Title: my employer received an email from stock photo website claiming copyright infringement for a photo we used on our website from NASA's website.

Question:
USA (forgot to add location)

we got the email around last month stating they would require a settlement payment of $740.. we did the research and if we were reading the nasa sites copyright policy correctly we did nothing wrong.. however the same photo is under the "rights managed" section of their stock photos on their website, crediting nasa etc.

The web developer that designs our website attempted to contact the company that emailed us and all he got was hung up on when questioning them about what i stated above. they just emailed us again today stating removing the picture will no longer solve the issue and payment is now required or legal action will follow. Right now my boss is pretty adamant about just ignoring it because hes convinced its a scam.

the third image is the image we're "using": https://www.superstock.com/stock-photography/sts-27

and here it is on the nasa site: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_287.html

Answer:
 Just to confirm: You know that NASA is the creator of the photo, correct? I.e. it's not some photo that NASA licensed from a private company for use on the NASA website?

> the same photo is under the "rights managed" section of their stock photos on their website, crediting nasa etc.

Whose website? NASA's? Or the private company's?Answer #2: If you do a google image on that image, one NASA website pops up where each is individually posted. Some credit individual photographers, others credit NASA. The image in question lists this:

Space Shuttle Atlantis takes flight on the STS-27 mission in December 2, 1988. The Shuttle takes about 8.5 minutes to accelerate a speed of over 17,000 and go into orbit.

Image Credit: NASA

Last Updated: July 31, 2015
Editor: NASA Administrator

EDIT:

Another good hint this is a public domain image. Here is a stock photo website that offers that image:

https://pixabay.com/en/space-shuttle-lift-off-liftoff-nasa-992/

 CC0 Public Domain
Free for commercial use
No attribution required Answer #3: Have you tried contacting NASA?

> It is unlawful to falsely claim copyright or other rights in NASA material.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines/index.html


Title: Had a horrible experience with my wedding venue, wrote a bad Yelp review, now I think owner is trying to sue me.

Question:
hi - self-explanatory title, but a little more detail:

- got married in October at a property/inn and it was basically a shit-show from day 1 - they changed the name of the venue, didn't tell us the jacuzzi (basically the main attraction of the property) was broken, owners decided to stay on site in the same house as the bride and groom on our wedding night, cops were called at 10pm by a neighbor because they aren't zoned for weddings, kept $250 of our deposit for "cleaning" even though we spent HOURS cleaning the property before we left

- left a poor review on their yelp page, as did my husband and maid of honor (she's the one who dealt with the owner all weekend and had more to say on the subject of her unprofessional attitude and customer service)

- ETA: noticed a few days ago that their Yelp page now says they're CLOSED.

- just now received a text from the owner asking for my address so she can serve me papers. for what, she didn't specify

I searched around on Yelp and it seems like businesses owners suing for a bad review is generally regarded as a bad idea, and most lawyers would advise against it. However, i can't imagine she can sue for "damages" either, considering she only took $250 of the $600 deposit (plus I paid for insurance on the venue for the weekend).

I also read about SLAPP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation and kind of imagine her text message was just a threat to make me take down my review. Because I am obviously post-wedding POOR AS FUCK and can't afford a lawyer I went ahead and took my review down (even though it was 100% accurate and not defamatory or libelous at all) as did my husband and friend. I'm hoping she will just back off, but IN CASE she doesn't...

Is there anything I should be doing to prepare myself if she does try to sue me? Does she have any grounds for "damages" even if she took only part of the deposit? Is there any other reason she might be trying to sue me?

Hope you can help, thanks.

Answer:
 Don't give her your address. If she wants to sue you she can figure it out on her own.

As long as your review was legit and only stated facts and was truthful without embellishment put it back up.  People have a right to know it was a shit show.  Answer #2: Not yet a lawyer, not legal advice.

Don't be intimidated. Especially if there wasn't a non disparagement clause in the contract, you are free to review businesses (even if there was a non disparagement clause, in California they're illegal concerning online reviews, and there's currently Federal legislation in the works to make them illegal for online reviews, basically, they are strongly looked down upon).

What I would personally do is put all the reviews back up, and include something to the extent of 'After posting review, got a text message from owner regarding being served papers'.  People need to know about this venue. If you can help another bride avoid this disaster, you should do so.

Also, even if you're poor, there are legal resources to help you out in your state, so never believe that you can't have access to the justice system because you can't afford it.

You may also want to consider leaving a review on the city's subreddit as well.

Edit: Made slight change.Answer #3: You should have left the review up. She wasn't going to do anything and now that you removed the comment, she got what she wanted.


Title: Amazon Closed Account Withholding Money

Question:
Can I sue them in small claims court for $1,000?

How would I go about this filing process?
I may have broken TOS by doing reviews for free products.

California

Answer: You broke TOS for doing reviews for free product so probably not. Answer #2: If you choose to do this you will lose if you broke their TOS.


Title: What would happen if a defendant jumped up right after being acquitted and yelled out "Haha, you got it wrong! I really did it!"?

Question: Just curious what could happen. Has anything like that happened before?

Answer: Then that admission could be used in subsequent civil litigation, or for possible federal charges from the same incident, etc.Answer #2: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If\_I\_Did\_It](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Did_It) seems to be about as close to a real-world example as I can think of.


Title: [Ontario] Patio furniture stolen while I was at work. What do I do if I see it around the neighborhood?

Question:
Pretty much title. I hand made a pair of Adirondack (roughly similar anyway) chairs for my mom. They sat beside our front porch, a good 20ft away from the driveway (where someone could reasonably assume they are left at the curb for trash.) They were clearly used regularly.

My mom texted me today while I was at work to say they were missing. I hadn't noticed their absence, since she liked to put them in the shed when she does yard work.

So my question is, what do I do? They're hand made, so if I see them around I'll know it's them. No one could claim they're store bought. But, theyre fairly simple and I didn't put any identifying marks on them when I built them. My only "proof" of ownership is similar lumber making up my flower bed and front porch, and a box of the screws still in my basement. There are a few quirks of design I could list that are *not* visible from a distance however. Like the arms being angled outwards, and the seat slotting into the back during assembly.

Answer:
 Call the police.

Call them now to report the theft.  Call them later when and if you find them.


Title: Father of 4, sole income, wife affair

Question:
Help. My world just turned upside down. I found out my wife of 11 years has had an affair 6 months ago. In finding out this happened, I she admitted that she had 2 others(I had suspected) aboit 4 and 6years ago. We have 4 kids under 10. I am the sole income. I "know" 3 kids are mine and as far as I'm concerned, the 4th is too(the oldest from an affair while we were married, now 9 y\o) the oldest has my name and I'm on the birth certificate. I want all 4 of my girls at least 50\50. She can't take her away from me, can she?

I of course am getting a divorce. She is amicable so far. How do I go about it so I don't get screwed. She has agreed to look for a job in which I'm helping. We are on good terms. The tentative agreement is that I will have the kids Tuesday after work until Wednesday when I'll drop them on the way to work. I will also get them on weekends.

Her mother lives with "us" (I have not officially moved out. Found out last night and slept in the kids room with them.) She can baby-sit while the "ex" and i are at work.

I make about 4k take home a month. We have a truck in my name and a car joint. All accounts and savings are joint. I want to provide for my kids. I don't mind paying for her while she gets on her feet. I do want the kids taken care of while they are with her.

I do not want to be stuck caring for her for life. Especially if she gets with someone else!

What do I do??

I apologise that this is jumbled... Thank you in advance for your help.

Answer: What do you do?  Get a lawyer asapAnswer #2: For divorces, I feel you should always get a lawyer involved even if it's amicable. You can still come to an amicable agreement while having a lawyer double check everything to make sure nobody is getting screwed over.


Title: Can your Boss require you to call them by there Military rank?

Question: I had a Boss that required everyone to call him by his rank. Instead of John or Mr. Smith we had to call him Sgt. Smith. Is this a military privilege? Could someone who was dishonorably discharged or simply rejected from the Military make there employees call them Admiral?

Answer: He could request you had to call him "His Most Holy and Almighty God Emperor" if he wanted and he could generally fire you for not doing if it mattered that much to him. If he wants to tout his former military rank, he can do that. Lying about being in the military isn't a crime, even lying about your status generally isn't. It's only a crime if you lie about certain medals with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit.


Title: Gf received her first DUI in PA what now? Some red flags imo based on cops actions but it could be a normal thing??

Question: Hello everyone my gf received her first possible dui. I say possible because i am unaware of the next steps to happen. So she basically blew a 1 and legal limit in PA is .8 i believe. She told me they arrested her but said she didn’t need her Miranda rights spoken to her since it’s a dui. That just seems weird to me but ok. They took her in their squad car to the hospital for a blood test and told her she’s not allowed to have a lawyer at this time ( another weird thing??). Next they took her home, gave her back her keys and that was that. What should she expect now? Do we wait for an arraignment hearing in the mail? Not sure how this works, thank you.

Answer:
 I'm pretty sure you meant she blew a 0.08%.  She'd be dead at 0.8%.

Miranda rights only need to be read if they're interrogating her.  If she was arrested for a DUI for failing a breathalyzer, they don't need to ask her anything.

You can speak to a traffic attorney or a criminal defense lawyer to represent her when she receives her court summons.


Title: Plastic found in food

Question:
Sorry if this isn't allowed or is a stupid question. I'm thoroughly grossed out right now and trying to figure out what to do.

I live in Florida, US and recently purchased a jar of salsa that I have been eating over the course of the last week. I typically mix this salsa in with rice and homemade cashew "queso".  Today while I was eating lunch I found about a 1 inch by 1/4 inch piece of black plastic in my food that I believe came from the salsa. The plastic also appears that it was broken. I inspected all the equipment that I used to make the rice and the queso and do not see any broken parts. I noticed the piece of plastic before I ate it so there was no injury or anything to myself. I've also been the only one eating the salsa in my household. Would this incident provoke any legal action? Should I contact the company that made the salsa and/or the company that sold me the salsa? Should I see a doctor and contact a lawyer? And if legal action were taken, what should I expect regarding the process, etc?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Let the company know.  They may send you some free salsa as compensation.

If you have no damages, you have no grounds for legal action.  You weren't injured, didn't get sick, and have no medical bills as a result.


Title: My friend is being controlled

Question: Hello . Well I’ll get straight to the point . One of my friends is 17 and she’s being controlled by a 21 year old man. It’s been 20 days since they met and it got to the point where they are “engaged” now . (18 is legal age) (she lives in Ohio and the guy lives in Kansas . But we are still so worried for her .)me and a group of friends have tried to get her out of it but . She blows it off . And then stops talking to us . She’s told us he’s controlling . (This is irrelevant to what I’m trying to say but when I hung out with her yesterday. If you looked into her eyes she seemed so hurt .) well. I was wondering if there’s a legal way to try to sort this out . Because from what we  have seen and heard . There’s potentially nude sending. Anything is appreciated. Thank you!

Answer:
 You should advise your friend that sending nude images will get in her a lot of trouble and she should stop immediately.

You can also tell her parents what's going on.


Title: Testimony under Oath Question

Question:
So, me and a family member are in a debate and are conflicting on our understanding of testimony under oath.

The question is, before an indictment is served, is it possible or even normal for the criminal suspect in a case to be interviewed under oath?

This is a question with a focus on the FBI and the federal court system.

Answer: Before an indictment, a grand jury may be convened. When testifying before a grand jury, a person is under oath. A grand jury is used to determine if someone should be indicted. Answer #2: It is worth pointing out that intentionally lying to a federal officer (like an FBI agent) is illegal, whether or not you are under oath.  That is where the adage “it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up that gets you” comes from.  The prohibition of 18 U.S.C. § 1001 requires that the false statement, concealment or cover up be "knowingly and willfully" done, which means that "The statement must have been made with an intent to deceive, a design to induce belief in the falsity or to mislead, but § 1001 does not require an intent to defraud -- that is, the intent to deprive someone of something by means of deceit." United States v. Lichenstein, 610 F.2d 1272, 1276-77 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 447 U.S. 907 (1980). The government may prove that a false statement was made "knowingly and willfully" by offering evidence that defendants acted deliberately and with knowledge that the representation was false. See United States v. Hopkins, 916 F.2d 207, 214 (5th Cir. 1990). The jury may conclude from a plan of elaborate lies and half-truths that defendants deliberately conveyed information they knew to be false to the government. Id. at 214-15.


Title: [USA] What is the line for selling sports merchandise to fans without a license?

Question:
There has to be a line on what is an what isn't legal right? I know selling branded team merchandise or knockoffs is illegal, but if I am a fan of the Bears, can I sell teddy bears that say Chicago? Or that use the team colors? What about just selling plain teddy bears around the stadium?

Can I sell toy jets to people in the Jets colors? What about foam fingers that look like a lion/tiger paw?

Answer:
 These sports teams are massive corporations with extensive lawyer divisions. They would probably hand you a cease and desist because why would they want anyone buying something that isn't licensed merchandise? You might make a tiny bit of money before getting caught and hopefully they don't find it offensive enough to immediately pursue action. Even if the laws are fuzzy, you would need an expensive lawyer to protect yourself just to get through the court process.

TLDR: Would NOT recommend.


Title: Pedophile Stalker

Question: So when I was under 18 (the legal age on consent of in Australia) I used to catfish and catch pedophiles on grindr using younger pictures of my friend and I (face photos). One day I received a message from a teacher who had a 2 week placement at my school previously that had finished and he tried to get me to meet up with him for sex in exchange for sex toys. So my friend and I sent him to a random location and blocked him. The next year he got a permanent job at my school and later in that year he was exposed and fired. A year and a half later after that incident the investigation finished and they told me he was getting a transcript of everything I had (the first time the department of education had ever done something like this). Recently he had been on Grindr advertising himself as ‘taboo’ and messaged my friend saying he was looking for kids underage and below 16 (which I have screenshots of). About 5 days ago an account with the same name as the teacher requested to follow me on Instagram twice & then 3 days ago someone had made a fake profile of me using pictures from my Facebook giving out my social media and fake nudes of me. The account used the same words ‘taboo’ in his account and the fake account & as grindr is based of distance the fake account of me was right next to his- so putting 2 and 2 together I know it’s him and he is the only one I could think of who could do this. In retaliation (I know my bad) I made an account on grindr outlining if anyone sees his account to report it as he is a pedophile and he messaged the account claiming defamation and defending that pedophillia isn’t bad, what do I do?

Answer: Can I offer a little life advice? Stop playing Batman.


Title: So i got in a car wreck today and my isurance lapsed!! what do i do!!!

Question:
So i was in a car wreck today where it was deemed my fault running a red light, i t-boned a woman at 30 mph (who wasn't wearing a seat belt but she did get a head injury) but called 911 and stayed for the police. Well it turns out my liability insurance expired almost 2 months ago!!!!!!!! (found this out much later after the police report and i went home.)

HOLY SHIT!!! WHAT DO I DO!!!

Im literally freaking out right now, can i pay the overdue bill and then claim this? It doesnt sound legal, but i don't know what to do about anything right now, I have her info and she has mine what is the next thing i do????

Am i fucked?!?

btw in US, KS

Answer:
 >can i pay the overdue bill and then claim this?

No.

>Am i fucked?!?

Yes.


Title: TX - Ex employer withholding paycheck until equipment is returned

Question:
Long story short, ex-employer was supposed to send directions on where to send the computer equipment prior to me going on vacation and never did. Then when I updated my LinkedIn they immediately contacted me (during my vacation) saying that they weren't sending me my last paycheck until they got their equipment. (This is a very him thing to do, as he is historically a dick).

Prior to this last pay check, everything was direct deposited and I essentially have bills I need to pay early next week, and was expecting my last paycheck paid as regularly scheduled on the 14th/15th. Since I won't get back from vacation until Friday, they likely won't send the check out until Monday. And I live across the country and am leaving town for work again early next week, meaning I might not actually be able to deposit the check for a week and a half from when I expected, potentially opening me up to a shortage of funds (at minimum being really tight).

All I am wondering is would it be out of line, and would I have the law behind me, to say they need to next day me my paycheck on Friday (assuming I get the equipment sent out on Friday)? Or am I just SOL?

Answer: It is not legal in Texas to withhold a final paycheck for the return of company property. [See this document](https://twc.texas.gov/news/efte/final_pay.html) for more details as to when they are required to get it to you depending on the nature of your termination.


Title: If you were to steal food in order to give it to a starving child, would anyone actually pressed charges against you for stealing, and even if it theft victim wanted to press charges, with the police actually do it?

Question:
Just so that I am perfectly clear, I have a specific scenario in mind. Let's say you go shopping. And you are using somebody else's money to buy specific thing. You are at a grocery store, and when you are about to leave, you are approached by a kid who desperately begs you to purchase food for them because they are starving. You want to help, but you feel that you shouldn't use somebody else's money without their permission. You tried to call them or text them to see if it's okay, and there is no response. Feeling as though you can't leave the kid waiting, you decide to shoplift some food. You get caught, and you are arrested.

What might happen, would the door, when they hear the story still choose to press charges? And even if they wanted to press charges, would the police and prosecution actually do it?

Answer:
 You'll get sentenced to five years' hard labour, increased to ten because of your repeated escape attempts.

Don't try looking for loopholes, I'm on to you, Jean Valjean 24601.


Title: My felon husband was deported back to Pakistan. What are the chances of him coming back?

Question:
My 43 year old husband was deported from the US back to Pakistan after living here for 35 years. He tells me he can come back but i'm not sure what to believe as he is a pathological liar.

* When he was 18, he was convicted for felony drug trafficking of marijuana
* He has 2 DUI's, one with property damage
* Two domestic violence charges against him... both dropped
*  He left the US and came back illegally which he tells me is what they kicked him out for
* Owes about $60,000 in back taxes (so he tells me) my parents somehow looked it up through connections and they told them that its hundreds of thousands.

Does being married to a US citizen help? Even though he's been married once before. He tells me that he will be coming back. He has 2 kids from his first marriage here and all of his family.

**If there is a chance of him coming back, how long until he is allowed?**
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 > He tells me that he will be coming back.

He is not coming back into US legally.

But I am sure he intends to come back. After all, he has a long track record of lawbreaking - what's a few more charges to him?Answer #2: Are you asking because you want to support him coming back to this country? Only an immigration attorney could provide specifics about that.

Or are you asking because you want to find a way to divorce him without him being in the country when you do it? Because he sounds abusive and I honestly hope, for your sake, that he's never allowed to enter the United States again.Answer #3: If you're lucky he will never be allowed back.


Title: I have court today and can't make it

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Six days ago, you posted "I have 250 to blow at Gander Mountain. What do I do?"

You had the money, and spent it elsewhere. You deserve a failure to appear.Answer #2: Call them. Don't ask us.


Title: [Virginia] My roommate moved out, leaving me with with bills to pay by myself and questions that I have

Question:
On May 7th, my roommate moved out of our apartment after giving me a week notice. At first she was saying that she wasn't going to pay any utilities after she leaves, now she's offering to pay for "part" of the electric and water bill (I have this part in writing).

Mainly, I'm wondering what my options are here, because she's still leaving me paying the full amount of the DirecTv and Verizon Internet bill, even though we made a verbal agreement that we each pay half of all of the bills until the end of the lease agreement (August 1st). All of the bills are in only my name, and I was wondering if there is anything I can do because of the verbal agreement we made?

Also, I want to send an invoice to her for her half of the bills, and I am worried about nonpayment because she was ALWAYS late on her bills. How can I send an invoice to her that would be recorded? Incase I need proof that I sent the invoice and that she didn't pay. I only have her phone number, and her new address because she deleted me off Facebook.

Thanks for any assistance you guys can help me with!

Answer: The way you protect yourself is to pay the bills yourself, and then sue her in small claims court for the amount you say she owes you.


Title: UCSD advisor caused me to be homeless and hungry for two months. It's been a total nightmare.

Question:
It all started in the middle of WINTER quarter. I had just gotten out of the ER I was in for suicidal ideation on the condition that I don't return to my previous house with abusive roommates. They were threatening to kill my service dog, one of whom was actively removing the barrier that kept her out of the canyon where she could get eaten since she's only 5 pounds. I was assigned a case manager to help me secure housing.

In a private meeting I asked my case manager, with the dean of student affairs present in the room, if there would be any financial consequences (like getting a portion of my aid removed) if I were to withdraw for the WINTER quarter in order to focus on my recovery in my intensive outpatient program. She assured me that financial aid would be able to take care of it due to it being a medical necessity. Based on that assurance, I withdrew. She was wrong. She apparently wasn't even allowed to give that kind of advice and both her and the dean have since denied it ever happening (I assume to cover their own asses).

This lead to me being 2433 in debt that I shouldn't owe unable to receive emergency housing from the school, and unable to seek legal counsel. Instead of focusing on my recovery I spent two months homeless, short on money for food, and unable to focus on my recovery due to being forced on focusing on more immediate threats to my wellbeing.

Because my case manager screwed me over and I couldn't rely on their help, I've spent the last two months couch surfing or sleeping in the seat of my very tiny car while spending my days talking to the heads of every single relevant department trying various methods to get this resolved. Nothing's worked.

I recently found housing but I have to figure out how I'm paying rent by the end of the month or I'll be homeless again. My financial aid hasn't reached my account because it had to cut into my debt yet. I recently enrolled in SPRING so I could get help from the school in ways I was unable to prior, but haven't had time to do my homework for the last two weeks because I've been focusing on this so much and I'm afraid I'll fail my classes and be homeless again if I can't find a way to resolve this

Any advice on what to do now? I've exhausted all diplomatic means I could think of and was advised by an attorney who is a family friend that I could file a suit for disparate impact. Any other ideas??

Location: La Jolla, CA

Answer:
 > I asked my case manager, with the dean of student affairs present in the room, if there would be any financial consequences (like getting a portion of my aid removed) if I were to withdraw for the quarter in order to focus on my recovery in my intensive outpatient program.

To me, I would think that you were asking if your financial aid would resume once you re-enrolled.

And, since:

> I recently re-enrolled so I could get help from the school in ways I was unable to prior

That seems to be the case.

Did you assume that question to mean if you could continue to receive financial aid for the quarter that you had withdrawn?Answer #2: I would consider seeking employment. Living only off student loans will really rack up debt.Answer #3: What’s your question?


Title: Found out non-compliant sex offender resides in same dwelling

Question:
I recently moved into a multi-family house, in which there are separate apartments and some common spaces that all tenants access. A few days ago I randomly decided to search my state's sex offender registry, more out of boredom/curiosity than anything else. To my surprise, one of the other tenants is not merely a sex offender, but a non-compliant sex offender (assuming information on the state website is accurate) -- meaning the person has not fulfilled  registration requirements and is now subject to additional criminal penalties.

To be clear, this person is not merely a neighbor, but shares common spaces. The original offense (which occurred over a decade ago) was extremely serious. I feel this is something that ought to have been disclosed at the beginning of the leasing process. I don't necessarily feel I'm in any immediate danger, and I'm a believer in the ability of people like this to seek rehabilitation and live as-normal-as-possible lives, but I'm still disconcerted and uneasy. Thankfully my lease is month-to-month, but I'd like to leave as soon as possible. However, I also don't want to squander my payment for the whole of November.

What are my options? Can I justifiably claim that this ought to have been disclosed by the landlord at the outset, and therefore I'm entitled to a refund of some sort? Does anyone have guidance in terms of how this can be handled in a way that doesn't create undue alarm or distress?

Answer:
 A Michigan landlord has no [state-imposed -- local ordinances may vary] duty to disclose that a sex offender resides there, absent an unreasonable and foreseeable risk.

Further, that information was also always available to you through the public sex offender registry. If living with sex offenders is a concern, then it falls to you to conduct sex offender searches yourself prior to moving in.Answer #2: I see this come up a lot. People really need to stop making this a concern. When you live in an apartment complex or any other type of shared housing system, you honestly don't know who you are living beside. Sex offender registries are just a recent thing and are really the only easily searched criminal offenses out there. People convicted of major crimes aren't as easy to search. People's whose records have been sealed or expunged are practically impossible to search. People change their names. You could be living beside a murderer and never know it. Bob from across the hall could have comitted strong armed robbery. Tina from the floor above you could have committed credit card fraud. Or what about Jim, who beats his wife every single night when he gets drunk but has never been caught by the cops because she won't call them? You just never know. That is the risk you take when you live in shared housing. You've never been completely safe. It is an illusion you've given yourself.


Title: Is it illegal to post a home-made porn video to a porn site without the other person's consent in New York State?

Question: The video was taken with consent and was originally intended to be uploaded to a porn site when we were still dating. Since we are no longer dating and I haven't asked her if it was OK to upload the video, would that be illegal? Even though I had consent to make the video?

Answer:
 In New York, you cannot publicly broadcast an image or video of explicit sex acts with a partner who does not consent to the broadcast. You can be charged with second-degree unlawful surveillance if you do this.

Don't be a dick.


Title: My wife, a teacher, accidentally stepped on student’s already-broken foot and now the student‘s grandma is planning on suing my wife (Indiana)

Question:
Important: My wife is not part of the teacher’s union.

My wife is a special education teacher in Indiana. Yesterday, she was co-teaching and was handing out papers to students. She was walking down the aisles and accidentally stepped on a student’s foot that was in the aisle. The student was already in a boot for her broken foot. It’s important to note that my wife didn’t apologize for stepping on the foot, as she didn’t know she did. Also, the student did not say anything to my wife nor did she make any indication that my wife stepped on her foot. My wife is always accidentally stepping on backpacks, coats, etc. that are left in the aisle when she is walking through a classroom. Anyways, the student went home and told her grandma what happened and grandma was very upset as she thought my wife stomped on her granddaughter’s foot on purpose.
As soon as school started today, grandma came into the principal’s office and demanded to talk to my wife. My wife rushed down to the office, and grandma told my wife what happened. Upon hearing about what happened for the first time, my wife was extremely apologetic and called the girl down to the office and apologized in front of the principal and grandma. The girl forgave my wife, but grandma said she wants us to pay for her surgery on her broken foot now. At this point, the grandma left the building. The girl seemed embarrassed and my wife apologized some more.
The principal told my wife she did the right thing and that she shouldn’t be worried about getting sued. We haven’t received anything from an attorney yet, but grandma sounded pretty serious according to my wife. There is clearly no intent on my wife’s part, and the student didn’t say anything about the incident until she got home. What should I do? Should I consult with an attorney right now, or should I wait to see if grandma’s attorney sends a letter to my wife?

Answer: Sounds scammy. Doesn’t sound like any damage was caused. The girl would have to go to a doctor and show that the foot was damaged more after the teacher stepped on it. She can’t sue  for previous foot damages and costs for that.


Title: Predatory Pricing but won't spike prices back up. Legal?

Question:
Assume my only goal is to have these guys run out of business. Don't care about profit or anything. Could I legally set up a business right next to this other business, undercut prices to the point the other business definitely won't be able to survive, and then if I just maintain those prices will I still be in trouble for price skimming?

Yes my only goal would be to actually make this business go out but the way I see it is the whole illegality of predatory Pricing or monopolies in the first place was so buyers don't get screwed. But in this case this will still be better for the buyers. So legal or not?

Answer: Sounds like you are describing what a large corporation does when it moves to smaller markets and prices out the competition, because they (the big company) can afford to lose money in the market for the short term (until other players leave).Answer #2: 100% legal but you can also then raise prices too after the competition leaves that is also legal usually.Answer #3: Pretty much Walmart’s business model.


Title: I was assured at a restaurant I went to that my order contained no peanut products, ended up having an almost fatal reaction. Any advice?

Question:
I have a very severe peanut allergy and was recommended by a Redditor in r/allergies to bring my problem here.

Here is a link to my previous post, photo included -

https://www.reddit.com/r/Allergies/comments/b67lrm/5th_allergic_reaction_ive_had_to_peanuts_this/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app

Any advice would be fantastic! Thank you

Answer: All I'm seeing on that post is a picture. Please include more details. What you ordered, how long ago this was, did you go to a hospital, how long after eating before you felt symptoms etc.


Title: Fraudulent Restraining Orders

Question:
Good evening,

I currently reside in the Oregon, United States.

A quick background. I used to manage the apartment complex my wife and I live at. A good opportunity presented itself and my wife became manager while I became maintenance.

During my time as the manager, a black female tenant accused me of "stealing her seeds". I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about but she claimed she had me on video. I encouraged her to present her evidence to the police so that the appropriate people could be questioned. I wrote up an incident report as I had been accused of malicious wrongdoing and continued on my way.

A few days later, I received a phone call from her bank, claiming I had wrongfully gained access to her accounts. This was part of my job, verifying income, and the banker was keenly aware that the tenant seemed highly aggravated that they had disclosed her accounts. As the banker read over the request for information and noted everything was in order (including the tenants signature), he thanked me and we went about our business. I again noted her file of what had just happened.

The tenant again approached me in a corridor, and again stated she knows I've been stealing from her. I stated the last time I had been near her apartment was several days ago to post a notice on her neighbors door and that if she were concerned that someone had illegally entered her unit that she was urged to contact the police. She responded that she intended to.

About a week later, I was contacted by an elder abuse advocate regarding the tenant. As she asked me questions, I answered with most of the information above. She agreed that the case would be dropped as the tenant had little to no standing.

Fast forward almost a year, I've changed to maintenance and my wife has taken over management. My wife was accused of stealing puzzle pieces from her apartment only 2 months after becoming manager. Additionally she was under the impression I had been fired (since I was no longer manager) but was continuing to accuse me of trying to open her door but being thwarted by duct tape. (Huzzah duct tape!)

Last Friday I was presented a work order for her unit. The tenant required a 9 volt battery for her smoke detector. I went up to her floor, knocked on the door and was refused entry. The tenant stated she had taken care of the issue.

Today as my wife and I left the apartment to go shopping, we noticed a sheriff's officer entering behind us. We stopped and went back to make ourselves available if needed. He presented both of us with restraining orders filled with untrue statements etc. However they are in effect now.

So now my wife and I, manager and maintenance are left unable to get within 10 feet of her apartment or her without risking jail. We live in the same building, which is going to basically create the issue of, if the tenant comes within 10 feet of us, we go to jail.

This, obviously, makes both of our jobs ridiculously complicated. All over some made up accusation.

We plan to fill out and return the hearing form which came with the restraining order but from reading up on these situations, it's near impossible to fight something like this.

Any advice?

EDIT: Spelling correction.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > it's near impossible to fight something like this.

That is totally and completely incorrect.  You will most likely be fine if you go before the judge and tell your side of the story.  The woman is clearly nuts.

EDITED TO ADD:  Bring documentation with you like the work order from when you went to change the battery.  The incident report when she first accused you, etc.


Title: Talking to a minor issues?

Question:
Hey Reddit,

I got myself in a bit of an issue here. I was using an online dating app to meet new people and this girl introduced herself to me as been over 18. Later in text she sent me nudes and there was sexual conversation until she said she was 16 years old. I dont want anything to do with that and suggested we could be friends but nothing more. Now her "father" is trying to call me and saying he will charge me for in soliciting a minor. What do I do?

Answer: It's a scam, there's no girl and no dad. Just block them and ignore it.


Title: I'll try this again. Me knowing a fake account who arrests me at home as indecent proposal.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 No one here is ever going to PM you because that could look like that person is acting as your personal lawyer. Which none of us are. In any way. At all. Ever.

You sound like you should be talking to legal counsel to help you with your problem. I don't think that anyone here has any idea of what you're talking about.

Answer #2: Your on some kind of stimulant aren't you...and it's not coffee


Title: Evicting a "squatter" (WA)

Question: An ex-employee who lives on company property, with permission and free of charge, still lives on the property after being laid off. What is the legality of evicting this individual in Washington State? In what ways would "squatters rights" protect him?

Answer: It’s not technically squatting if someone gave him permission, verbal or otherwise, to occupy the premises. That said, if you want him gone, you’re likely going to have to file for eviction proceedings.Answer #2: Squatters rights do not protect people from evictions, they protect people from **illegal** evictions. You can follow the legal eviction process for WA which includes a 30 day notice to the tenant followed by a law suit if they do not comply.


Title: falsely accused of assault and rape

Question:
Girlfriend and I got in a big fight outside friend's house in Houston and she went psycho. She went for a walk outside and came back. She looked okay. She went to bathroom and then when she came out with several self-inflicted cuts with a razor on her arms and thighs. We couldn't get her to talk about what happened and she made up an inconsistent story about how she got assaulted outside. We filed a police report (half because we didn't know what to do and half to protect myself as well), which documented the injuries. My two friends were also there and witnessed her not having cuts prior to bathroom and then having cuts after bathroom alone. Two days later, she went to the police station in Seattle and told them that I assaulted and raped her. They were waiting for a medic to come evaluate her but she left before that happened. I only found about this later. She said she didn't sign anything and they never gave her a case number. I never touched her and I haven't heard from law enforcement. Is this police report valid? Is something going to happen? If not, will this be on a background check of mine in the future? What should I do? She says she might be willing to call police and tell them she was emotional and confused because she was on high dose prednisone (a steroid, which she really was) for a medical condition. Is the latter option a good idea?

EDIT: forgot locations

Answer:
 You should not be having any contact with her. Save all texts and messages where she might have alluded to her making it up/ you being innocent.

If the police want to talk to you, which they very well may, say nothing without an attorney present. Answer #2: Prednisone doesn't make someone file false rape allegations. The fact that she did this two days after the initial idea popped into head shows that it was a willful & malicious false report (unless she's floridly psychotic).

Never, ever, under any circumstances contact this woman again. If she tries to talk/call/email/Facebook, remain silent and block her if possible. Also avoid discussing this with friends or anyone who knows her. Don't post anything about it online.

She's incredibly dangerous to your future. Any rational person in her position will understand that they've burned this bridge and there's no going back to a friendship with you, so don't worry about "breaking up" with her or whatever. No matter what she does or says to try to talk to you again, remain silent.

If you're contacted by the police, don't say anything. Get a lawyer. You really can't control if charges are filed or not, but hopefully the police will figure out that she's nuts.


Title: Am i an Orphan?

Question:
Hi!

I'm currently living in Texas and have a very simple question. I'm applying for college scholarships and came across this full 4 year tuition paid scholarship if the student is an orphan. I'm not sure if I am? my mother passed away when I was 13 and I never knew who my dad is... his signature is not on my birth certificate either. What would you consider me? thanks.

Answer:
 If your mother was your only legal parent, IMO you probably are.

Apply for the scholarship and fully disclose the circumstances, let them decide whether you qualify.Answer #2: Are you bereft through "death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by, or separation or loss from, both parents"?

IANAL but it sounds like you are. Answer #3: Have you asked the person running the scholarship this question?Answer #4: Who was raising you afterwards?

To be clear, I would think that you are eligible. But there are often other programs for children that were foster care/group homes growing up too. Answer #5: just email the scholarship, they may define orphan differently than the law anyways


Title: Driving with a suspended license that I didn't know was suspended. What should I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
>Is pleading guilty actually my best option?

It's actually your worst option. Get a lawyer to help mitigate.


Title: (IL) Possibly need to go to the hospital but have a warrant

Question:
This is Cook county.

It's likely that I have broken my leg. This was 2 days ago. It's immensely painful still and looks fucked up and was bleeding. I'm on a lot of painkillers right now, so maybe I'm not thinking straight. I'd go to the hospital, but I've a warrant. My fiancé has been in a similar situation where he went to the hospital and had a warrant, and he was unable to leave. The hospital released him to the police, and he eventually did time. I'm aware that one day, I'll have to face the music, but in my current situation, I've found that I'm better off delaying.

So, I don't know. Is there any amnesty law that will allow me to unfuck my leg without being turned over to police? Thank you.

Answer:
 There is no amnesty rule or law that applies to your situation, but in general no warrant search is done when you go to the hospital.

Emergency departments are required to report when patients come in with gunshots or stabbings.   A broken leg, unless it is incident to a gunshot wound, will NOT trigger a police investigation or warrant search.   This is a broadly-observed rule and is especially true in hospitals in Cook County.

Go to the emergency department if the bleeding will not stop, or to an urgent care in the morning.Answer #2: Go to the hospital before you do irreparable damage to yourself.Answer #3: If you go to the hospital and do get arrested, it will be much easier to recover from than it would be from various infections that could lead to amputation, or to recover from death.

Weight the outcomes, go to the damn hospital tonight.Answer #4: Fat embolism.....if your leg is really broken....."fat embolism" will be the cause of death written on your autopsy report. Answer #5: You have two options:

Go to hospital, and possibly (But probably not) get arrested, or die of an infection/DVT/embolism.

Choose wisely.Answer #6: Well, in your *current* situation, delaying no longer seems better.

No idea what your warrant is for, but unless is for more time than you'd trade for at best a permanent limp...


Title: Sister is fleeing an abusive marriage, she wants me to open an account for her ( in my name) to deposit money in that her husband can't get to.

Question:
Hello All,

I hope this is the right subreddit. If not, please let me know where to post this!

Background

My sister and I live in Australia. After years of a volatile relationship, my sister is now looking to leave. Her and her husband have a history of him not paying rent/hiding money/gambling and general financial fuckery on his part.

My sister is also, at this point a SAHM, looking for work.

The issue

She'd like me to open an account in my name as she believes in the subsequent divorce proceedings he would attempt to bankrupt her. She's built up an nest egg of cash she has in a safe ( minimal paper trail)

I'd like to know what the legal repercussions are for me, if I do decide to open an account in my name for her to use. Does anyone know if there are any tax liabilities I may end up in? ( she will probably keep using this account once she finds work, but not after her divorce is finalised).

Thanks for the help!

Answer: Hiding assets in a divorce is an incredibly bad idea for both of you.


Title: Sisters fiancé and baby daddy not gonna be "legal" soon.

Question: Hello, I'm going to explain this the best I can and with as much detail as possible.  So, my "brother-in-law" and sister is expecting a baby in December. Which is cool. But today my brother in law was told that after 6-months or a year he will no longer be legal in America because of the stuff the government is doing. He came over here on the DREAMR act as a child so this is the only place he knows as his home. His parents are unfortunately illegal and never tried to legalize him as a citizen so he has to do it on his own. My family would like to avoid this so is there any way my family can help him become a legal and actual citizen of America? We are currently living in Texas if that helps in anyway.

Answer: Is your sister a citizen? They should talk to an immigration attorney to go over options after they marry.


Title: My boss called me off 1 hour before my shift started. Is this legal?

Question:
Title is pretty much self-explanatory. I had a 7-hour shift today and I get a text message (literally minutes ago) that because it's raining and the shop will be slow, I'm not coming in today.

My shift was supposed to start at 11 AM (PST). I got the text at 9:45 AM.

So, is this legal? Surely I need 24 hours notice or something. If he's acting illegally, what are my options?

Answer: That's perfectly legal. It was before your shift started. Answer #2: That is not illegal [per this source](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_reportingtimepay.htm).  You would have a claim if you worked 1 hour into the shift and were sent home.


Title: How much force is acceptable to use to defend oneself from a child?

Question: Ok, nothing has happened to me and I am not seeking advice, I am just curious about reasonable use of force against a child. I saw [this gif](http://i.imgur.com/ViSOQ7o.gif) and whether it is staged or not, it is a scenario that could happen to somebody in real life. It had me thinking about how much force is justifiable to use to stop a child from injuring someone or yourself. If a child is hitting me with his fist in the nuts, is it justifiable for me to punch back or kick back at the child and injure him so he can't injure me? The common sense seems to tell us that one should never touch a child, but what does the law tell us? I'm from Canada, but all answers are welcome.

Answer: You walk away from the child. If this small child somehow traps you and you can't reasonably get away, you can physically move them to escape. You can't throw haymakers at a toddler because they hit you.Answer #2: You can only use proportional force to a situation. If you are being hit by a child, you can easily walk away. If you are set upon by a gang of toddlers, I suppose you could toss them out of the away as you flee. I can not think of a situation where you could punch a child.


Title: [MA] A crazy ex boyfriend called the police on me with a false claim to try and have me arrested, then threatened to kill me. Is this enough to file a restraining order?

Question:
Title. So I helped a friend (Brittany) break up with her crazy abusive ex (Mitch) and he's pissed.

A few nights ago Mitch asked Brittany for my address, which I told her not to give him. The night after, Mitch asked if he could 'drop by' to my house 'just to talk'. We again refused to let Mitch know where I live, and instead opted to bring Brittany home so Mitch could talk to her there.

That same night, after dropping Brittany off at her house, I was followed by a car for several blocks, as well as in and out of parking lots. This car was shutting off their headlights around corners to try and sneak up on me. I lost him after rounding a corner, shutting of my lights and booking 40mph in pitch darkness. Coincidence? I think not.

Last night, Mitch attempted to kidnap Brittany by refusing to drive her home after a night out. She texted me, very panicked, that he wasn't bringing her home and wasn't letting her out of the car. He eventually dropped her at home after she screamed long enough.

That same night at 12AM two police officers showed up at my house looking for Brittany (whom I had picked up earlier that night). They told us someone called with a claim that we were in possession of LSD and were about to take it (untrue). They left after they realized it was a bogus claim.

This morning, Mitch texted Brittany and told her he's going to kill me, several of her friends, then once we're all dead he's going to kill her (by drowning her in her friend's and my blood). He seems to have backpedaled, however I'm still fearful.

Although we have concrete evidence Mitch admitted to calling the police with the fake claim and the death threat saved on Facebook Messenger, Brittany doesn't want to press charges.

I'm honestly scared for my life. Neither of us know what Mitch is capable of. I haven't talked to Brittany about filing a restraining order.  I assume I'm going to need the evidence to move forward. I don't know if I'll be able to file a restraining order if Brittany refuses to hand over the evidence. Can anybody tell me what my next step should be? Thanks.

Answer:
 If you’re having girl problems I feel bad for you, son.

You’ve got 99 problems and a Mitch is the biggest one.

Call the police. Answer #2: You should call the police. You should have when he was following you and you elected to drive unsafely with your headlights off to evade him. She should have when he wouldn't bring her home. You should have told the police all of this when they came by. Call the police.

She should strongly consider getting some kind of counseling for victims of abuse, because either she's too conditioned to accept this behavior from him, or she's too scared of him to report it, or whatever her thought process may be. This may not even be her fault because abuse victims do illogical things especially with respect to their abuser. This isn't ever going to get better on its own. If he's escalating, it's only going to get worse. Call the police even if that means you lose her as a friend.


Title: Police confiscated my father's phone the day he passed away, and are saying they are using it for an investigation. We don't want to be involved, what can we do?

Question:
My father passed away at a friend's house a few weeks ago. The police took his phone and won't give it back to us and even asked for the passcode. Our family does not want to be involved in any kind of investigation, especially since we know my father would not consent to something like this. Are they legally allowed to withhold his phone, even if he is not even involved and without our consent? We just want to be left alone.

Edit: We're from NH.

Answer:
 Sorry but you have no say in what they will or will not investigate. As far as the phone it will probably be taken and held as evidence like they did for my brothers death.

I have to ask but did he OD at his friend's house? Answer #2: Your consent is irrelevant. Of course they can withhold the phone if they have probable cause that it contains evidence of a crime.Answer #3: If they think that the phone contains evidence of a crime, then they're allowed to hold it during an investigation and any subsequent trial.


Title: [VA] My mother's car was towed early this morning (02:30 a.m.). We think it might be a neighbor or the HOA who did it.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: She's not a visitor. Please tell me this simple fact is not lost on you.


Title: 17 years old... Freaking out

Question:
I was on omegle and this girl basically without a camera had me add her on skype and she was from portgual apparently showed me a few pics of her and was alright and basically we skype video chatted and did stuff she asked a few questions too beforehand my height, shoe size, weight, and build she knew I was 17 years old and she knows what City I live in (chicago but thats broad) we skyped and it was on mobile and I was horny retarded dumbass teenager and basically showed her everything and now she won't even video skype me to prove she isn't a catfish and now im freaked out that she recorded me and is going to post that CP on the deep web or some shit and I can get in trouble for this and all this shit I'm fucking paranoid about now...

My questions are this

What can they do with the stuff I did? What if they recorded it what
can they do with that to me or for them?

What kind of trouble can I get for this for all I know she can be lying about living in Portgual and all this stuff?

What can I do to stop freaking the fuck out about this and should I
block her?

What is a catfishers agenda? What do these people do with this stuff that they get I can't be the only one that is this dumb.

edit: SHE CAN't FIND MY REAL INFO OFF SKYPE ON MY SKYPE I JUST HAVE MY FIRST NAME AND AN EMAIL THAT HAS NO REAL INFO TIED TO WHO I AM AND LOCATION IS FAKE AND EVERYTHING

edit 2: also thinking about it wouldn't they be more worried than me since they technically commited a crime if they did film it...

Answer:
 This is an attempted sex scam.

You weren't talking with a girl.  You were talking with a man.  You'll have to come to terms with doing what you did with another dude.  As part of this scam, the scammer pretends to be a girl, elicits identifying info from you, and persuades you to get naked on camera.  The scammer then records it.  Using the identifying info that the scammer socially engineered from you, the scammer tries to track you down on social media, usually Facebook.  From there, the scammer shows you sample screen captures proving that a video exists and threatens to send it to your friends and family unless you pay money.

If it's impossible to find you on social media because neither the info you gave or your Skype profile information allows for it, then you have nothing to worry about.

Even if the scammer tracked you down and threatened you, the evidence shows that very rarely do they follow through on threats if you don't pay up.

Time is money in scamming, so it's just not worth the effort if you don't pay because there are literally dozens of other victims waiting in line to be scammed online who will.


Title: Apple disabled my AppleID

Question:
[TX]
I really need help in this matter. Few weeks ago, I saw a transaction iao $16.23 on my Wells Fargo account and in the transaction details, it says itunes purchased. Since I never purchased anything from itunes, I filed a fraud complaint with Wells Fargo and in the matter of a week, I got the money back. However, as it turns out, apple also disabled my apple ID. I requested Wells Fargo to send me the copies of the documents they relied to make the decision to refund me the money, they said there aren't any documents when in fact the letter they sent me clearly says that it's my right to get those documents should I feel the need to have those. Unfortunately, Wells Fargo denied to provide me these documents noting that the information in the letter about my rights is just a "general information" they send out to all customers who file fraud complaint. Even if Wells Fargo credited my account, how are they helping me when it's apparent that they colluded with Apple to get my iTunes ID disabled? Isn't this a clear breach toward my freedom of expression? Please help as I just became a US Citizen and I am not well to familiar with the U.S legal laws. Thank you

Answer:
 > Even if Wells Fargo credited my account, how are they helping me when it's apparent that they colluded with Apple to get my iTunes ID disabled?

That's not remotely apparent.  Wells Fargo doesn't give a crap about your Apple ID.  They reversed the charge on Apple, so they got their money back, and Apple's out $16.23.

Apple disabled your Apple ID, likely because you either paid for the thing and forgot, or your account got taken over and used to buy the thing.  Either way, your issue is with Apple, not Wells Fargo.

Oh, and even if Wells Fargo and Apple did decide to terminate your account, it wouldn't be a civil rights issue.


Title: Employer illegally docked my pay and won't give it back

Question:
Not sure if this is the right place for this. So my employer docked my pay for failing to clock in and out one day. I work for a small company (around 10 employees)

I am paid a salary of 24k per year + bonuses. They docked it $25, never notified me, and I only found out when I checked my pay stub online. I proceeded to ask, and they told me it was for failing to log my hours appropriately.

I did a little research and found it is not allowed to dock a salaried employees pay, especially without notifying them. I informed them of this, and they said they'd look into it.

A month later I hadn't heard back, so I asked them about it. They told me I was correct and the pay was not allowed to be docked. They then told me that I could have the $25 back, but I'd be suspended without pay for one day in turn. Is this allowed? Is there any way I can get my $25? I know it's not much but I'm struggling right now and need every penny I can get.

Seems like they are going through so much just to keep my $25.

TLDR; employer illegally docked salaried pay without notifying me. I told them it was illegal, they said I was right, and told me I could have my $25 and they'd in turn suspend me for a day without pay. I want my $25

Answer: OP- I'd look for a new job as soon as possible and once you find it, file a wage claim for the $25.


Title: (CA) - Viciously assaulted in restaurant parking lot

Question:
North County rural San Diego.  I drove to a restaurant with my wife and her friend.  I immediately saw the parking lot was a zoo, and had my wife and her friend exit my FJ Cruiser - telling them at that point that I was going to turn around and park on the highway.  I drove to the end of the lot - zero lighting - zero security cameras to execute a turn and head out of the lot.  A guy in a big Dodge Ram pickup was 90 degrees perpendicular to my vehicle.  I momentary stopped - not knowing what he was going, I simply wanted to make a u-turn.  My FJ is all black - and this guy in the Dodge Ram truck obviously didn't see me - puts his truck in reverse and PLOWS into my FJ, damaging the right corner panel and destroying my rear suicide-door with  his trailer hitch.  There was NO damage to his vehicle.

I got out of my car, walked around the front of it and here comes the driver out of the other car.  He looked right out of Duck Dynasty - 300 lbs., 6'"4", full beard and straw hat - and he starts in on me, "You stupid motherf*cker!"

He then rushed me and with his right hand SLAMMED me to the ground, knocking my vision glasses off. I landed HARD on my SI joint.  I'm 5'11"/150 tops (recent prostate cancer survivor) and 62 - he was in his 50s.  I got up and went into the restaurant to retrieve my wife and friend/call the local sheriff.  We went back out to the parking lot, and "Mark" has turned his car around and is attempting to leave the parking lot.  I physically got in front of his car blacking his egress, and my wife began taking photos.  At this point, the guy realizes that I was there WITH other people - so he gets out fo the car, and I could instantly smell alcohol on the guy.  I'm in recovery from alcoholism - have not drank in decades, and there was no doubt in my mind that this guy was LIT.  My wife could smell it on him as well.   He begins LYING, saying that I (half-his weight and recovering from cancer) attacked HIM - and then starts calling us "f*cking Liberals" and claiming that Trump will get re-elected.

The sheriffs pull up, they separate us to either end and question each of us.  We can clearly hear him perpetuating his lie about my attacking him.  They then deem that, since there were no witnesses, that we can only do a citizen's arrest since it was on private property.  He was willing to file one against me - at which point, my cooler instincts (i.e.: my wife) kicked in and I realized that it would probably end up being a waste of time.  THEN the CHP pull up (they were the ones who had to administer the test) - they give him the eye test (CHP said "he thought" the guy was under the limit, and then the guy told them that he had bad knees - so they couldn't give him a balance test - and for some asinine reason, couldn't give him a breathalizer because of his inability to to the walk.  We were literally WTF?  THEN a third party came forward (another diner) and gave a statement; she had seen the entire confrontation.

So, in essence - all the information exchanged was our insurance policy information.  The cops decided it was fine & dandy to let this guy go on his merry way into the restaurant.  As I left he was standing out front flipping me off and laughing.  The management of the restaurant did NOTHING to reach out to us - despite the fact that my wife and her friend STILL spent money on takeout during the 1.5 wasted hours.

My back is KILLING me today.  I've filed a claim with my carrier, explained in detail to the claims agent.  My primary care physicians are all in Beverly Hills - 125 miles away.  Should I see my doctor immediately (obviously), and if I were to file a legal claim against "Mr. Mark" and/or the restaurant for their negligence in not providing a safe well-lit area that I could not fear for my well-being - what are my options here?

Thanks SO much - this is the first time I've ever brought "an issue" before reddit.

Answer: You have no valid claim against the restaurant. You can sue "Mark" for your medical expenses related to the assault.


Title: What is a good way to get an apartment with an eviction on your record?

Question:
(Washington state) I can't find anywhere to post this so I'm posting it here (if anyone knows of a better sub, let me know).

My wife and i got evicted from our last place because she hit me and the police were called. She was arrested and we got evicted due to a crime occurring on the property (I wasn't on the lease so I couldn't stay). Is there any way I can get an apartment with this on my record? I have two little boys and I can't stay at my grandmas anymore. They need their own rooms and their own space. I've been looking for places since this happened but each one does a credit/background check. I'm starting to get really discouraged. Any advice helps!

Answer: There are communities that rent to individuals with evictions on their records, but they are not always ideal. You should be up front about why the eviction occurred. Also, you might want to offer to pay rent in advance for whatever amount of time you can afford (three months, six months, etc.). Lastly, get good references to counteract the eviction. Either personal or landlords from before that didn't evict you.


Title: How can I write up a legally binding document for an IOU or loan, if I am lending a friend some money? [CA]

Question:
Hi, so recently me and my buddies got a place, but due to a family emergency he can't pay the upfront amount for the lease.

I trust this guy very much and KNOW he will pay me back, but is there some way I can write up a legal document that will ease my parent's minds? Something that makes it legally his responsibility to pay it back? He gets his paycheck at the end of the month but the broker wants the money by friday so it is just easier to pay her directly his amount and get his at the end of the month. But my parents want a way to make sure 100% which is completely understandable I get paid back. Is there anything I can do? I live in California btw if that matters.

Answer: There is no 100% way to ensure you will get paid back. If you write something up and have him sign acknowledging the debt, then you have good evidence in court


Title: Is What My Parents Doing Illegal?

Question:
My parents own a small business and I, a minor, am on their payroll as an employee for the times (mostly weekends) that I work for them. Once and a while, I have seen them move money out of the company account and into mine then into one of their personal accounts without me having done any work for them. The amounts are super high, but they are enough for me to question what is going on. I am wondering if this is potentially illegal or fraudulent and what texts prove that it is for a couple reasons. I mostly want to know for the sake of curiosity, but also so that I could confront them about the issue so that I don't get in trouble with the law somewhere down the road. I've tried researching this a little bit already, but I can't seem to find anything.
If this kind of post isn't permitted on this sub, just let me know and I'll remove it, thanks to anyone who comments.

Answer:
 It isn’t necessarily illegal if they’re correctly reporting these as distributions from the company to their personal accounts and paying tax on it.

They might be reporting it as wages you have earned and deducting it as taxes from the business.  This would be tax fraud.


Title: OKLAHOMA. What's the legality of those Tinder Craigslist posts that the person says "Send me $5 and see what happens." And then unmatching or never replying?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: The person sending money isn't guaranteed anything other than "see[ing] what happens". In this case, 'what happens' is you get blocked or unmatched. Nothing illegal about that.Answer #2: Well... I guess you saw what happens.


Title: Nyc service dog rules

Question:
Hi, first post be gentle.

I work as a manager in a fairly busy restaurant in Manhattan. A lady comes in holding her little pomeranian and sits on our front cafe for something quick so I dont think anything if it. I look over and I see her dog is setting on the booth next to her. This I'm pretty sure isnt allowed, so I ask her to please put the dog on the floor under or next to the table and she refuses. She tells me it's a service dog and she can have it wherever she likes and if I dont like it to call the police.

I cant find anything online about my options as a restaurant manager and how to deal with this. Am I just an asshole for asking her to put her dog on the floor? What should I do here if anything.

Thanks!

Answer:
 So when someone has a service dog you can follow the [ada guidelines](https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html) in order to determine if the dog is even a service dog.

>In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability.Answer #2: You can ask the questions as noted. Service dogs do not sit in booths, they sit on the floor. So you can already tell it isn't a service dog. It is probably an emotional support dog or just a regular dog, none of which you have to allow in your restaurant. You may ask two questions of people who bring in dogs:

1. Is the dog a service animal that is required due to a disability?
2. What type of work or task the dog has been trained to do?

If they tell you the dog supports them emotionally, then they are not a service dog. If they cannot tell you what the dog has been trained to do, then they are not a service dog. Even if the person can answer the questions properly, if the dog is not behaving you do not have to allow it in your restaurant. Proper service dogs are all but invisible when the owner is sitting down. They will either sit under the table or next to it.

&#x200B;


Title: Looking for an HR person to give me some advice on how to proceed with suspected nepotism.

Question:
I would like to have a recent promotion at my workplace investigated for potential nepotism.  The person given the position is grossly under qualified for it.  The three people on the hiring committee all share the same former branch of service as the person promoted.  I'm wondering what the best way to go about at least getting this process looked at is.  There was a lot of shady stuff along the way and this is the best thing I can think of to at least get someone from the outside looking at this.  Thank you.

Edit: in the U.S.  I understand it's not illegal.. it's more of an ethics thing and I'm hoping someone in an HR position can give me some kind of advice on how to bring this up tactfully.

Answer: Nepotism isn't illegal.


Title: Can you explain what my lawyer should have done? (real case, 10 years ago, moot now, but I've always wondered...)

Question:
This is coming from memory, so I could certainly be wrong about the details, but....

About 12 years ago my wife files for divorce, this is in Arizona. It takes about a year, and then we are divorced.

A year after that, stuff is happening (denial of visitation). My lawyer and I discuss things, and we decide we need to take her to court. He serves her by sending the notice to her lawyer, the woman who had represented her last time. Earlier during the divorce, each side had agreed to serve papers on each other not through expensive/embarrassing process servers, but by notifying the lawyers.

More stuff happens and then legal things happen and eventually, my complaint is denied in large part because the judge agrees with my ex, that she was not properly served, as:

+ the attorney the papers were sent to was no longer my ex wife's attorney
+ that attorney had no duty to notify my ex wife there were legal papers filed (and claimed she had not)
+ that attorney had no duty to notify my lawyer she no longer represented my ex wife (and did not)
+ that attorney had no duty to notify the court she no longer represented my ex wife (and did not)

Apart from serving my ex with a process server, what should my attorney have done?

What is the legal world justification for saying that the attorney the papers were delivered to had no duty to inform anyone of this, even though in the recent (?) past

+ she had represented my ex
+ we did have an agreement to serve each other through our lawyers

Answer: The attorney should have just served your ex directly.


Title: (AR) My mother is putting me down on her will as siblings guardian

Question:
This is in Arkansas, I don't know how relevant that is to this question.

I have a younger brother and younger sister, both still in middle school. They both have fairly complex medical needs, adding to the fact that my brother is autistic.

My mother was diagnosed with Scleraderma. The connective tissues in her body is slowly hardening, and she only has 70/40 use of her lungs, and she had to have a pacemaker placed in her stomach to make it do its job because it is paralyzed.

She is almost 40, I'm 20, and she's added me as the appointed guardian in case she dies, and my father has already stated he will sign his rights over to me because he just cannot do it himself.

I love my siblings, honestly, but I'm 20. I'm about to leave for the military, I will be getting married soon, but my SO has multiple sclerosis, and some days she can't even walk far.

My brother and sister are also extremely undisciplined. My brother also does not have the right kind of support he needs to function with his autism, and in turn is extremely physically violent. He's taller than me and my SO, and he's broken my bones before.

We have no family that could take care of them, blood relative at least, as they're all either incarcerated, hospitalized, are sex offenders, or in their upwards of 70 years old and have difficulty even taking care of themselves.

We do have a new family, who recently learned that one man could be my mothers dad. But after his death, we found out he wasn't her father but his daughters consider her their sister.

They're amazing, and have their owns kids and are much more financially stable than I will be for a long time.

If my mom dies, I know I cannot take care of them, no matter how much I would want to keep them close.

What are my options for reference later if this happens? If my aunts do say they would be able to take them, can I sign over my rights to them? I trust them, and they're a close knit family which we've never had and I know would be good for them.

Or even if they could live with my aunts, and I claim them as dependents so they can have insurance? I just want to have a plan that I can put into action as soon as I'm given the papers.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Answer:
 I am not a lawyer.  I'm pretty sure your Mom's will couldn't supercede your Dad's paternity rights and responsibilities.  In other words, when Mom dies, the father of the minor children is still their father.  He can't just step away without facing some serious repercussions.

Even if your Mom were the sole living parent and left you guardianship in her will, no one can force you to take the kids.  You would simply tell the court, "Sorry, but I am young, just starting out in life, and not equipped to care for the needs of my siblings," and the courts/government would find a relative or friend willing and capable of caring for them or place the children into some kind of state care.

My advice, from a relationship standpoint, would be to ignore what your family members say and go live your life.  Answer #2: Just because she put you down as a guardian, doesn't mean you HAVE to fulfill that role. You would decline upon her death, kids would go to their dad.

Like PP said, he cant just "lolNOPE" away. Even if he did, and you changed your mind and took the kids, you could still sue for child support from him.

Dont take the kids. You didn't birth them, you don't financially support them or care for them, they're not your obligation. Don't ruin your life.


Title: [USA] My father recently passed and I think that a child he fathered through sperm donation will be attempting to claim my inheritance. I was adopted. what should i expect?

Question:
This is a mess. My dad passed away last week. I was informed by my uncle that he apparently had another bio-child through sperm donation. From what I was told, a friend of his asked him to help her conceive and he donated sperm which resulted in the child. The child was aware of the fact that my father was his bio-dad and how he was conceived but until today, I had no idea this happened. The friend and the child live in a state on the other side of the country and they had little contact with my father form what I can tell. The child is now ~34 years old. I am 19.

My uncle told me this because he said he thinks that the child will be making a claim for my inheritance and that he thought I should know so I can be prepared. My father left a sizable estate and everything is in his name i think, though I am not 100% sure. I am also still in school and he has been paying my tuition. He did not have a will. His death was unexpected. I am not his bio-child. I was adopted. Other than me, our only other family members are my uncle and his wife/kids.

My uncle said he will help me deal with everything if any issues come up but I am hoping that someone here can give me an idea of what to expect if the child decides to try and claim my inheritance. Does he have a claim since he is the bio child and I am not? Any advice/guidance will be appreciated.

Answer: The worst thing that would happen is you would have to split the inheritance. He does not have more claim than you because you're adopted and he's biological


Title: Niece has falsely accused my father of touching her, charges are being pressed

Question:
 First, a bit of backstory: My niece comes from a pretty rough background, she was separated from her mother due to her drug abuse as well as abuse towards my niece directly. My mom and dad wanted to try and help so they worked hard to try and get custody of her, and after a few years, they succeeded.  Due to her troubled background, she has had many types of problems, from separation issues to mood swings (is likely bipolar like her mother) and my mom and dad have worked hard to get her all the help she needs. Jumping through hoops to get her to the right doctors and therapists and doing whatever they can to help her. But unfortunately, it had only gotten worse. She has tried running away several times, hitting, trying to strangle, and accusing my dad of inappropriately touching her. She is only about 10, but is incredibly smart, she knows how to play the part of an innocent little girl. Her therapists have noted she is very manipulative, also attributing it to her background. An investigation was launched and they didn't find anything. Later she recanted, and we found out she said all of this because she wanted to go to the store with my dad and she was angry that he told her no. Around this time she had tried stabbing my mother with a knife during a meltdown.
 With that, my mother hit her breaking point and had decided to put her into a children's mental facility to get her some help. There she would be surrounded by people that would be much better equipped to handle her than my parents could. Some things happened and that place closed down, after which she was moved to a new one. She had some setbacks with progress due to this but after a bit, she started doing a bit better up until recently, where she is now falsely accusing him of inappropriately touching her again. I believe that she likely wanted my dad to visit her, but he couldn't due to his work, so she's doing it again. Unfortunately, we can't really afford a lawyer, and due to how good she is at manipulation I'm worried about how it may turn out. On top of that, we have caught her watching porn on her tablet (which she figured out how to reset and remove parental controls) so she knows things that a normal 10-year-old shouldn't, which will only make it worse.
Now for the actual question: What are our options? And what can we do? I wouldn't mind taking out a loan or something in my name if it was to help my dad. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!
TL;DR: Niece has had a troubled past so she has some major mental problems. She has falsely accused my dad twice now of touching her because she was upset with him. What can we do?

Answer: All you can do  is hire a competent criminal defense attorney to defend your dad. Answer #2: So are there current criminal charges or no?


Title: I'm currently the target of a false hit and run claim. I need advice

Question: [Minnesota, USA] A vehicle in my parking lot has alleged that my family's vehicle struck theirs. The individual was not there and originally did not know when or what had hit their car. This all "allegedly" occurred on the 25th. A day passed and then the person thought that it was my truck that had hit theirs and filed a police report with no witnesses. My family was contacted by their insurance company attempting to get our insurance information.  We had to get the title of the car and consent from our mother to get the police report just to find out who had been accusing us. Their car was clearly hit by a truck because there is a puncture in the bumper that would likely have been from a hitch, however, their deducing that it was our vehicle came from their claim of seeing paint on our bumper that looked like theirs. There was no such paint, nor was there any damage that couldn't have been accounted for by the one previous accident our truck had been in.  We took pictures of her vehicle and ours. Looking closer we saw red/pink smudges on the parts where they were hit so our truck being all black doesn't help their case. I also took screenshots of their Facebook, after finding out their identity from the police report, showing that there was a full day between when they filed the report and when they alleged that this occurred. The comments also showed they only suspected our truck at first, but then knew "almost positively" that it was our truck since a dent in their hood was too high for any other car in the lot (even though ours was too). So to recap, they originally do not know who hit them, decide it was our truck because it couldn't possibly be someone else, file a police report a day after the alleged accident, their proof is paint that wasn't present on my bumper, a hitch puncture to their bumper eliminating the possibility of hitting them head on, and my brother and I (who currently live together) know that the truck wasn't driven that day.  Are there any things that may help our defense?

Answer:
 It sounds as if no ones been cited or charged, right?  This is just a liability thing?

Give this over to your insurance company and let them handle it.


Title: Rights regarding error in surgery

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Your rights to what? Are you asking whether you can sue for malpractice? Malpractice is extremely fact specific and requires that your treatment was below the standard of care. A bad outcome alone is not indicative of malpractice.

If you want to pursue it, you need to speak with a medical malpractice attorney. Answer #2: it was either they remove it or you would die. doctors are taught to save lives. they did their jobAnswer #3: If this was an emergency procedure to save either the child or you or if it's an accepted complication or risk of the procedure, then it's likely something you consented to in the paperwork mountain you went through before you were admitted.


Title: How long is a typical wait time between the first phone call you make to a totally new attorney and their call back? After how many days after my initial phone call should I say "screw it" and just call a different one?

Question:
It's been 2 and a half business days since I first contacted this new lawyer. I called her again today and spoke to her assistant who said she was putting me "on top of the call back list", and that the lawyer would call me either today or tomorrow.

Is this normal?

I thought typically attorneys were supposed to call you back in 24 hours or one business day.

Is this a red flag?

Thanks folks.

Answer: I'd call several attorneys. You don't have to contact them one at a time. I would call several and, depending on the circumstances, meet with several as well. Should any other attorney contact me after I found one I wanted to represent me  I'd just let them know I no longer needed their services


Title: Can anyone find a law saying how large my tail light has to be on my motorcycle?

Question:
So, long story short I drive my motorcycle to work every day for my graveyard shift job. I just moved into the area, and I got pulled over because my license plate was sideways. Apparently California is the only state where this is is illegal.

I got pulled over again for it about a week later.

I finally found a legal orientated plate that fit my bike and put it on TODAY.

TONIGHT, I was on my way home from work and I was pulled over. This is comical because of how much I was worried about getting pulled over before I fixed it.

The cop told me that my "bulb is way too small" and that he could barely see me.

He said that he was just warning me that this is going to result in me getting pulled over all the time until I get a ticket. This is the exact reason I spent the 55 dollars to change out my license plate frame that's been on there since I got it almost 2 years ago with no problems.

I've tried to find something online about the size that my brake light has to be, but all I've been able to find is things telling me that I need to have at least one lamp as well as a light to illuminate my license plate.

Help me out please.

Answer:
 Maybe he meant not bright enough?

See what bulb is in there now. Could be someone put in a lower wattage bulb or the bulb itself is getting older.

Can you post a picture of what you have?


Title: Someone walks into a bank wearing a ski mask and hands the teller a note that says "Give me $10,000 immediately." They are given the money and they leave. Did they commit a crime?

Question: No weapons, no implication of force. Where was the "robbery" that occurred?

Answer:
 Definitely not a lawyer, but I'd think that walking into a bank in a ski mask and handing a teller a note would be something that any reasonable person would view as threatening. You're clearly dressing and acting like a bank robber. Answer #2: I believe that there is an implication of force there - the person is obviously acting outside the normal parameters of business for the bank, in a way that is clearly intended to parallel a typical bank robbery.  Given that, this seems to fall under the general parameters of extortion - "the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats."Answer #3: Even better for your plausible deniability, skipping the ski mask and saying please seems to work [in practice](http://loweringthebar.net/2015/05/still-robbery.html). As described in the write-up, though, even if this isn't robbery, it's almost certainly still theft or criminal conversion.Answer #4: This is asked every so often and the answer is yes, you can be charged. Implied threats (like wearing a ski mask into a bank) are still threats.

https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/39eml9/you_rob_a_bank_with_no_weapon_and_only_a_stern/


Title: My friend got rejected by the military for a surgery that happen when he was born. USA, California he age 17

Question:
I'm writing this for a friend, my friend decided that he wanted to join the military. But when he tried to process at meps he got medically disqualified for a surgery that he had when he was about a month old he was premature and was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and to keep him Alive they put a ventriculoperitoeal shunt to drain the excess fluid. He also has extensive documennation  about his condition for about 2 years after the surgery in six month intervals and passed every single one with a clean bill of health,and this surgery hasn't affected him in anyway. But in the eyes of the DOD he has a medical disability and has been medically disqualified form every branch. He is really set on serving in the military is there anything he can do? He's really fit like he runs a 7 min mile and could total pass the ist.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 Ask your recruiter if a waiver is possible. If it's not, then you're SOL. There are no legal "remedies" to this; the military has almost unlimited discretion to set acceptable medical standards. Answer #2: Nope. If he was medically denied there is no way for him to serve.

Edit: especially with a shunt. Shunts can cause a LOT of issues despite him not having any issues currently. Answer #3: The disqualification is because the shunt is likely still in place (Wiki says it's very rare to remove one). That means your friend would require extra attention and care to avoid causing problems with the shunt, and that extra attention would likely make him "nondeployable," or unable to perform MOS tasks in a combat zone. The military in general is making a major effort to reduce the number of nondeployable troops, and this is one consequence of that.

His only other option at this point would be to somehow involve his senator or congressional rep.

I'll note that I was PDQ'd for a psych issue in 1984, then successfully challenged it two years later, on my own. But since his issue is ongoing, he's going to have a tough row to hoe. Answer #4: If he's tried to get a waiver and been denied then I don't think there's anything else he can do.


Title: Amazon Withholding near 30k of my Sales for 100+ Days

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 IANAL

Have many years of experience with Amazon and dealing with their issues.

Call their customer service department. Call often. Devote your life to being on the phone with Amazon until your problem is resolved. Escalate. Document.

Rinse and repeat until you get to someone that will help you.

Amazon doesn't care about $30,000 or you. That make that in profit in minutes (if not seconds.) Advocate for yourself and don't take no for an answer. Jump through all of their hoops so they don't have a reason to say no.

Dealing with Amazon is like dealing with a government. There is a ton of red tape and bureaucratic BS. A lot of it is contradictory.

Good luck 👍🏼


Title: (Miami)Wrongful death/ Medical Malpractice?-LONG

Question:
Mother In law went into Hospital, got progressively worse by the day. The diagnosis was cancer.According to the nurse "not the type that requires emergency action" during this whole time. MY Wife and I feel like nothing is being done. Everything keeps being pushed to the next day. Just Yesterday I questioned the Nurses, asking what is taking so long why is she getting worse, "is everything being done that can be done"? I get a crappy attitude, and told her condition is not an emergency, and everything is being done. 4 HRS later we get a call at 2AM she has passed. No explanation, no clear diagnosis. Very sudden and without warning.

My questions is. Is there an Audit? Some sort of report I should request? what allowed this to happen? I truly feel like this was a botched case by the entire medical staff. My wife and I just want answers, and frankly I do not trust them. Should I contact an attorney? What type what should I look for?

Thanks.

Answer:
 NAL. Absolutely seek the advice of a medical malpractice attorney if you feel there is a need.

But also consider that some cancers are incurable/untreatable and the words you were given (it is not an emergency) (is everything that can be done being done?- met with attitude) may have been their way of hinting at that.


Title: [MD] house flooded in October, insurence said theyd cover it & pay rent while the house is unusable. They hardly had people working oj it, now ~8 months later theyre saying the money for rental housing is almost up.

Question:
It's not a big house, only reason they've taken this long to fix it is no one's been working on it most of the time. (& other issues from their partial abandoning it which have been taken care of)

They've said they can give us what's left of a lump sum of the money for renting a place to stay, parents want to buy an RV with it and stay in that till the house is done. However, my dad's always (20+ yrs) paid a premium for equal housing if something were to displace us for any time. An RV definitely would not be equal (space & bed/bath count). Due to the money being almost up we may have to move in a day or two, with nowhere to go.

What are our options? I've been saying we should get a lawyer but parents are hesitant on that.

Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 Insurance isn’t typically responsible for the workers on the home, that is the home owners.

It sounds like your parents have done a poor job of getting the home repaired in a timely fashion.

I’ll edit, another poster has been the insurance field and said there are locations where the insurance handles the repairs semi-directly via hiring the contractors direct.


Title: Expansion of road onto my property. [IL]

Question:
My property is right off of a busy county road that the local government is planning to expand. A crude ms paint drawing of my lot can be seen [here](https://i.imgur.com/Yv1kWq7.png).

I pay taxes on the entire property and I believe there is a right of way easement that was placed on the property before I purchased it. So the land on both side of the road is owned by me. However, I never use any of the property beyond my fence. My questions are...

If the county was to expand this road would they be able to do so without my permission?

Would they have to compensate me for the land? For the 50+ valuable trees?

Is there anything I could do to stop an expansion?

If anyone has any experience with this or any ideas as what might happen please share below.

(Extra irrelevant question) How close can my fence be to the road? It is my property after all but I also understand the road needs to have adequete space for safety.

Answer:
 >If the county was to expand this road would they be able to do so without my permission?

Yes.

>Would they have to compensate me for the land? For the 50+ valuable trees?

Yes, but you probably won't like their offer. You might be able to negotiate, but if you negotiate too hard, you're gonna get screwed. If you don't negotiate enough, you're gonna get screwed. Get a lawyer right now.

>Is there anything I could do to stop an expansion?

Not usually, but in recent years there have been successful court cases regarding eminent domain. It's extremely unlikely, though. There's all sorts of things the local government can bust out in defense, including stuff like sovereign immunity. You NEED a lawyer. You will lose property and your home will lose a LOT of value.

>How close can my fence be to the road? It is my property after all but I also understand the road needs to have adequete space for safety.

Depends on local ordinances. Speak to a lawyer.Answer #2: It's going to depend on the terms of the easement.

However, road expansion is generally one of the situations where the state can exercise eminent domain to force the division and sale of your property outright. It may be worth talking to an attorney about getting ahead of this and making the county an offer to sell the land voluntarily - if the plans are firm, then they may be happy to avoid having to negotiate over the easement.


Title: Are most colleges town the same in terms of strictness of enforcing drinking laws? If not, what towns are stricter?

Question: This is more about enforcement rather than the actual laws.

Answer:
 I don't think there is any objective metric or list of "strictness" when it comes to this.

College kids who party and didn't get in trouble will think the town was pretty chill. Those who did get in trouble will think the town was strict.