Title: Real Estate - Buyers pulling offer, threatening to wait until close to pressure seller

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice

Asking for family:

Family members of mine live in NV, accepted an offer on their house ~1 mo ago. Both the sellers (family) and buyers are working through realtors. The buyers will be pulling their offer, but are now threatening to wait until closing date (a ways away) to pressure the sellers to cancel in order to get back their earnest money. Waiting until closing to relist would be a setback for them.

Is there any legal action to take, or any advise on how they should handle this otherwise? Thanks in advance!!

Answer:
 Often the best course is to give the EMD back and re-list the property.

Typically the escrow isn't authorized to arbitrate which party is at fault, which means litigating it. The cost of keeping the property off the market against the odds of collecting some or all of the EMD - usually an attorney will tell you to return and re-list.


Title: Kids parents want half the cost for a repair bill! Should I pay?

Question: the other kid asked my boy to help him with some Minecraft problem on his laptop. He went away for 5 mins and came back and he said “I want it back now” and instead of waiting for a response just closed the lid on my boys hands and cracked the screen. The other parents believe both boys were in the wrong. It is an Apple computer so repair is not going to be cheap. I don’t want there to be bad blood between the kids or parents but also can’t afford to pay for repairs because of something the owner of the computer did. Am I being unreasonable here? My wife thinks I am!!!

Answer:
 I'm not seeing a legal issue here, but from a practical perspective it seems your son was:

(A) Asked to help fix something on a laptop

(B) Was (in good faith) attempting to fix the laptop

(C) had the lid of the laptop slammed down on his hands with sufficient force to damage the screen.

How, again, is this your son's fault?

As a parent, I would think if my child damages his laptop in that manner, he's going to have to earn a new one (or the repair) to teach him a lesson.


Title: [IN resident, CA hospital] Out-of-state emergency room visit while on medicaid. Insurance plan says I was covered, but denied claim.Billing procedure? Emotionally distraught.

Question:
**Background**

I have no experience with the legal system. I can't afford the money for it, and if I give my time, it means giving up my future plans. All of my 3rd party knowledge with courts are horror stories.

I reside in Indiana and have the "Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0" medicaid plan. I have had the same insurance company for almost 3 years and witnessed various serious mistakes by them. I feel like 90% of them are incompetent, but I don't have much choice. I would love to nail them on something because I honestly don't feel like they should be in business.

**TL;DR (scroll down for long version)**

I planned to do a long-distance hike over several months and confirmed with insurance that I would be covered in case of an emergency. After having an emergency, the hospital said they would file the claim (twice), but insurance company never confirmed they received anything. Once, the insurance denied my hospital claim but couldn't give a concrete reason why. They stuck me in the middle the entire time. Some days it has wrecked my emotions and my peace, making it hard to think about anything else. I have dealt with anxiety and depression before this, so it only adds to the problem. I felt I could not continue my hike partially because of it. Now, I want to try to change careers and find work by doing a visa on the opposite side of the world, and I seriously don't know how while this billing thing is going on. And here I am on reddit.

**Questions:**

(Some strictly legal, some not, some opinions. Reddit is not the only place I'm asking for advice.)

* What are your qualifications?
* What is the legal procedure on how claims should be filed from the emergency room at the out-of-state hospital to the insurance company?
* If you read the long story, what mistakes have the parties involved already made? What should have been done differently?
* Should I really be stuck in the middle of this?
* What is "balance billing"?
* Is it legal with medicaid?
* Any general advice on how to proceed next?
* Practically, is there any way I can be an expat on the opposite side of the country while having this fiasco going on?
* I've seen advertising for "medical advocates". Would you recommend that? (Not asking for specific recommendations.)
* If this is allowed here, what specific organizations can I contact and complain to in order to resolve this?
* Is there any way to protect myself?

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this. Thank you so much.

**References I've recently been looking at which may be of interest:**

[http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2017/jun/balance-billing-consumer-protections-states](http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2017/jun/balance-billing-consumer-protections-states)
[http://provider.indianamedicaid.com/ihcp/StatePlan/Section_2/2.7.pdf](http://provider.indianamedicaid.com/ihcp/StatePlan/Section_2/2.7.pdf)
[http://familiesusa.org/sites/default/files/product_documents/Billing%20Disputes%20in%20Medicaid.pdf](http://familiesusa.org/sites/default/files/product_documents/Billing%20Disputes%20in%20Medicaid.pdf)

**Long story version:**

(*Important parts in italics.* All dates approximate. I just wanted to convey the general timeline.)

**[Early 2017/Late 2016]** I decided to go on a long-distance multi-month hike for various physical and mental health reasons, trying to improve my health conditions which I still suffer from after trying "conventional"/professional doctors and therapists.

My understanding is that I was in my right to maintain my official residence in Indiana and therefore keep my medicaid insurance there. I knew that I could not claim residence in both states, and I would not have a permanent mailing address while hiking.

*I called my insurance company before my hike to ask, just in case an emergency would happen, if they would cover an out-of-state emergency room visit.* (I'm a very cautious person and try to prepare for every contingency.) *I got various, often contradicting answers depending on who answered my phone call at the company. Some said no. However, I found a copy of their plan online which stated out-of-state emergency room visits were covered, as long as they were determined to be a true emergency. I called the company and got someone (who I believe was a supervisor) to agree that, yes, those visits are covered. I even asked them to make a note on my account of the statement and also of where the paragraph was in their plan manual, in case I did not have access to it while I hiked!!*

**[May 2017]** During my hike when I stopped in town at a residence, I started having serious symptoms: intense stomach pain that made a grown man wince and cry, vomiting, and uncontrollable bowel movements (sorry if TMI).

**[10:00pm]** The symptoms did not pass, so *I called the 24/7 nurse hotline of my insurance company, and they advised me I needed to go to the emergency room.* I believe they told me that in fear that it may be my appendix bursting. I still have a reference number for that conversation.

**[10:30pm]** I had horrible service getting in to the hospital. *There were a few people in front of me, none of which looked like emergencies. However, they did not put me ahead of anyone.* I was admitted to the hospital more than an hour after attempting to sit down in a chair.

**[Midnight]** A nurse tried to take the obligatory samples from me and get me into a bed during a bathroom run. After laying down in the elevated bed, I almost immediately had relief! *If only they would have offered me the bed sooner and not prolonged my suffering! The nurse also asked for my insurance card, which I provided to her. She took it, and then brought it back to me several minutes later.*

**[2:00am]** At this point, I could not accurately tell time because I was so tired. I believe it was a full 2 hours before an actual doctor came to see me. When I told him my symptoms in more detail, he said it was not a problem with my appendix - "only" viral food poisoning. However, he said I had dry mouth??? (Although water is scarce on-trial, I had been staying at a residence for 4 days with good fluid intake.) He gave me an IV for fluids and they kept me there until around 7am.

**[1 week later]** I eventually recovered and continued my hike.

**[2 months later]** I had been notified from back home that I was receiving bills from the hospital and a separate one from the doctor who saw me at the hospital, with dire statements of the consequences if I didn't pay them. I called both parties. *The hospital department I called said that they did not have my insurance information.* I told them that they did, that I had given it my card to the nurse who saw me in the hospital. They took my information again. I also called the doctor's billing service, who also said they didn't have my insurance information, but said that was normal because the hospital doesn't share that information with them.

**[Once a month thereafter]** *I would call both parties involved to get status on the claim. They still sent me bills for several months even though they had my insurance information. In some cases, they would still say they didn't have my insurance information, that it was entered into their system "in the wrong area", etc. Early on, the hospital once told me "well, we don't normally do this because it's out of state, but as a courtesy, we'll file the paperwork with your insurance." That statement sickens me!! Why are they trying to imply that it is not their responsibility to file the claim to my insurance?*

They would always tell me various things, but *I can't seem to remember anyone at the hospital explicitly verifying to me that they had actually filed a claim with my insurance company after they had said they would do so, and my insurance never told me if they had actually received a claim.* The calls just went back and forth for several months.

Meanwhile, I was trying to hike the remote Sierra mountain range with limited cell signal. I was determined not to let this hospital billing incident ruin my hike! I even ended up calling both parties from the top of Mount Whitney (tallest mountain in the lower 48) skirting a very close hail storm because it was the last point for ~3 weeks with cell reception!!

At that point, the billing company for the doctor told me I was calling too often, and basically said if they needed money, they would contact me. And they never have. (*proactive high-5!*)

*For the hospital bill, my insurance told me that I could do "balance billing". They described it as a process of me submitting the information of the bill to them. This sounded a lot better to me from a liability perspective: if I gave them the information for balance billing, there would be no excuse that the insurance company was not processing the claim, so that's what I did.* (Much later, I was told by someone else at the same insurance company that that is not what balance billing is! They didn't go into details of why, so I'm still unsure of what it really is.) At first, the insurance company said it would take 30 days to process. After 30 days, I called them back and they said "30 business days". After 30 business days, they said (paraphrasing) "Well, it can be more than 30 business days. It's more of an estimate."

*Some time later, I called the insurance company, and they said they denied the claim! However, the first agent could not give me the reason why. They only told me some various reasons why claims may be denied. I believe one was "the claim must be filed within 48 hours of the appointment"!! I'm pretty sure that didn't happen seeing as the hospital said they didn't even have my insurance information after I provided it to them.*

After calling back, the second agent said they don't cover out-of-state emergency room visits. I told them that they did, and that I had called to verify they did before I left for my hike. *I pointed out that I had asked a previous agent to put a note in my account of where it said it was covered, but she said there was no such note in my account!*

After locating the special paragraph again, I believe it was a 3rd agent I talked to *who pointed out a paragraph below it that said "only in-network doctors are covered" and that hospital was not in-network. Just by reading that paragraph, it appears to me that it does not pertain to the out-of-state emergency room paragraph. I thought it only pertained to other/regular facilities. So I asked her what were the "in-network" hospitals, and she could not give me an answer! She couldn't find the information on their own website, or with any of their other resources.*

**[October]** I still wanted a concrete reason why the claim was denied, and what to do next. The insurance told me to call the hospital and have them re-submit the claim. They told me for the second time: "Well, we don't normally do this because it's out of state, but as a courtesy, we'll file the paperwork with your insurance." I again waited for the 30+ business day window.

**[December]** I received a call from someone different at the hospital. She said since there hasn't been any activity on my account in a while, she wanted me to try balance billing again. (Now, after researching this some, I'm not even sure it's legal to do balance billing.) She mailed me the paperwork to mail to my insurance for it, which I previously did not have. She said I could also file a grievance with my insurance company if they denied it. She also mailed me a form to fill out have the bill paid for by the hospital's charity fund.

Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 No one here will give you there credentials. If you want that, pay an attorney.

No one has done anything illegal. Insurance being a pain in the ass isn't illegal.

Try /r/insurance

Resubmit the claim to your insurance. Answer #2: I can't address your insurance issues but your complaints and expectations about the hospital are unreasonable and unrealistic.
You say that other patients already there didn't "look like emergencies" to you.
You ask contributors here for our qualifications.  What are your qualifications for triaging patients in the ED?  Just because someone isn't screaming or crying doesn't mean their medical issue is lower priority than yours.
You had to wait "more than an hour" to be admitted?  That is an extraordinarily short turnaround time for a patient not in cardiac or respiratory distress.
They "prolonged your suffering" by obtaining specimens needed to diagnose you and not putting you to bed immediately on arrival?  That would have delayed your diagnosis and treatment, which would have been negligence on their part.
Also, vomiting and having diarrhea cause dehydration and "dry mouth" regardless of how well you've been living for the previous four days.


Title: Legality of accepting a state issued ID but not a passport

Question: So my local dispensary is giving me a hard time. They'll happily accept a California state ID to let me in but not a passport. All of the other dispensaries in my state allow passports. Is this a discriminatory practice by not allowing federal ID while openly accepting state ID?

Answer: They don't know if you are actually a California resident based on a passport. Since these laws vary by state, this seems like a reasonable check.


Title: Is it illegal to claim you have a non-profit, and raise money for it when you don't?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You can report them to the IRS.


Title: Can I sue T-mobile?

Question:
To keep this as simple as possible, a T-mobile employee hijacked my SIM card, hacked into my email and many personal accounts and tried to authorize charges in one of my personal checking accounts.

I am a T-mobile consumer. What rights do I have? I feel as though my privacy has been invaded. I now know this employees name. What can I do legally?

Answer: I'm not a lawyer. But like. You have evidence? You have a case. You don't have evidence? It's not a case. Im sure you could speak with local police, show them your reports and request for some help. This would be theft and identity theft, could be a case. Again not a lawyer.


Title: Driver's License suspended pending Doctor's approval after falling asleep behind the wheel.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Have you asked the sleep specialist if a home sleep study is an option? typically this would be you bringing home monitoring equipment for a night or two then the results are analyzed. Otherwise you will just have to wait. You fell asleep piloting tons of steel. Somebody could have been killed. You either have a medical condition or showed very poor judgement and that needs to be conclusively determined.


Title: [Ontario] Question about if I can get a Lawyer Involved in a hospital related issue.

Question:
So my Grandmother has been on dialysis for about 20 something years,  and she got a blood infection about 2 months ago. So this blood infection has been admitted to come from dialysis at least from 2 nurses/doctors. Then something else happened and they put a breathing device down her throat and had her out cold for a while. When she came out of that she was unable to move well, due to being essentially sedated for close to 2 weeks. They then installed a new dialysis line upside down in her throat and had to reoperate to fix it. Then when changing her bandage on the initial spot of infection on her arm where the old dialysis line was they in simple terms, ripped a chunk of her arm off because of the infection making that part of her arm paperish thin with infection below it. She almost died from that and had to get surgery. They also ripped her face a bit when they took a mask off her face.
They apparently said she also caught one of those hospital super bugs, but in the icu that should be clean that shouldn't be super easy, but we'd find out 3 days from today if she did, then one of the infection doctors said, we just got a call saying no she doesn't have it.

Now my grandmother at this point had been fighting with her family to come home and die, it was just too much for her. Today we had a meeting with doctors just after they had a meeting in My grandmothers room, and said she agreed to go to a nursing home, who(grandmother) then told her daughter in front of my eyes and her sons' eyes that she wanted to go HOME.
She's basically refusing help from physio which is her fault, so she isnt getting physically stronger but we think the doctors have also been lieing through their teeth and thought it was convenient that they'd host a meeting in her room with her, after giving her pain meds during dialysis where she was most unlikely to keep conscious to talk. It was a kind of their highway or no way talk.

I don't know much about legal stuff, but I wonder if we can get a lawyer, since alot of her issues stem from hospital stuff that they did. Also if it's legal to move hospitals to get a second opinion and see if they can get her physically stronger again and not be forced into a home.

Sorry if this is formatted wrongly, I am new to this subreddit.

Edit: also if there are any programs to help get at home care for her, that would be a big help because we believe she wants to come home after she said that to her daughter today.

Edit 2: also she isnt competent enough to make her own decision to come home and die, but she is suddenly enough to "say yes to a home and it is good enough with no family witnesses" I doubt that.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 It's sounds like your grandmother is in pretty bad shape. IANAL but a registered nurse. It's possible that you might have a case against the hospital, but most of the things you are describing are known risks of the procedures she underwent. Infection is a known risk (and a highly likely one) of extended dialysis. What followed from there sounds like complications of a severe infection in a frail elderly person.

It's highly unusual for a patient to be on dialysis for 20 years. The average life expectancy is 5-10 years max. The risk of infection and complications increases greatly the longer someone is on dialysis.

If your grandmother is asking to go home, please make that possible for her. Ask about a hospice referral so that she can be comfortable in her last days. It would help your family take care of her. It's possible she could improve, but if she isn't willing or able to put forth effort for physical therapy, another hospital or doctor won't change that.

tl:dr - Consult a med-mal lawyer to pursue options if you want. In the mean time, honor your grandmother's wishes and take her home and keep her comfortable.


Title: (OH) My local small town police department has trouble keeping their records straight.

Question: My brother and I grew up in a small town in Ohio and as juveniles/young adults did some things we are not proud of.  I am aware that juveniles cannot be convicted of any crime in the state and assuming you come to some agreement with a magistrate you complete your community service and your record is sealed and/or expunged.  My brother applied for a high level job that required an extensive background check which he honestly filled out to include the underage drinking citation he received at 19 (he is now 29).   The background search company contacted our local police department and asked about the citation.  The police department told them he was never cited and had no criminal record.  This resulted in his application being flagged due to no evidence he had not committed any crimes.  Somehow he is a liar for telling the truth.  Frustrated my brother called the local PD himself and they told him that he absolutely had the citation on record.  This is not the first time this PD has had trouble keeping their records straight.  My friend was expelled from law school because he omitted a something from his application that was supposed to be sealed and expunged yet this PD released to the law school anyway.  I know it was supposed to be sealed and expunged because my friend and I were in trouble for burning a porta-potty down when we were 15 and both got busted.   My question is: how do I protect myself in future inquires of my own past knowing that my hometown PD will just randomly say anything to people who inquire about me?  I never mentioned the Porta-potty incident to my Navy recruiter or on my SF-86 for security clearance.  I am 32 years old and it has never been a problem in the past.  Also, what should my brother do?  How can he best clear this up?

Answer:
 >I am aware that juveniles cannot be convicted of any crime in the state

huh?

>and your record is sealed and/or expunged

not automatically

>My friend was expelled from law school because he omitted something from his application that was supposed to be sealed and expunged yet this PD released to the law school anyway

law school and bar apps actually state to list everything, even is sealed or expungedAnswer #2: Ohio's statute on sealing and expungement is a mess, and it changes nearly yearly.  It is no wonder that a small town PD can't keep up. The only thing I could suggest is for you and your brother to contact the county Juvenile court, which may have records independent of the PD records.


Title: Facing Eviction Three Days Before Christmas

Question:
So this is for my parents, who had gotten a house in NE Texas on Rent-To-Own. My dads been doing all the house work on it. My mom went to pay rent today (12/22/2017) and they told her that they never paid in May and that if they didn’t pay up another month of rent ($1,000) then they were gonna file a three day eviction notice. My moms at the store atm, and is going to pull bank statements from May to verify they cashed the check she wrote. What are her standings? Why would they not say anything between May and now when she went to pay rent all the other months? What is our standing?

EDIT: They found their receipt and bank statements of them cashing the check she wrote. They called and turns out the secretary had no idea what she was talking about.

Answer:
 I don't understand what you mean by 'what is our standing'

If she can prove she paid rent, then you should be fine. We can't tell you what they may or may not say once she shows them that it was paid.


Title: My boss has been paying me far below the minimum wage for months and just lowered it more. I want to report him but don’t want to get in trouble. What can I do?

Question:
37 year old male from Michigan.

TL/DR: boss has been paying me off the books for almost a year and a half and currently I’m making $200 for 51 hours of work. I want to report him because he’s been very abusive, and will just do this to someone else, but don’t want to get in trouble. Suggestions?

I’ve struggled with my mental health my entire life. After a series of traumas (divorce, homelessness, a drug relapse, PTSD, etc) I had completely given up and was just barely getting by staying with a friend. I wasn’t making any money.

A childhood friend needed help moving stuff out of his dad’s business and said he’d pay me to help them move. I could always use money, and wanted to help him, as well as hang out with him, so I agreed. We ended up moving their stuff to a new store instead of shuttering the business permanently.

After we got the store put together my friend said he wanted to give his dad a break and said he could pay me $100 a week to help him get the new store running. I’d be living on virtually nothing so even this was a step up and I agreed. My crippling anxiety and depression had made it so that talking to people, much less working a sales job, had become impossible and I thought this lack of pressure might be a great first step to get back to where I had been.

My friend had been taking care of his dad because, even at present, he’s probably 5 years away from death so we all felt sorry for him. After too much stress he asked me to take care of his dad and the store so he could go back to pursuing his career. Since I had begun to acclimate more to being in public my anxiety had become better so I accepted his offer to take his spot at the store. He said initially they wouldn’t be able to pay me much, about $200 a week, but it would be really light work, I could come and go as I pleased, and the family would make sure that I was being taken care of.

Fast forward to the present and I run the store. I do the ordering, all of the customer service, I pay for the marketing out of my own pocket, all our social media... I literally do everything. While my boss had been mostly kind for the first few months when I first started working there, he rapidly became an extremely abusive bully. I’m at the point where it’s really affecting me and I wake up in the middle of the night agonizing about the cruel things he says to me and how he treats me. On top do not having the money to leave I’ve been hesitant because if his wife takes my place it will no doubt spark a divorce because he talks about that all the time. Me staying here is keeping the business open and keeping my friends family from collapsing.

I was able to claw my way back to normalcy with this job, which I’m thankful for, but as it was off the books he realized he could treat me like shit. I’ve been making $250 for 51 hours of work for about 8 months now (before that I’d been making from $150-$200). However, after we had a rough week because of the 4th of July he decided that “business was slow” and started paying me $4/hr.  I had to take a day off to go to the doctor for a problem I’d been ignoring for 7 months and since he docked that days pay I made $167 that week. This week I’m making $200. I cannot do this anymore regardless of how it effects my friends family. No one in the family is helping mitigate the abuse, which they did for a few months, and without them I have no recourse, no way to get paid $250 a week much less more.

If it hadn’t been a severely verbally abusive situation I’d just leave it be and move on... but it was and it’s really messed me up. He shouldn’t be able to do this to anyone else, regardless of who it is. I’d like to inform the correct authorities but I don’t want to get in trouble for doing it. I was extraordinarily vulnerable and feel that I’ve really been taken advantage of. I can’t afford rent, I’ve been selling my belongings to keep working here, but he maintains he’s doing me the favor when he’s screaming at me and calling me names.

I’m having trouble moving to another job because I don’t have a car and can’t save any money at all because I need every penny to exist. What should I do? Can I do anything?
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 I don't see anything here that would get *you* into trouble. The worst case is you haven't declared this income to the IRS or the state to pay your taxes, but you might have made under the amount of money needed to pay taxes. You can always fix that if you actually do owe back taxes. Just go see a tax professional about how. You're not going to go to prison for tax evasion or something.

Contact the Wage and Hour division of Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. There's contact info [here](https://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-59886-39617--,00.html).

Consider that right now you don't have much money, but how many hours at under minimum wage have you worked? He's going to have to pay you for all of that including overtime.

If you quitting and/or he ends up owing you thousands in unpaid wages shuts down his business and/or his wife leaves him, that's not your problem. Stop setting yourself on fire to keep this dude warm.


Title: [US] Employer is cheating on government contracts. Is it possible to whistleblow?

Question:
The contracts are long-term "Federal Supply Schedules" from which federal employees purchase products and services. It's a huge list of products and the employer has taken advantage of its size by 'sneaking' products made in China (which is against the contract terms), adding manufacturers without being approved (against contract procedure), and cheats the government by not offering them the best price possible (against one of the top contract terms). The contracts dictate that a commercial buyer (a regular person or business) shall NOT be offered a better discount or price than the government. Essentially it means the government in this case is unknowingly overspending the tax payer dollars.

I was present at the time of a contract self-assessment when the employer instructed me to cherry-pick invoices and hide any data that could make the company look bad. Many excuses were made to get federal employees to "calm" down. Had this not been done, the contract in question (and any other) would NOT have been renewed. I knew it was wrong and a federal employee likely suspected it but because we "complied" it was not pursued.

Because these contracts are long-term, the employer is potentially cheating tax payers of tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Should I bother reporting this?

Answer:
 You can report the fraud to the [inspector general office.](https://www.oig.doc.gov/pages/hotline.aspx)

If you were complicit in the fraud you might be at risk of civil or criminal liability yourself.  Consider a lawyer.


Title: Girl parents on okcupid making child porn accusation

Question:
I met this girl on okcupid and her age said 18, she gave me her number and set a time to meet up but she never shows.

Two days later I get a call from her uncle saying she was in a car accident and totaled it and is I injured. Apparently she's 17 and I they want to file sex charges on me, we didn't do anything and she sent one pic that I'm unsure us nudity. Her nipple is partially exposed but mostly covered.

What should I'd do? Am I being scammed or should I take seriously. What steps do you recommend? I'm in GA

Answer:
 They are going to try and get money from you, this is an incredibly common scam.Answer #2: It's a scam. Read the sidebar. Answer #3: Sidebar--

>Underage Nude Photos Scam Megathread

It's fairly common.  Delete the pictures but not the messages.  Screencap the OK Cupid page, wait for the non-existant contact from the police.

If the police do contact you, get a lawyer.Answer #4: As everyone has said, scam. But more importantly, they can't charge you with anything, only the DA can do that.  And beware of a police officer who calls you too, as that might also be a scam.


Title: Teachers Assistant said its illegal to use images from a film in a paper. Is this entirely true?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 In the US, I think this would be covered under Fair Use. Might want to see if Canada has an equivalent.Answer #2: If you are using still images of a film in a limited manner in order to comment upon or critique ideas or techniques used in the film, that would generally be considered fair use.

But if your TA is telling you not to do it, you should probably listen to him.


Title: [TX] 17-year-old sister dating 31-year-old sex offender

Question:
Hello -

So my 17-year-old-sister graduated from high school early last year and moved into the dorms about 8 hours away from us (in Texas). She has been pretty independent but still kept in close touch with my parents. She turned 17 in August, and in September, my parents discovered that she's been dating a 31-year-old sex offender. I'm not sure for how long or if it started in September. My parents made her come back home and have not let her see this guy for the last few weeks. They are super mad and want to know if they can do anything legally.

17 is the age of consent in Texas, but I'm not sure if it's different because he's a sex offender. Could he have any kind of charges pressed against him because she's a child, or does it not matter because she's of the age of consent? Is there any kind of legal recourse?

Thanks.

Answer:
 If she is not under the age of consent, then it is her choice to consent. She is free to have a relationship with anyone she likes, even if they are almost old enough to be her father.Answer #2: Your parents can keep her from him until she turns 18.  Due to age of consent laws in texas, he has not broken any laws unless there are some specific rules on his probation/parole (if he is even on probation or parole).

People can be put on the registry for peeing in public.  Do y'all know what the actual offense is?


Title: [NSW, AUSTRALIA] Bicycle moved by removalists and stolen

Question:
Earlier today the people in an apartment upstairs from myself were moving out. They hired removalists, although at least one of the renters was on site for some of the time.

The removalists moved two bicycles from the communal hallway (usually secured by a locked door) and placed them against the building next to the driveway, which was partially visible from the street. Later on, after the removalists left, my partner noticed the bicycles removed from the hallway and one remained propped against the wall outside. My bicycle was missing.

They did not ask permission to move my bicycle, nor did I have any contact with them at all. I did hear them (through the door) talking about moving the bicycles but assumed they would not move mine as it was unlikely to be in the way.

I later contacted the renters of the apartment to see if the bicycle had been erroneously loaded into the moving van, they subsequently contacted the removalists who said it had not, and they had left the two bicycles outside when they left. They left at 5:15pm and we noticed the missing bicycle at 5:30pm.

I have filed a police report along with the chassis number of the bicycle, it's not a terribly expensive bicycle but it is my primary mode of transport to and from work.

I'm not sure who I have recourse against here, the renters who engaged the removalists, the removalists or simply the person who took it. I wouldn't be surprised to find it was one of the removalists themselves that took it, but I concede that the bicycle could have gone missing any time between midday and 5:30pm.

I'd be grateful for any advice, it hopefully won't cause me too much trouble in the meantime as a friend has offered to lend me his bicycle for a month.

Answer:
 We call them "movers" in the U.S. Although removalists is a cool word.

Anyhow, if renters insurance is a thing in Australia and you have it, I'd file a claim, as well as making a police report.

The movers had no authority to move them, then someone with more criminal intent stole yours from them. Let the police decide who is a criminal here.

The movers should have some sort of insurance and I'd insist that they make you whole.

Sorry this is a bit disjointed but you've got at least three different paths you could pursue.

Don't tell them you'll call the police if they don't pay.Answer #2: Ianal. Contact the movers and let them know your prob and that you feel it is their responsibility to make right since they moved the bikes without permission or knowing even whose they were and let them know if they don't cooperate you intend to file a police report.


Title: [IL] Lessor asking us to pay more or move while we're within a year lease

Question:
Turning to Reddit for help as I've reached out to three different local law offices, via email and phone call, twice with no reply. No details were given in those contacts to scare them away, I hope, simply an ask for advice on tenant rights as they apply to the town I belong to.

I will try to keep it short, as my research has been tedious and I've narrowed down what I need to know and cannot find among the legal jargon, or anywhere that cites an article as legal advice. If more details are needed obviously I'd be happy to supply.

Signed a lease last Oct 2016 with my gf for an apt during the term of May 2017 > April 2018.
It is a three bedroom apt, of which, we are on the lease for only one of those rooms, details of how much in total we owe and monthly rent is outlined. Before signing we asked if finding roommates was on us to which they said no. The lease also does not state that we would be responsible for the cost of those vacant rooms, only that the lessor may place whomever they wish in the rooms, and if we disagree we have the right to instead pay for that room(s) ourselves. We have not turned down any roommates, in fact, we ask if they had found us anything and each reply was an airy, no worries, we'll find something. *shrug* okay...

Come this past Tuesday 5/24/17 we're told that it has been hard finding us roommates b/c we are a couple and (college town) parents don't want/like their snowflake living with a couple (we're 22&27, no kids, one cat, gamers...pretty chill, I hope). And for this reason we should move to a single bedroom apt they have or pay more per month to somewhat cover the cost of the other two apts. The one bedroom they offered was tiny, no exaggeration, one step from the entrance in the living room, the next in the kitchen and the amenities were far worse, and it would be a higher cost per month, to put it lightly, a solid 'no'.

In fairness, they have not taken a firm gtfo stance, but the message is pretty clear and I asked if we can't continue our lease the way it is and the agency replied, with the impression that, that's not going to work out. So I'd like to know my right as a tenant to hold the lessor to the lease we signed, have moved into, and paid the first month's rent for. I feel like they're trying to take us for suckers, b/c they're not making enough money and frankly the tiny apt they showed us was an insult. so yeah if you sense some salt in these words, you'd be right.

Anywho this has been long enough, I'll cut it here, let me know what you think and please provide cited resources as I too have the feeling they don't have the right to kick us out but I need solid legal documents proving so, if that is the case. If nothing else, thank you for taking the time to read this, and, it's quite a mess I cannot wait to be rid of.

Cheers

Answer: You have the right to hold them to the terms of the lease. If the lease does not contain an early termination provision for the landlord, then you have the right to continue your lease for the full term, as long as you comply with all your obligations under the lease. You are not responsible for the other bedrooms.


Title: My camera and SSID was stolen and Someone just put it up on sale on OfferUp

Question:
I know it’s mine because my camera has a small sticker at the front and the item on OfferUp displays it as well. The seller also said the camera has no charger (my charger was at home). My camera bag also had my social security ID which this person also stole.

The only way I can be 100% sure is by double checking the serial number, which requires meeting up.

Should I confront him in person with a friend? Should I call the police ahead of time? I’m worried that in the 1% chance the camera is not mine, I’ll face backlash by calling the police.

Answer: Did you report the theft?


Title: [NYC] After accusing me of "black magic" friend puts personal items into storage while I'm out of country 6 weeks, despite verbal agreement to hold items on her property. Storage company denies me access to the unit, “friend” refuses to open unit. She cuts contact, items are auctioned/property lost

Question:
**TLDR; Don't be friends with Satan. You'll always get fucked in the end. They'll break verbal contracts, toss your property into the black hole of a very expensive Manhattan storage unit that's not under your name, throw away the key while you're out of the country, and disappear in a cloud of prescription drugs and mental instability.**

So I'll begin at the end and work backwards. I'd like to file a small claims lawsuit, as the person in question, I'll call her "Satan", did not have permission to move my items into storage, and my property was lost. The length of time I was gone with items in Satan's possession was just over one month, and she had given me full permission to store my items at her home during that time; we had established a verbal agreement in text.

There are mutual friends who can attest to establishment of said agreement.

In January 2016 my items were auctioned off from a NY Manhattan storage unit, as there had been no payment on the unit for 3 months. This was due to the fact that I was not the primary account holder, had no key, was out of the country then out of the state for work,  the storage company refused to allow me to make payments over the phone, or to allow me access during my two attempts to retrieve my possessions while I was in New York. Even though I was listed as a secondary account holder on the unit, it was not under my name, phone number or email address.

I tried calling from out of state to make a payment on the unit, I was informed multiple times that I could not even pay on the unit without the bill, which was sent to Satan's email address and automated online through that account. She did not make any payments at any time on said storage unit, and refused to forward the bill to my email or switch the account to my email address so I could make payments on the unit. This process was made more difficult because she had broken all contact with me even prior to my first return from France to New York.

To backtrack: In July 2015 I determined to give up my residence in NY and take a trip to France, before returning to my previous residence in California. I moved most of my things into a storage unit, which I paid for in full, and spent the last two days in NY visiting my friend. Satan offered to hold onto a few of things I wanted to take with me to California, but did not want to carry around in France.

I left with her: An acoustic guitar, my suitcase containing expensive designer clothing and all my work clothes, my yoga mat in a silk bag, and a toiletries bag. The yoga mat and guitar were left out in the apartment for her to use, the suitcase and toiletry bag were stored in her cabinet space beneath the bar in the downstairs.

At the time I left in July, I was under the impression Satan was one of my best friends in the world. She was planning to visit me in France, and invited me to stay with her before leaving New York. I did, and she even saw me off to the airport, buying me a couple drinks at a nice bar while we waited for my airport shuttle to arrive. Satan kept in contact with me throughout my first few weeks in France, she was even planning to visit me there.

Going further back, I had been friends with Satan for many years, and had both moved from LA to NY the summer of 2014. She had left most of her things in LA, so before I left for France, I had also loaned her some things for her apartment. Curtains, rugs, candles, etc. Satan's place was empty of furniture and she said she would be very grateful for anything I might be able to bring, as her apartment was bare.

Satan texted me while I was in France, about 3 weeks into my trip, saying she was grateful for the things I had given her, but here's where it gets weird. Satan worded the property left as "offerings" to her. I had given her some decorative pieces for the apartment, but the majority of what I left were things I intended to reclaim. During this conversation she confirmed again how she would come and visit me in France, she was looking forward to the trip, and she would take me out and shopping when she arrived.

Suddenly, Satan dropped out of communication. About 7-10 days go by with no word, then I get a text out of the blue that says something like this:

"After doing a lot of thinking, I have decided it is best if we go our seperate ways. I have placed all of your things in a storage unit and sent the key to our mutual friend in California. You can contact her to arrange entrance to the unit."

We had a short text exchange, where I tried to determine which of my things she had put in storage, and which ones she thought I had "offered" to her. Namely, the guitar and personal items, also a couple of decorative boxes full of toiletries and makeup. She claimed those items were "worthless" and "junk". I also have previous messages from a prior falling out, where she had accused me of practicing "black magic" on her. I was not entirely shocked, as I have seen this person become very mentally unstable at times.

I was shocked, and mostly hurt about the loss of friendship, but as I said not entirely surprised. I tried to contact our mutual friend in California to retrieve the key. At the time she was without a car, jobless, broke, and heartbroken after a breakup, and completely incapable of dealing with the stress of this situation. She did not send me the key immediately, although I was pressuring her as I only had one week left in France before my flight to NY, and I was trying to get the key in time. The key was was held in the French postal system and did not arrive.

I had a one night layover in New York to try and deal with this before flying to California to work at an event. My flight had already been booked a month ago and I did not have money to push it, also I had a job in California beginning in two days so I could not stay longer to wait.

I left France from New York and attempted to contact the storage unit and explain the situation. My plan was to arrive at the unit and explain the situation, hoping they would let me take my things. (I had just under 2 hours from the time my flight touched down before they closed). They told me that although I was listed as a secondary on the account, without the key I would not be allowed entrance to the unit unless I had a notarized letter from the account holder.

At this point, I tried to call Satan to attempt access to the unit, with her letting me in. It was about 10 blocks from her apartment. She had blocked my phone, so I attempted to reach her through a mutual friend. Satan said she would write the letter, but was not go to come to the unit and unlock it for me.

I had work lined up in California for the next 3 months and no resources to make the trip back to New York just to retrieve these items. So I left New York the following morning, flew to California, and purchased new work clothes.

On my way back to France in December, I tried one more time to contact Satan and get my things before the auction. I flew back to New York but was unsuccessful in retrieving my items, so they were auctioned.

**TOTAL
Estimated losses: $3-4,000 in property, $600 lost during attempts to reclaim property thus far. (return flight in SF-NY in Dec plus 1 night stay in New York)**

Since I've never sued anyone before, and I'm not anymore a resident of New York, this process feels very intimidating to me. What documents do I need to gather? Am I able subpoena the records from the storage unit, as well as possibly auction records, since I am not the account holder? Can I gain records of the text thread from the phone company? I no longer have the messages from her (deleted in frustration). How long do I need to plan to be in New York for the process of small claims court?

I don't have receipts to document my items lost, but I can itemize them and estimate, and try to find some receipts. Do I need to prove what was left in her posession? I did take a photo of all of the items laid out on the apartment floor while packing.

What further evidence do I need to present in court to establish the verbal agreement to hold my items on her property while I was out of the country?

I would appreciate any and all advice/assistance on how to proceed.

Answer:
 I have a feeling you'll need an attorney to help you with this as subpoenaing records from businesses and other "discovery" to determine how much this friend is liable for can bury you in a mountain of paperwork in fairly short order.

Yes, you'll have to sue her and you can do it in small claims (in New York most likely) but a lawyer can help you gather all the needed information before you go before a judge. Do realize that even if you do win in the end, if said friend has no money you will have a really tough time collecting (the phrase "can't get blood from a stone" comes to mind).Answer #2: You should have called the police about the stolen property when they put it in storage and denied you access.Answer #3: I have one more question. If this person wants to bring in a "witness" who did not witness anything, but is simply her friend who will lie and say anything, is there a way I can have this witness denied?Answer #4: >verbal agreement in text.

Which was it? If you have any physical/electronic record that will be extremely helpful


Title: My Tenant's tenant is AirBnbing (California)

Question:
So to make a very long story short. I don't live in California, but I do own an investment property there.

I acquired a very unique property in the bay area as a short sale after the economic downturn of 2008. I love historic victorian homes, and finding something that was in great shape, had 3 huge bedrooms, is very walkable, and surprisingly large made me think it was an investment worth liquidating what remained of my 401ks.

 That property today is worth about 5 times what I bought it for which would be wonderful except...

I had been using the property as a rental since acquiring it and was doing yearly leases at a rent rate that was enough to cover my expenses on the home and my refi-d mortgage. I was approached in 2013 by a gentleman I'll call "John" who offered me a 5 year lease at about 125%  of what I was asking for rent. As this would more than cover my expenses and mortgage, and the kicker of a significant portion paid upfront - I accepted.

I hadn't been paying too much attention to the property since then - I'm out of state, and the rent payments were more os less automatic and on time.

Then I was contacted. Last November I guess San Francisco was having a controversial vote about Airbnb. Someone involved with one of the campaigns regarding Airbnb dug up my contact information from the property records and encouraged em to weigh in.

That's when I noticed that my home was listed on airbnb. Not only that, it's actually being listed as a number of listings offering shared rooms. It's got dozens of good reviews for multiple listings, but a number of the reviews mention an asian live-in landlord named "Pete".

I did not lease to anyone matching that description, so after contacting the person I had leased to I come to learn that my property has actually been sublet to a woman named "Heather" who by some relation or something else has effectively let Pete live in the home and manage it as an airbnb property.

So I've got a number of issues with this. It looks like it's blatantly running against any number of zoning rules. They're allowing people to bring pets (which are a no-no in my lease). Casual marijuana and copious alcohol use are referenced in reviews. I cannot begin to fathom what my liability could look like here. And I have to imagine the wear and tear on my property from having up to 16 people (+Pete! and assorted 4-legged friends) occupy it is insane. Oh and the poor neighbors.

That hurts my head just typing. Here's a rental diagram:

Me (own house) >rents> John (5 year lease) >sublets> Heather >has friend or sublets again> Pete >airbnb> Everyone & their dog

I don't live in the state. My lease did permit subletting. I have heard horror stories about evictions, and I cannot even imagine what the process with this many entities and players would play out with.

I've already spoken to a local attorney, but he recommended I get someone in California referencing their "shitty" tenant laws.

Hoping someone can point me in the right direction. Oh and my back of the napkin calculations have Pete making up to $16k/month on the property I originally rented out for less than $2500.

Answer:
 You need a lawyer.  Now.  This is not a DIY eviction.Answer #2: According to [AirBNB's policies for San Francisco](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/871/san-francisco--ca):

"To register your listing, you must live [in the property] for at least 275 days per year (or, if you haven’t lived there for a full year, 75% of the days you have occupied the unit)."

Sounds like this whole chain of subletting is in violation of AirBNB's policies.

Others can chime in on whether this is a good idea or not, but you could consider contacting AirBNB to have the listing removed.Answer #3: Wasn't this a joke on Silicon Valley last night?


Title: Room-mate threatens to release my pet.

Question:
So I've just moved into a new place. I have a pet cockatiel. I'm experimenting with putting him in common areas during the day, as discussed with the landlord who also lives with us. When in new places he can be loud and annoying, and does what they call flock calling until he's more settled. I've presented instructions on how we can minimise this through positive reinforcement. Today, the first day he's been in the new place, my new house mate who I barely know texts

 "Bro, if I’m getting woken up at 7am on Saturday/Sunday to a bird squawking

I’ll just let that fucker free"

Now I have no intention of letting my bird be an issue in common areas at such times, and he's put forth no discussion on such topics only threats and demands.

My question is that if he actually actioned his threat, would there be any legal ramifications I could pursue? I've tried looking it up but have not found much.

Im in NSW, Australia.

Answer:
 Don't do these annoying experiments at 7 am and don't expect your roommates to participate in training your bird.   I'm not in Australia so I'm not positive but I can't imagine he'd be liable for anything more than the cost of a new bird.  Try [/r/AusLegal](https://www.reddit.com/r/AusLegal/)Answer #2: Why don't you experiment with keeping your loud pet in your own room?

So far it sounds like the roommate has done nothing so it doesn't sound like there is much you can do until something changes or does happen.


Title: My apartment complex threw away a package

Question:
My mother in law (registered resident) received a call from our apartment office stating she received a package but it smelt so bad they threw it away. They said it arrived in plastic bags, they couldn’t tell who it was from, there was a $30+ postage stamp on it. They simply said it smelt so bad they threw it away and it’s in the trash. It arrived today, and she received the call today. We are pretty sure a good friend of hers sent olives in the mail to her from the east coast (she loves olives and these are only available on the east coast and are somewhat expensive).

2 questions:

Is it illegal for our complex to just throw out mail due to smell?
Once we confirm who sent the package and can verify what it was... Who would we contact to follow up in regards to the package being damaged in transit, and then disposed of by someone other than the addressed?

Answer: That's illegal and a federal offense Answer #2: Sounds like you should contact the Post Office.  If it indeed was delivered by them and the office threw it away that’s a crime.  The USPS does not take kindly to anyone interfering in delivery of the mail.


Title: Landlord is renting the space next to me, who will offer the same exact service we provide

Question:
Hello, I live in Florida and I didn't know who I could ask about this so I have turned to you guys. I own a nail salon which I started leasing about 5 months ago. On the lease it specifically states that the landlord (she) will not provide the same services that we do in the same plaza. The landlord has messaged me asking if I would allow her to rent the space out to a salon that will offer hair AND nail services-- I promptly replied that is isn't allowed on the lease and I do not want that happening. However, a month has passed and there are men setting up electrical and plumbing into the space next door and when I asked what they were installing, they told me that they were installing a water pipe for the new tenant's pedicure chairs! My landlord has disregarded every word I said as well as the official lease! I have not spoken to her directly about this yet, as I don't want to put up any red flags. Am I crazy for believing that what she is doing is illegal? What do you guys think my best course of action would be? Thank you, I hope to hear your advice.

tl;dr- I own a nail salon in FL which opened a few months ago. My lease prohibits the landlord from allowing other tenants to offer nail services. Landlord is now leasing the space next to us as a hair salon that also performs nail services. What do I do?
edit: We actually spoke to the OWNER of the new salon and he told us that there would be nail services.

Answer:
 In the law covering the sale of goods (Uniform Commercial Code §2-609), there is a provision where one party who reasonably suspects the other will breach the contract may make a written demand for assurance that the lease will not be breached.  If the other party refuses to make this promise, the party seeking assurances may then immediately bring a suit for breach of contract.

The demand is called "Demand for Adequate Assurances".

Recently, Florida apparently has extended this doctrine (UCC §2-609) to commercial leases.  "Performance" of your lease agreement means "don't rent to any competing businesses".

Your justification for making the demand must be legitimate, so you would need to seek a FL commercial real estate lawyer on this, but it appears that your situation is what the legislature had in mind when extending this to commercial leases.  Why should you keep paying rent to someone who you suspect is about to sell you out?

[Florida Code Title 39 section 680 paragraph 401](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0600-0699/0680/Sections/0680.401.html) effectively extends Uniform Commercial Code paragraph 2-609 to commercial leases.

(I should add:  IN the event the other party DOES promise, and it is apparent at trial that the party lied in making that promises, that would be an egregious act of bad faith and could (possibly) open up a tort claim with potential for punitive damages.)

edit: To clarify that FL extended 2-609 to commercial leases, not the entire "sale of goods" portion of the UCC.Answer #2: first, ask the landlord for reassurance that they are not violating your lease.  get it in writing.  then if a nail salon pops up next to you.  sue the landlord.

if they admit they are violating the lease, then sue the landlord.Answer #3: It's not *illegal*, but it likely is a violation of your lease.


Title: Girlfriend is pregnant she "forgot" to mention she was married.

Question:
So as the title reads, My GF is pregnant 4 months but she "forgot" to mention she was married. I feel betrayed and I don't know what to do. All was well but only recently she mentioned she was married under fraudulent circumstances so that she may get military benefits. This sickens me. I need legal advice please!
EDIT: In TX btw.

Answer:
 You're going to have to be more specific...

Was there a question? What part of the situation you need legal advice on?


Title: Employer/ coworkers giving me an extremely hard time due to my political position.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can be fired for anything, unless you have a contract that says otherwise.

That said, a hat sitting in a car, by itself, would not be considered harassment by any reasonable person.  If your co-workers are arguing with you a lot about it, you might want to make your own report to HR just to protect yourself.


Title: Comcast has just enforced a 1TB datacap monthly in my area, I am still under contract with them. Can I use this change to cancel my service without early termination fee? CA

Question:
I read over the user agreement and saw this

"4. CHANGES TO SERVICES

Subject to applicable law, we have the right to change our Service(s), XFINITY Equipment and rates or charges, at any time with or without notice. We also may rearrange, delete, add to, or otherwise change programming or features or offerings contained in the Service(s), including, but not limited to, content, functionality, hours of availability, customer equipment requirements, speed, and upstream and downstream rate limitations. If we do give you notice, it may be provided on your monthly bill, as a bill insert, e-mail, in a newspaper or other communication permitted under applicable law. If you find a change in the Service(s) unacceptable, you have the right to cancel your Service(s). However, if you continue to receive Service(s) after the change, this will constitute your acceptance of the change.
"

http://www.xfinity.com/Corporate/Customers/Policies/SubscriberAgreement.html

It says if I find the change unacceptable, I have the right to cancel my service. Does this mean I can avoid the early termination fee?

Answer:
 The legalese states that the opportunity to quit is when they give notice.  When did they give you notice and when did the enforcement start?

Personally I got such a notice (email) October 6th that the data cap would start November 1st.


Title: Can a parent who currently has 50/50 custody move a child to another state?

Question:
Obligatory mobile notice. My nephew, B, has been the light of my life since the moment he was born. He is now 4 years old. My sister,D, and his father,R, had a very toxic relationship for years and split for good when he was about a month old. D is now engaged to a wonderful man, H, and they have a one year old who B adores. Custody is currently 50/50 and they finally have a working agreement after all the years of court. R is a great father, I don’t want to take that away from him, he loves B very much as does his family. The issue is that R has decided to move across the country for better job opportunities. He wants to take B with him. The options he’s given D are either they split B half the year there with him and half the year here with her or he has B during the school year and my sister gets him during the summer. He refuses to even look at any other arrangement. D has not gotten a lawyer yet bc she was hoping to fix this without one, and good lawyers are expensive. His reasoning is that he wants to be able to give B a stable family environment. Which he already has. R has no family in that state as they are all here in our home town as well. I understand that he is B’s father, it just seems like he’s been selfish and now looking at what’s best for a four year old child. Then again I’m biased. Can anyone tell me what rights he has? If we go to court how likely would it be that they would let him take B??
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 >The issue is that R has decided to move across the country for better job opportunities.

That implies that this is a good move for him and done for valid reason. If there is no lock in their current custody agreement, he is allowed to move.

Everyone will need to go back to court to establish a new custody agreement to use moving forward. There is no reason why he can't spend summer at his dad's house a few states away.


Title: My A/C unit has leaked into tenant below me, landlord trying to make me pay for repairs. [FL]

Question:
Hey guys, I'm 5 months into my 12 month lease of my apartment in Florida. I've heard bad things about my landlord once I moved in, and now I see why.

I live on the second floor of a multi apartment building. A resident in the 1st floor complained to my landlord about a month ago that there was water leaking into her bathroom from the ceiling. She moved out later, and now the new tenant is saying the same thing. Landlord contacted me and asked me to feel in the air duct of air intake of my centralized A/C. It was damp and I told him that. He's made multiple appointments to come check it out but has always gotten busy and hasn't come.

Fast forward to today. He finally comes checks it out and says its coming from my unit's A/C lines being backed up and they're leaking through the air duct to the tenant's below me bathroom. He's saying hes going to have a guy come in to blow the lines out and more technical stuff about the A/C system that I don't know.

He's claiming negligence on my part for not "maintaining" the A/C system because he says that it is in my lease. He says he is going to invoice me for the cost of the repairman and however much it costs to fix the tenants below me ceiling etc.

*Here is what my lease says* "The tenant agrees to perform any needed **minor** repairs and replacements during the term of the lease at his expense. 'Minor repairs and replacements' shall be defined as any repairs or replacements valued at $200.00 or less. landlord shall be responsible for repairs or replacements above the $200.00 Tenant co-pay, unless the damage or repair was caused by directly tenants negligence whereby he will be fully responsible.

This is the **only** clause in my whole lease relating to maintenance of any sort.

I change the air filter on my unit regularly, although the filter has nothing to do with the lines backing up. My A/C unit is on the roof (not very accessible huh?) and I was never given any on instructions on how I should be "maintaining" this unit. It doesn't even say that in my lease!

I think it is laughable that he trying to put this on me, the whole point of renting is so I don't have to be responsible for when appliances crap out.

What do those knowledgable of the law think?

Thanks for taking the time to read through this, I appreciate your thoughts!

Answer: Climbing on the roof to service the A/C servicing is not a minor repair, absolutely no way. Tell him this is his responsibility. If he withholds your security deposit when you move out you may need to sue him.


Title: Can I press charges without video evidence? [SC]

Question:
My friend and I were robbed and pistol whipped this weekend by a car that pulled up. The passenger got out, robbed us, knocked us out and took off. They were caught for the same exact crime two days later in the same city, only this time fleeing in their vehicle. My friend and I remember his face from the mugshot instantly. My question is it is doubtful if the closed gas station we were at is going to have a video camera.

I've been in touch with the investigator on the case and given him the story, and any videotape has not yet been mentioned. Could we press charges without it? They're in jail for armed robbery with a deadly weapon, and having a weapon during a violent crime.

Answer:
 You can file a police report.  The police will investigate and proceed with charges if they determine there's enough to go off of and can find the person.

If you have any medical bills or other damages, you can sue the person for your damages.Answer #2: You can't press charges against anyone, because you're not law enforcement.  You can file a police report about the incident and law enforcement will choose whether or not to press charges against the individuals.


Title: School Didn't expel shop-lifter, Can I sue the school for creating an unsafe learning environment?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 You have no damages to sue for.

I would be more inclined to sue the school for failing to provide you with a sufficient schooling. (Don't do this, it would be just as dumb)Answer #2: Someone stealing $5 worth of snacks doesn't automatically mean he is a dangerous criminal and that he has created an unsafe learning environment. Calling the cops won't do any good. If the owner of the minimart didn't call the police, you calling them isn't going to do any good. Answer #3: He got punished by the school already and the store decided not to involve the cops.

He made a mistake and hopefully learned his lesson, he quite honestly doesn't sound like a danger towards other students or staff.

Yet you want to seriously fuck with this persons life and future prospects in life?Answer #4: How is the school not providing a safe environment? How are you less safe because a teenager stole $5 of chocolate?


Title: Could I be in trouble??

Question:
So this all happened 4 years ago when I was 20. I met a girl online who was 17 and we had tons of mutual interest so we became friends. After a while I started to get feeling for her so I flirted a bit but she didn’t seem interested so I left it alone and eventually we just drifted apart. We never talked about sex or anything sexual and never exchanged pictures of any kind. She was in CA and I am in OR. Recently I was told by friend about it and he told me that what I did was a crime and I could easily go to jail for it. Is this true? He told me a week ago and I have been freaking out and reading up about it and people have gone to jail for it it seems like. He told me the fbi usually cracks down on this kinda thing. I am afraid I might have broken a law like grooming and soliciting a minor.... have I broken any laws here?

Location OR
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Your friend is dumb. You are fine. Move on with your life.


Title: Harassed at work?

Question: I'm 28 (f) and work at a freight line in NC. I share a desk with our dispatcher. For the past four months he has been making "jokes" that have become more and more offensive over time to last week when he said I was "stupid because you're a woman but you can't help it so don't worry about it" I've had co workers hear him and ask me if I'm ok with how inappropriate he is. I am not. I've tried talking to our terminal manager but was told he was "harmless" and I should "learn to take a joke". It's getting worse and I've started a journal of things he says to me but is there anything I can do? Do I have to just tolerate it? I had been told by him to sweep the floors in my spare time (we have a cleaning staff to do this), to pull his car around to the ramp so he doesn't get wet from rain , to "man the phones while I go outside woman" and more. I'm becoming depressed and cry for no reason now and dread going into work because of him. help?

Answer:
 Finally a textbook hostile work environment claim on this sub.

keep documenting (on paper. don't go making recordings).

and set up a few consultations with employment attorneys in your area.

they may recommend that you escalate the problems to HR or other superiors before they take action.


Title: Need to take over neglected elderly father-in-law's care, plus psych help for very unstable mother-in-law, but MIL withholding PoA docs & threatens to burn them [AL]

Question:
My husband and I need to take over caring for his elderly father and get his severely mentally ill mother into some kind of treatment facility, but we are clueless as to how to handle this. We are in an incredibly small town in the middle of Alabama with very limited resources and any inquiries we've made (DHS, my doctors, etc...) haven't yielded much. The only thing that was told to us was to call the Elder Abuse line, but it's a bit more complicated than reporting a mistreated senior. My husband DOES have power of attorney, but we need to find out how to get a copy of it since it's being withheld from him. Here's the situation:

My husband and I moved here since his father is 89 and doesn't have much time left, regardless of the cancer. We're currently staying with his parents while we get everything moving financially since we had to drop everything and come up here. Hopefully not much longer, but it is what it is. Anyway, we want to be here, we want to help, and his mother invited us, although she doesn't seem to recall that.

His mother is 71. We want to take over his care since she isn't capable of doing it herself with her current mental state and we need to take her to a psychiatric facility either for a lengthy stay or even permanently at an assisted living facility (both involuntary...) because she is getting steadily worse. We are not equipped to handle this and it is affecting our own health (mentally and physically) at this point...

I don't know if this is too much information, but I don't want to leave anything out in case it helps.

**First, about her mistreatment of his father:**

She is neglecting, insulting, and mistreating her elderly, dependent husband. He confirmed with us when she wasn't home one day that he is not receiving ANY medication other than an aspirin daily, and we have found multiple medications prescribed to him hidden throughout the house including pain pills and his heart meds, all untouched with recent fill dates, in multiples.

She constantly ridicules him for his incontinence and inability to hear, and he is mostly lucid and CAN hear enough to know what she's saying occasionally. We know it hurts him. It hurts us too. Just as I was writing this he asked her what she said since he didn't hear her clearly, and all he got was, "Stop acting stupid." To her, he is being lazy and is using a walker to get pity even though his legs are severely atrophied and require some physical  rehabilitation.

I believe his incontinence is mostly caused by the fact she just has him sit in a chair from 6:30AM through 7:45PM without helping him to the bathroom, or even suggesting it. There was also an instance where he was calling out to her for help when stuck on the toilet and she just refused to get up. My husband ran to his room once we realized.

His dietary needs aren't met either. The same breakfast that he barely touches and usually some canned soup for lunch. No dinner. She buys him things like boost and ensure, but doesn't actually give it to him. They just sit in the fridge.

Anytime we try to help him, even if it's simply to pull a chair out for him, she starts yelling at us saying, "Don't do that! He'll just keep wanting more if you do anything for him! That's MY job, he's MY husband!" She's convinced that her 89-year old husband is doing this on purpose just to annoy her, which brings us to...

**Second - His mother needs extensive psychiatric care, and NOW.**

Ever since my husband was around six, his mother has been having problem with her mental stability. He thinks it may have been triggered by menopause, but that's just a theory. She has NEVER been treated, or even seen anyone regarding her mental health, and will not ever admit to needing such care. Trying to bring it up just results in screaming in logic circus that turns into nonsensical paranoid screeching like a southern banshee. It's never her, it's everyone else that's out to get her, according to her.

- - -

*What We Know/Have Observed Regarding His Mother:*

* **Hallucinations:**
We know she's at least experienced auditory hallucinations because on one occasion she did admit that angels were talking to her, and told her that her son was a demon.

* **Paranoia, Delusions, and Extreme Behavior:**
 She is collecting CAT SHIT and putting it in a pile on a desk by the kitchen. It's been sitting there since before we arrived a month ago. She is CONVINCED that the dried feces is actually some sort of poison tossed over into the yard by her neighbor to poison the dogs. Her reasoning is that "he hates white people" and that "all of the blacks are out to 'get' [her]" and run her out of her home. Trying to tell her that it's feces just sends her into a rage.

* **More Paranoia:**
 She constantly yells things at us like, "I know what you're really after!" "Don't try to trick me!" and "I know what you're really doing here, you can't fool me!" We had to stop doing things around the yard and in the home because she felt like we were trying to manipulate her with practically any act of kindness to take power away from her. She believes any kind action is to hide an malicious ulterior motive of some sort.

* **Delusions Again:**
A few days ago she advised us that the end of times are near, because it has been foretold to her. We are worried that this means that she's still hearing "angels."

* **Unsafe, Odd Behavior:**
She neglects to clean out oil that piles under the burners on the stove, which caused a fire a few weeks ago. And we've also found dirty grease smeared all over our dog's food and water bowls for some reason.

* **Animal Neglect:**
Before I met my husband, he had another dog. He had brought her up to stay with his mother for a while (he had her longer as a whole), who now refuses to let him have a say in her care or even let her go outside with the other dog to socialize. If I pet her, she looks at me like I'm satan. She actually stared at me with intense hatred, shaking angrily for about two minutes while her son was trying to talk her down from some other nonsense until we realized she didn't want me touching the dog. It's her dog now, according to her (sigh...) -- but she has multiple growing pockets of fluid (one the size of a baseball!) and hot spots that need to be taken care of, but she just won't take her to the vet. She also knows she is allergic to gluten (I know... but yeah...), but feeds her the cheapest high grain food and piles incredibly processed unhealthy human food on TOP of it (like the Hill. Farms/oscar meyer breakfast sausage things that are in a giant U when packaged) that is causing her to not only have massive skin problems, but a lot of weight gain for an old dog. She also has trouble walking. Poor girl.
We have to keep our giant pup holed up in the bedroom with us all day because we're afraid of what she will do to him. There have already been issues, and we don't need two sick dogs.

* **Manic Behavior and Other Nonsense** (I think...):
She constantly laughs to herself while walking around, sometimes maniacally. She repeats insults at me when my husband is out (she does it at him too), repeating the same thing over and over just loud enough I can hear them anywhere in the house. Usually, "Yeah right... yeah right..." if I say anything, or "That's a LIE," "You think I don't know?!? I KNOW!" or... my favorite, "All I ever see that girl do is eat, sleep, and fart." Apparently a having debilitating chronic lifelong condition means I'm a lazy person who sleeps all day. She said that last one about twenty times in a row. And for the record, I have never farted around my mother in-law. I may *have* an asshole, but I'm *not* one.

- - - -

**What We DO Have**

We have only TWO things in our corner, a lengthy audio recording demonstrating her behavior during a fit with the screaming, manic behavior, paranoia and delusional statements, **AND my husband has power of attorney over both of his parents**, medical, we think. She showed us the documents when we came to visit a year prior. She also states that he has POA on the recording.

She is refusing to let my husband even SEE the POA documents again, much less let him know where they are hidden. She even threatened to set them on fire if he brought it up because he "doesn't need them." Oh, and he's only asking her because I'm "brainwashing" her son. When we mentioned that in the event of an emergency, such as her and her husband both being in an accident where they can't communicate, he would need to have the paperwork to help. She replied that "that won't happen. That doesn't happen to me. You don't need anything." She doesn't think anything bad will happen to them, which is a problem in itself. She thinks she is beyond harm. Everything I just mentioned in this paragraph was also recorded, thankfully.

We haven't had a chance to get to their lawyer, whom we assume would have copies, but we don't even know if my husband can even ask him for copies, even though he's included in the document. Are copies of notarized POA documents ever kept in court houses? We aren't sure where to check. We didn't even know you can become someone's POA without being there to sign anything...

We are having an awful time trying to find out what his rights are and what we can do to take over the care of his father while getting her the help she needs, even if it means putting her in assisted living permanently. We don't think she will come back from any of her psych problems since she has never even been treated for anything in the past.

Unlike other states, Alabama does not do 5150 or Baker Act procedures for involuntary psychiatric holds -- the only thing we could learn about getting her evaluated requires her to voluntarily go to the ER. That will never happen. Ever.

Even getting a case worker to visit from the elder abuse organization wouldn't work since she can keep the house clean enough and is very good at being the sweet southern lady who is as sane as can be, for enough time to convince someone else for a few hours.

We are terrified that if we do anything it will backfire, which would make things awful for everyone involved, especially his father. These are his last few years (if not just months) on this earth, and he should not have to spend them like this.

We know this is a delicate and complicated situation, and I apologize for the length. If anyone can help point us in the right direction, we are suffocating in this insanity and starting it lose it with the stress.

- - - -
**Thank you, Reddit.**

Answer: Adult protective services Answer #2: Adult Protective Services. You need to call them and explain clearly and concisely what's going on. Explicitly mention the medication issue.


Title: Is it illegal to lie about sponsorship?

Question: Is it illegal if a band put an image on instagram with a watermark that reads: "sponsored by [Burger king logo]"?

Answer:
 If you lie to get something of value it is fraud. That is a crime.

If you just lie to impress idiots it is not a crime. In this case it probably is infringing on BK's trademark though, which is a good way to get sued.Answer #2: First of all, that's clear-cut trademark infringement. Burger King has a right to control how their mark is used, and suggesting that Burger King endorses something is a straightforward infringement on that right. That's a civil issue, and not a crime, but could lead to Burger King demanding a large amount of money or filing for an injuction ordering the infringing party to destroy the infringing works at their own expense.

Second, lying for gain is a loose take on the basic definition of fraud. If the band uses that alleged sponsorship to obtain anything of value, then there's a chance of serious criminal charges falling out of it when Burger King or the defrauded party figures out what happened.

Finally, there's a small possibility of a defamation action, if the alleged sponsorship would impugn Burger King's reputation. Slapping their logo all over a Stormfront conference as a way of telling the public "Burger King sponsors nazis," for example, might lead to additional (civil) actions for defamation, separate from any actions for trademark infringement.


Title: I want an abortion but my husband doesn't. Can I proceed without him?

Question: Despite using 2 contraceptives I’m pregnant and want an abortion. In WV or SC (moving down to live with family soon), is there legal obligation to have the father involved in the abortion process or can I go forward without his involvement?

Answer:
 Your body, your choice. In fact I believe the SCotUS ruled that its unconstitutional to require the father's consent.Answer #2: Yes you can go ahead, you don't have a legal obligation to involve him.Answer #3: It's definitely been ruled unconstitutional by Scotus to require the consent of the father for an abortion.

However, with that being said, if you go through with it and he disagrees, you two are probably done.


Title: Opening a bank account for someone else?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > What's the worst that could happen if I open up a bank account in my name for her?

You would be a co-conspirator or an accessory to whatever crime she's committing.  Answer #2: The worst that happens?

She's financing terrorism, you get sent to jail for the rest of your life. That's some mighty expensive sex. Answer #3: So you're actually asking if you should open a bank account for a hooker?


Title: Where can i download my own divorce decree?

Question:
Wife and i are heading for divorce. Have two children under age ten.

We own no property. Toyota RAV4 was paid off earlier this year.

She used to work as a paralegal for several years and used a template for our Divorce Decree. I don't agree with a majority of what's on there, lots of legalese and jargon. So I was wondering if I can download my own Decree (from a reputable source) and just keep things simple, without all the damn complicated legal jargon.

Can you recommend a reputable source where I can download such a document?

---
Edit: in Texas

Answer:
 So you have no attorneys involved, but you both have (or will have) competing decrees you want a judge to sign off on, and the judge can only sign off on one of them, and she has one with the legal jargon a judge will understand, whereas you're going to pull yours out of the ether, and you think this is going to go well?

Your plan is like deciding "Since I don't understand how rockets work I'm going to build one without physics."

Get an attorney, unless you want to get screwed over and watch her get everything she's asking for.


Title: Previous tenant wants me (current tenant) to pay for furniture they left in my room

Question:
This is in Louisiana, btw.

Basically what the title says- do I have to pay for furniture that has been left behind by the previous tenant whose lease ended in May? There have been subletters in the room for June & July using the furniture before me, and I just moved in at the start of August.

Answer:
 Tell the landlord you want the previous tenant's furniture removed from your unit. This should have been done when you took possession, but you might still be able to get the landlord to fix the situation for you.

If the landlord won't bite, tell the previous tenant that they have thirty days to arrange to pick up their furniture, after which you will dispose of it as abandoned.


Title: Student Health Center Won't Stop Behaving as My Health Care Provider, Even When Given Written Notice Otherwise

Question:
I posted a question a few weeks ago regarding an incident in which an individual wrote his contact info into my emergency contacts lists when referring me out to another center. I got some great advice regarding it, and contacted the center management. The response I got was underwhelming. Apparently, they 'launched an investigation' and determined that he 'wrote his information into the wrong box.' I am a bit incredulous.

&#x200B;

I wrote them an email cancelling any future appointments and informing them that I have no intention of ever using the resources at their center.  There are other resources in the community...and they did not violate HIPAA nor my informed consent.

&#x200B;

I got an email a few days later from a Social Worker at the center basically saying that she is still willing to see me (um, okay? I never made that a question?). I understand that this by itself is NOTHING. If anything, she is a bit diligent at not being at fault for patient abandonment.

&#x200B;

A few weeks later, my therapist at my new center informed me that "social worker wrote us an email asking us if you were receiving treatment at our center." Wut. I saw the email, and she totally said she was 'my social worker.' I did ask her to forward me the damn letter because "I might sue this woman." (yeah, on top of the other incident, I was pissed. Apparently my SHC follows a strange sense of ethics).

&#x200B;

Now, I am starting summer classes, and the center has written me an email that basically assumes I am still 'theirs.'

&#x200B;

What do I have to do to get them to stop? At this point, it is just creepy, paternalistic, and gross. I realize student health centers frequently have their own 'culture' that is a bit more paternalistic than other health centers...but this is seriously too far.

Answer: You should just set their emails to go to your spam folder and cease to think about them.


Title: Discrimination? (Not hired at T-mobile)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Is it ok for him to turn me down for a position because of that?

Yes.


Title: [ID] My Wife's Ex-husband Violated Divorce Decree

Question:
My wife's first husband violated their divorce decree and I'm trying to understand what our legal recourse would be and if it is worth the effort.

When my wife left him she pretty much have everything to him. The house, the car, everything. She just wanted out. But one thing she did get was a concession that if he ever sold the house they owned he would have to notify her and give her the first option to buy the house. This was an official part of the divorce decree.

Flash forward two years.

We got a call from his realtor this week. Her husband and his new wife are selling the house, have another buyer, and need my wife and I to sign the paperwork. He never notified us that he was selling the house. And he never contacted us as he was obligated to in the divorce decree to give my wife a choice to buy the house or decline.

So, what are our legal options? And is it worth fighting over? I ask because there were things he did to cost my wife thousands of dollars during and after the divorce- including giving away thousands of dollars worth of her possessions and he, before their bank accounts were separated, he destroyed her credit by requesting a the bank return payments on her credit card (debts accrued paying what were at the time mutually incurred debts) to the bank, leaving  her credit card debt outstanding without telling her. She has let it go in the past because she just wanted to be done with him. But I'm tired of watching him walk on her again and again. And he needs my signature as well as hers for the sale to go through. And I'm not inclined to sign unless he is willing to make some measure of restitution for what he has cost her these last few years.

Answer:
 Some questions first:

Does the decree not spell out any sort of repercussions for this?

Did you have a lawyer write the decree?

Do you actually want to buy the house?

What is your desired outcome to this?

Do you know why, specifically, you need to sign the paperwork?  (I'm assuming it's a statement saying she doesn't want to buy the house, but I just want to be sure)

Answer #2: Well does she want to buy the house?

If not this whole thing is a waste of time.

You can't extort him on the house signature.  Well, you can, but it won't end well.


Title: Am I legally obligated to give back money that my ex-boss “leant” me but pressured me to accept?

Question:
Apologies if this is the wrong flair. This is a complicated story so TLDR at the end.

To give some background....
I was hired at a small business two months ago but have since left due to the employer making every interaction extremely uncomfortable and since I was in charge of marketing, I had to act as a messenger between some very questionable transactions between the business and advertisers that included propositions for bartering or avoiding paying bills as long as possible. However, my boss is nowhere near poor or even middle class, he was just extremely cheap and had terrible business practices and terrible reputation. The job itself was an over-glorified part time job with full time hours, though you could really come and go as you please.

Now for the situation dealing with the money, he gave me $200 to buy new shirts as the ones I was wearing wasn’t up to his standards and the “standards for the jewelry store.” He gave me this money in cash, under the table, and was effectively a gift that he said I could pay him back for, and I quote, “whenever.” I continuously refused to accept the money for about 10-15 minutes but he wouldn’t take no for an answer and pressured me to ultimately accept it. I have not spent the money and have no intention to. Needless to say, I moved on in my career to an established business. I put in my two weeks, he did not mention me returning the money. Due to sudden circumstances, I had to leave 3 days earlier in my two week notice, while he was on vacation. I thought nothing of it since previous employees that I knew in my two months of being there, have quit on the spot, over email, or left a few days after putting in their 2 weeks. Once he returned from the vacation, he sent me an email saying he had my “last paycheck” and wanted to speak with me, which immediately was a red flag for me as I have always been direct deposit. He then withheld my paycheck for roughly 5 days after I would have normally gotten paid and confirmed with a coworker I still talk to that they had gotten paid. I am unable to physically go back to that store as I live on the opposite side of a large city and work hours that match my previous job’s. I strongly believe that he changed my direct deposit to a physical paycheck to get me to come back in the store and talk to him face to face which would just equate to an extremely long guilt trip and him trying to make me agree to “remote work.” He did also ask when I planned on repaying him that $200. I plan on mailing it back to him, but my coworker warned me he might try to say he never received the money back, which I believe he would do.

My question is, am I LEGALLY OBLIGATED to return that money to him or in theory am I free to keep it/wouldn’t have to prove I gave him his money back if he claimed he never received it?

TLDR: My Ex-boss would not let me refuse $200 that he gave me under the table. I left the job and he’s asking me to repay him. Are there legal repercussions if I don’t return the money?

Thank you for reading!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 > am I LEGALLY OBLIGATED to return that money to him

Yes.

> Are there legal repercussions if I don’t return the money?

He can sue you to recover the money. You would have to pay not only the $200 but the filing fees too.


Title: [MA] [CT] We are keeping a family friends car in the garage to hide it from her ex boyfriend, exactly how bad of an idea is this?

Question:
OK so a family friend dropped one of her cars off at our place and asked us to hide it. OK so now that car is sitting in our garage, It's titled in MA and we are in CT. I believe she holds the title as "her or boyfriend" but I'm not certain on that one. So case may be that he orders a duplicate title and tries to legally sell the car to a friend or himself, he has already done this with one of their cars that was being used by her daughter.

I'm not too worried about him knowing it's here, he has no idea where we live, but if he does show up with a title in his name do we just give him the car to stay out of trouble? or is there more recourse in order to protect the car from being taken?

Should I tell her to put the car somewhere else since it's too much legal burden? or line up a lawyer just in case?

EDIT/Update: I decided to double check and rifled through the glovebox to find the registration, it is only registered in her name, I'm not even sure what rights a registration vs a title give you to a car?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I really just want to know what I'm getting into.

Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You can get a rental unit big enough for a car for like $20/mo.  Get one of those and put it in there.  Most of them don't even have minimums.  The $20/mo is totally worth having to deal with crazy guys showing up at your house.Answer #2: Let's play out a realistic scenario - Are you prepared to eat the cost of possible damage to your property for helping this friend out?  Do you want to have to deal with the police?  Are you willing to put yourself, family, etc. in danger in the event someone decides to get violent and crazy?

Your answer should be no!

Have your friend spend the money on a storage unit large enough to hold the car, and get that shit off your property ASAP.


Title: Marrying Illegal Alien [FL]

Question: My gf entered the US on a tourist visa and overstayed. I want to marry her so she can get a green card. Do I have to prove that I can support her? That is what she is worried about, but I thought that was only if she needed a visa, which she doesn't, because she is already here.

Answer:
 She needs an immigration attorney.

She's likely not eligible for an adjustment in status due to marriage right now, because she has no valid immigration status to adjust. That's fixable, but it needs a certain amount of expert care and attention, because if she does this wrong she may get herself deported and barred from the country entirely.

I hope you have reasons for this marriage other than to help her obtain a green card. A marriage for the sole purpose of obtaining permanent residency or citizenship is immigration fraud and can land both of you in jail.