despite no summons and subpoena. What's going to happen?

Answer: You are going to tell your agency asap so your firm's attorney can be advised. They will check to see what actually happened.  You will find out when the Judge wants you back and you will clear your entire day and be there. You will explain you never got a summons or subpoena and you will apologize. You will explain that you did not deliver an assessment because you were not ordered to do one nor are you qualified to do one. You will hope that its all a mistake and the got the wrong person.


Title: [FL USA] My friend just financed a 1900$ tv from Buddies-- similar to rent-a-center, his ex came over last night and purposely broke the tv. We called the cops but they said that this is a civil issue. What can he do to have her pay for the tv?

Answer: Sue her in small claims court Answer #2: Sue her for the cost of the TV. Continue to pay the financing company.


Title: (Oregon, US) Labor Laws regarding work week and overtime

Question: The business I work for considers a work week to be the number of days you work in a row (instead of a traditional Sunday-Monday calendar work week). So if I work six ten-hour days in a week but have one day off after four days. I don't qualify for overtime since that is considered to be two work weeks. Is this a legal way to avoid paying overtime?

Answer: They need to have a set work week that is the same time every week. They can select whatever start time/day they want, but they can't change it week to week.


Title: Suing for a car down payment?

Question:
My car was recently totaled in a wreck that wasn’t my fault. The other driver pulled out in front of me while I had right-of-way, and the crash was enough to easily total his car and do just enough damage to total mine. The police report doesn’t assign fault, but it’s pretty obvious it was his fault and his insurance took full responsibility for it.

So my insurance will pay out enough for me to pay off my car loan for sure, and maybe a little more since I was ahead on payments.

Is there any precedence for suing the other driver for the rest of the cost of a down payment? A few people suggested it to me, but I’ve never heard it before.

Background info: I’m in Alabama. The car is 2012 Subaru Outback, bought it used. I’m about a year and a half into a 60 month loan. KBB puts the car ~$7800, I owe $6900 on the loan. Still waiting for the final value from my insurance adjuster.

Answer: You’re not entitled to more than fair market for your car.Answer #2: Insurance pays what a car is worth, not what you've paid for it, nor what you have left to pay (unless you have GAP, which is not relevant in your situation).


Title: Seller did not disclose previous flooding, city knew of flooding since the 50s and have done nothing... We have a sink hole in our house (Las Vegas, NV) (Update 3)

Question:
[See last post here, with links to original and first update](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3n9spc/seller_did_not_disclose_previous_flooding_back/)

A lot has happened since the last update, and I'll try to keep it short, but it's pretty big. (We have documented everything so far.)

We flooded again, this time the whole house. We lost a lot. Our flood insurance hasn't kicked in yet, so we could not make a claim for this flood either. Since we have no money, we started trying to mitigate the damage ourselves. In the process, we found black mold, and some structural... weirdness? We probed further, and uncovered a shit storm.

I contacted the contractor I called the first time we flooded to have him look at the room. He needed his structures guy to look at it, and they both came back yesterday morning.

He literally told us the damage is so bad that we're on the verge of having a condemned home. We have owned this home for FOUR MONTHS, and we cannot live in our home anymore.

As I mentioned in the last update, our few houses are prone to flooding. This is because when the city was built in front of us, they started raising the street levels and all the water comes right down to us and then has nowhere to go. 50+ years of flooding has caused the soil under our home to erode and create a sinkhole. There are tunnels under the house from the water eroding the dirt.

We're at a complete loss as to what to do. We never would have purchased this home had we known of the flooding. The seller is very clearly liable for the flood damages to the structure, but we can't afford a lawyer should he decide to escalate matters further than the letter the lawyer we contacted is going to write. Additionally, the contractor(s) stated that trying to fix the house would be a complete waste of time and money, and until the flooding issue is fixed (which means, the city has to actually put in proper flood channels like they claim they're going to) they CAN'T do the work because the house is not safe if it keeps eroding.

It's supposed to rain in the next few days, and our insurance still hasn't kicked in.

TLDR: Seller failed to disclose flooding issue. Second flood uncovered more issues that have been compounded over the years because the city was built up without regard to existing properties, and despite complaints, have been inactive in fixing or helping mitigate the problem. We cannot live in our home, and we are at risk to lose everything because of an issue that is in no way our fault.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 >  we can't afford a lawyer

You can't NOT afford a lawyer.


Title: Therapist withholding my records

Question:
I need to get my financial statements and medical records from my psychiatrist in order to prove to the financial aid office that I had a legitimation medical problem.

I called my therapist (who I no longer see and who I haven't seen in months) and he wouldn't give them to me unless I have another session with him. This is very time sensitive and I will have to drive all the way back home from my college town to see him.

I was wondering if it is ethical for him to withhold my records and statements? What can I do about it?

Edit: I am in Georgia

Answer:
 He cannot withhold medical records from you, the patient.  You need to make a request, in writing, requesting the specific documents that you need.  They will then have 30 days to get it to you.  If you are denied contact the [Dept of Health and Human Services] (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/)

-Edit-

He can withhold  them if you have not paid him for services


Title: Plumber never turned up, but demanding that we pay a call out fee since they "knocked but no one was home". Do we have to pay?

Question:
The house we are renting out had issues with one of the drains, and we called Company #1. They gave us an estimated time of their arrival.

They didn't turn up.

So my dad called company #2. They turned up, fixed it, we paid them and they left. Done.

Now, company #1 sends us a bill, telling us they turned up, "knocked but no one was home".
Which is honestly ridiculous seeing as we had three tenants there and my dad at the time they claimed to have "come over".
Oh, company #2 was also present fixing the drains at that time they claimed to have knocked.

Now they want us to pay or they will take it to small claims or a debt collector.

We contacted consumer protection for advice but they weren't much help. They told us that we should pay half after they consulted with company #1. What?!

Any advice would help, Reddit! Isn't this fraud?

Also, not sure if it would help, but I am from Western Australia.

Answer:
 IANAL.

I imagine that a politely worded letter to company #1 informing them that there are six people (the three tenants, you, your father, and the plumber from company #2) who can testify that they were at the house at the relevant time and that they did not hear anyone knock on the door, would dissuade them from bothering you further.


Title: Can my former employer hold my paycheck if I refuse to call him back? [IL]

Question:
I put my two weeks notice in at my job yesterday. My boss said in so many words "that won't be necessary, security will escort you out now," which I had a feeling might happen since it's what he does to anyone who quits.

Today, before noon I had six voicemails from my former boss. He was asking things like "what's the password for my email," "what is so and so's extension," but a few were more involved things like wanting me to walk him through how to do invoicing and process paperwork. These things will take way more time than I want to spend to help a company that's no longer paying me a dime and they could all easily be taken care of by someone else there. By the third call he was threatening to keep my last paycheck until I call him back.

Can he do this? If I do have to call him back and do all the things he wants, will the company have to pay me for my time? If it was just a password reminder or something I'd understand, but some of the things he's asking seem out of line to me.

Edit: Wow, ya'll are fast. Thank you.

Answer:
 No, he cannot keep your paycheck. Contact the Illinois Department of Labor if they refuse to pay you.Answer #2: You can't be forced to work for free. If he needs you to walk him through procedures, he should have considered that before he fired you. Feel free to tell him that.

You must be paid on time. See the Illinois Wage Payment & Collection Act:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2402

" All wages earned by any employee during a semi-monthly or bi-weekly pay period shall be paid to such employee not later than 13 days after the end of the pay period in which such wages were earned. All wages earned by any employee during a weekly pay period shall be paid not later than 7 days after the end of the weekly pay period in which the wages were earned. All wages paid on a daily basis shall be paid insofar as possible on the same day as the wages were earned, or not later in any event than 24 hours after the day on which the wages were earned."Answer #3: So you put in your two weeks notice, and you were asked to leave immediately, that's fine, happens even in very professional places where security is important.

Let me ask this:  Are you still getting paid for those remaining two weeks that you were willing to work for but the boss decided wasn't needed?  If not, you were effectively fired, and can now claim unemployment.  If you are getting paid out (which is what happens in the professional places) then I'd answer his questions.


Title: My sister tried to commit suicide

Question:
My sister (21) tried to commit suicide last night. She has been a transgender for about a year and a half when she went to college. When she got to college she began hanging out with friends who we think are unhealthy for her. She began to resent our parents, frequently making my mother cry and rejecting gifts on birthdays, Christmas etc.
Last night she tried to kill her self and now is in a psyche ward. My parents are devastated and want to help. They talked with her social worker today but the social worker could only tell them so much because my sister won’t consent for information to be given to my parents. They are looking into sending her to a long term care facility, but are worried about needing her consent.
Additionally, my sisters friend/ girlfriend is either finding out information about my sister because she is texting her or my sister is letting the hospital give her my sisters information. This friend is withholding information from my parents and we think that she is the only person who my sister will listen to.
Is there any legal way for my parents to get control over the situation without my sisters consent? We don’t think she is in the state of mind to look out for herself and is worried about her hurting herself again. She wrote a long suicide note citing depression and how if anyone called the cops it would only make it worse.

Edit: I haven’t included the location for personal reasons. If you need the location for advice I can message you separately
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer: They would have to go to court and convince a judge that she's unable to care for herself in the long term.  That is a very difficult bar to meet.


Title: [NM] Neighbor’s dog lost eyes in car accident, isn’t being taken care of.

Question:
In case anyone remembers, I posted recently about the cousin next door taking down fences and cutting down trees.
I also mentioned the dogs he got.
Well, due to his taking down of the fences that separate his yard from ours, one of his pitbulls got out and was struck by a car. I have no idea how or why this happened, but the dog is now missing his eyeballs. All I knew is that he was blind... but I saw him today, his eye sockets are red and swollen, possibly infected, and he is EXTREMELY thin. This guy is not taking care of the dog whatsoever, it lives entirely outside, unattended.
What do I do to save this dog?

We weren’t out on the property until Friday, and are staying out here for a week or two. I’m really tempted to just take the dog. It came up to me today and I saw it for the first time since it was a puppy, it’s maybe 6-9 months old now. It was crying, its “eyes” look terrible, and it’s skin and bones. I’ve never seen an animal like this before, I wanted to just hug it and cry, but had to settle for waterworks by myself, not outside in the yard.

Answer: Report it to the police because the dog is clearly being abused/neglected. You can also reach out to local rescue groups for help. Thank you for caring enough to do something! I hope you’re able to save him soon.


Title: Safety Deposit box gun in Michigan

Question:
Recently my grandmother inherited a safety deposit box from her deceased uncle. In the box was a revolver wrapped up in a bank bag from a different bank. It is pretty old and almost certainly not registered. My grandmother gave me the gun because she didn't know what to do with it. Is there a way for me to legally get it registered? Will I be charged with possession of an unregistered handgun if I take it into the police?

Edit: My Grandmother also has concerns that the gun was used in a crime, as her uncle was rumored to be involved with the Mafia in Chicago. Do the police have ballistics records that would go back decades if it was used for a crime?

Answer:
 Try asking in the "Legal Beagle" section of the Michigan Gun Owner forums. I think you have to make an account to view that particular subforum, but there are some smart people and even a few attorneys who regularly answer questions there.

http://www.migunowners.org/forum/forum.php