Title: Brother-in-law living on my property with girlfriend and pets keeps breaking the law and refuses to get a job... What do I do? What kind of law trouble can I expect?

Question:
California: throwaway account 'cause I don't want to hurt family...

When my wife and I bought our new home, it came with an addition to the home that is basically a whole other tiny house in the backyard.  I liked the idea that it could be my office (I'm a professional who can work from home) and storage space.  And that sometime in the future it could be an actual "mother-in-law" house for our family.

A year after we moved in, we get a sob story about how my wife's adult brother (32m) can't live at his parent's home anymore due to conflict with his family.  Can’t he live with us in our addition until he gets on his feet?  Bro-in-law (BIN for short) is my wife’s favorite little brother, and she asks “pretty please?”  So we said yes.

BIN had been in County Jail, doing a 1.5-year term for drugs and robbery.  He got out 6 months earlier, and was holding down a job as a plumber.

BIN is a "good guy" who "makes bad choices" and just can't seem to get his shit together.  He flunked out of high school, has learning disabilities, and has some sort of borderline mental disorder - possibly mild bipolar.  (I'm not a doctor, this is what family tells me.)

However, BIN grew up on a farm, and learned lots of stuff at his daddy’s knee.  He can rebuild a car from junk, he can weld, he can handle the basics of plumbing, but might not be able to explain advanced plumbing.  I wouldn’t let him wire my house, but I would let him change my brakes.

So he had a job, he seemed earnest, and he couldn’t get along at home with his widowed mother.  There were a couple of red flags that I identified, but allowed myself to be talked into.

He’s been living with us now for two years.  And every month has gotten worse than the last.  6 months in he was fired from his job, and never found another job.  Even jobs that I handed to him on a platter, he just didn’t bother to apply.  He found a girlfriend, and moved her in at the 1-year mark.  She brought two small dogs with her.

I’ve caught him stealing gas from my car and my neighbor’s cars.  One neighbor threatened to kick his ass over that, and now I suspect he just drives elsewhere to steal gas.  Sometimes I find a 5 gallon gas can sitting outside his place.

He’s been busted for drugs and burglary since then, and is awaiting a drug rehab program in the next 3 months.  It will be a “sleep away” program – basically jail.  There are signs he and his girlfriend are on meth.

He missed a court date, and the County Sheriff has been showing up on my doorstep looking for him for warrant purposes.  He hides in his addition (which is not physically connected to my house).  The Sheriff thinks this is hilarious, and considers him a low priority, so they bang on his door while he cowers, but is nice enough not to tear down my property to get him.

Recently he had a tiff with one of his “friends” who then gave a tip to the police that BIN has a loaded 45 pistol in his house.  BIN doesn’t.  The city police served a search warrant, and went through his home and tore it apart.  They might have done the same to my own house, but I was out of town at the time, and talked to them over the phone.  I convinced them that BIN doesn’t have keys to my home since I found stuff going “missing” in my house.  My house is locked tight, and has a security system.

BIN’s life is spiraling out of control.  I foresee it ending badly for him.  His girlfriend does nothing all day, BIN “hustles” all day, making money in ways that I don’t really want to know about.  He has offered to sell me things that I’m certain are stolen, but he says he got in trade from “friends”.  I’ve refused.

I’ve got a criminal defense attorney on speed-dial just in case the police refocus their attention on me.  I’m quite happy to assist the Sheriff in giving them access to my property so that they can bang on BIN’s door while he cowers inside.  I’ve asked them all “pretty please” to not bust into my home, but I do know that a warrant could allow them into my house too.  I don’t have anything to hide, but I would prefer they didn’t mess up my life to get to him.

This is tearing my wife up.  She’s given up on him, and thinks that the best thing for him is to spend time in prison, where maybe he can get more serious help.  (He refuses mental health help from family.)

Our problem is that even though he’s never paid a dime to live with us – he’s probably a “tenant” according to California law, and I’ll need to go through eviction procedures.  He does have a temper, and I’m a little concerned about that.

But I’m more concerned that his mother will invite him back into her life, because she feels obligated to do so.  Because he’s her son.  And that will royally screw up her retirement.  She’s had a hard life, and this is the first time in her life when things are going right for her, and I don’t want to see that screwed up.

There is other family… BIN’s brother who took him in, and then tossed him out because BIN was being BIN in a house with kids.

Currently, I’m just waiting for BIN to go to jail, and then I’ll kick out his girlfriend, put his stuff into a storage facility and change the locks.  But as his mandatory treatment program approaches, his life seems to be spiraling even further out of control – frankly, it may be a race between the program and a possible conviction that sends him to do some real time.

So, legally, what are my liabilities here?  What have I not seen that I should definitely be aware of?  Are there options that I haven’t described?

Whatever the case, once BIN is out of my home, he will never be allowed back into it again.  Wife and I are in full agreement on this.

Answer:
 > and I’ll need to go through eviction procedures.

That's correct.

> and then I’ll kick out his girlfriend

She's a tenant to. You can't illegally evict her either.Answer #2: Landlord here! A cheaper and easier option than eviction would be cash for keys. Since you've said that your BIL has violent tendencies, it seems likely that he would try to destroy your property if you started the eviction process (and honestly, if they fight the eviction process, he could very well be in jail before it's over). Anyway, you can have both of them sign a contract saying that if you give them X amount of dollars, they will release all claim to the property.Answer #3: Give him and his girlfriend 30 days notice and if they don't leave, evict them. He's an adult. He's going to have to learn to be responsible for himself and deal with the consequences of his actions. Answer #4: Why don't you just start eviction procedures now?


Title: Any lawyers interested in judging a mock trial competition via zoom?

Question:
Good afternoon,

I am a current law student and my school is hosting a trial competition this week. We are in need of a few more judges on Thursday and Friday afternoon from 3 to 6 central. The trials will be held over zoom and will be roughly a 3 hour commitment. I know it's a bit of a long shot but I wanted to see if any licensed attorneys here might be interested in participating. Teams from all over the country will be competing. If you are interested, please send me your email and I will get you the sign up link.

Thanks!

Answer: I don’t have availability, but reach out to your local public defender and prosecutor‘s office if you haven’t yet. A ton of trial experience and they were always willing to judge in my area.Answer #2: Would love to, but am a bullfrog.Answer #3: I'm not a lawyer, but would love to watch. My daughter is starting her first year old mock trial in high-school tomorrow.Answer #4: SURE! I’d be open


Title: NV: Can I legally list an independently made doll dress as "Barbie® sized dress" when selling it online?

Question: Just wondering if I can reference another product in that way so people know what size it is. Thank you!

Answer: "11-inch fashion doll" is what my wife says they call them.


Title: My Dog kills chickens

Question:
I live in the UK, where the houses are built fairly close together. Our backyard fence borders our neighbours. I have a small Shih Tzu dog who we do let run in the garden unsupervised as it is a secure area. Last year, she made it under the fence and killed one of my neighbours chickens. We apologised, paid the cost of the damages, replaced the fence, wired the bottom, and put a second fence running parallel to the first fence to make it impossible for our dog to ever make it over again, and she never has.

However, our neighbours do not have an enclosure for their chickens, and allow them free range of the garden. More than once, a chicken has made it over the fence and been killed by our dog. We have paid the damages each time, but after the latest incident refused, as we have taken reasonable steps to prevent this happening and feel the neighbour is being unreasonable by not taking any measures to protect his own animals. We also live on a busy road and he has lost several chickens to the traffic, though I'm not sure is this is of any relevance.

Our neighbour is now threatening legal action to have our dog destroyed. Our dog is of no danger to people, but has a high prey drive towards birds that we are working to prevent. I wondered if anybody has any advice on how we can move forward without losing our dog seeing as our neighbour is unwilling to build any sort of enclosure for his birds? Are we legally in the wrong despite the measures we have taken? Thank you in advance.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer:
 Kayso first of all your neighbour appears to be in the wrong. Animals Act, 1971:

>5 Exceptions from liability under sections 2 to [F34A].

>(1)A person is not liable under sections 2 to [F44A] of this Act for any damage which is due wholly to the fault of the person suffering it.

>(4)A person is not liable under section 3 of this Act if the livestock was killed or injured on land on to which it had strayed and either the dog belonged to the occupier or its presence on the land was authorised by the occupier.

This may bend and flex depending on what part of the K you're in; i.e., there may be some local statute peculiar to your country/burough that establishes that you have a liability this Act says you don't (Where specifically are you?). I'm going to presume that there is no such law in force where you are.

>We also live on a busy road and he has lost several chickens to the traffic, though I'm not sure is this is of any relevance.

It does. It goes to show your neighbour has a pattern of negligent behaviour WRT the keeping of his livestock. You, on the other hand, sound like you've taken reasonable steps to keep your animal from escaping your property.

>Our neighbour is now threatening legal action to have our dog destroyed.

Be wary that your neighbour may take this threat into his own hands when their attempt to have the authorities do it inevitably fails.


Title: Caught on camera shoplifting and store employees suspect it

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Move on with your life and stop being a thief.  You don't feel bad for trying to steal, you feel bad because you think you might get caught.


Title: [NY] I have an audio recording that might be helpful to the cops. But is it legal?

Question:
The police department recently posted a video of a customer in a store around the corner from my house, asking for help in identifying them in connection with a burglary. I have a security camera outside my house that records audio and video. Mainly it can see my steps and doorway, but you can also see and hear the street.

A few minutes after leaving the store, my camera shows this person walking down the street, and you can hear someone on the other side shouting his name and waving. He waves back.

I'd like to submit the video and help, but not if the audio recording can get me in hot water. Anonymity is obviously not an option, since it's a security video of my house. Is the audio/video recording legal?

Answer:
 There's no reasonable expectation of privacy in public places, like the street.Answer #2: Even if it was an illegal recording, the police would almost certainly not press charges over it.  In this case its on a sidewalk and as stated below thus legal.

Also if its the NYC relavent one I suspect it is, he did quite a bit more than just a burglary by the sound of it and apparently was brandishing a knife in at least one of the incidents.

Please go to the police with that footage.


Title: My drivers license is suspended can i get a license in another state?

Question: My drivers license has been suspended for 4 years now due to speeding violations in New Jersey. I am not set to get it back for another 2 years. Is there another state i can get a drivers license in if i leave new jersey

Answer:
 And can I just point out, anyone who has their license suspended for 6 years is probably a person who shouldn't be in control of several tons of metal.

I'm finding it hard to believe you could have got this sort of suspension for simple "speeding" violations. Answer #2: No. States share this information.


Title: [NC, US] Office workers in apartment complex threw away laundry

Question:
We need help seeing as this laundry included every piece of article of clothing that we owned that is still wearable.

Friday morning, as I was doing laundry, I received notice from my husband’s boss that he had an accident at work and was rushed to the hospital. He lost a lot of blood in the process. At 7:45 AM I threw all of the clothes in the dryer (I have receipts from where I paid to use the facility by card), started it, then left for the hospital. The policy for the apartment complex’s laundry room is that you have 24 hours from the time you leave the room to retrieve your laundry or they will be thrown out. I thought that was fair enough. We spent hours at the hospital and husband ends up having to get stitches. From there, he returns back to work to fill out paperwork concerning the incident. Neither one of us are able to return home.

When we do return home that night, we find that all of our laundry is gone. The same night. Not even 24 hrs later. Yesterday, Monday, the apartment complex admits to throwing them out because they assumed it had been left for longer than 2 days. They threw our laundry out before 6 pm (they close at 6) which only puts it at about 5-10 hrs in which the laundry was left. They made the claim that we should have called but why would we feel the need to do that when the policy clearly says we have 24 hrs before we have to worry?

They claim they had the laundry sitting in the office for several hours before they tossed it in the dumpster and told the police when we called them (yes we called the police) that they sent out emails saying there is laundry sitting in the office and for someone to grab them. We always receive their emails and did not receive this email at all!

They knew they were at fault but refused to go in the dumpster to retrieve the clothes until we called law enforcement. My husband went into a dumpster full of maggots and roaches and was only able to find one of three bags. When the police arrived, they agreed to send the maintenance man to search for the other bags and offered us $40 to rewash the clothes. The maintenance man never found the clothes and they did not bother to tell us this until after two hours when we called again.

At this point, we are at a loss. My husband has $900 worth of uniforms that were tossed along with at least $2500 worth of all of other clothes and laundry. Mind you as I said, this was everything that we had.

What can we do?

Answer:
 >At this point, we are at a loss. My husband has $900 worth of uniforms that were tossed along with at least $2500 worth of all of other clothes and laundry. Mind you as I said, this was everything that we had.

How were you washing *everything* you had at the same time?Answer #2: You have to sue them in small claims court and let a judge decide.Answer #3: You are probably owed the depreciated value of the items they tossed. Used clothes from Macy's and Kohls aren't worth very much used, so you'll have to hit up the thrift store.


Title: I was bitten by a dog today in California and I'm worried about the dog.

Question:
I had an appointment today in San Luis Obispo. After I parked, I noticed an off leash dog and the owner was calling him. I stepped out to see if she needed help (not going near a dog I don't know). She told me to stay away from him because he is scared of people. No problem, I walk away. I assumed she got her dog under control, so I walked back to my car to get in. The dog was behind a post so I didn't see him. As soon as I saw him, I started calmly walking away and did not make eye contact. He chased after me and tried to bite my right calf but didn't do any damage. I continued to calmly walk away. He then bit my left calf and broke the skin, even through my jeans.

Once she got her dog back in her car, she backed up into the building and then drove off. Maybe she didn't see it. Maybe she didn't hear me saying "hey" or "ow".

I went into my doctors office and asked for a bandaid. He cleaned and dressed it for me and talked me into filing a police report. He has had alterations with her before about her dog acting aggressive and never being on a leash.

I filed the police report, but my question is, is there anything I can do to make sure the dog does not get put down? I work with rescuing pit bulls and I have never been bitten before. I fully blame the owner, not the dog. He should have been on a leash.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 > I filed the police report, but my question is, is there anything I can do to make sure the dog does not get put down?

It's not up to you what happens to the dog at this point.


Title: [CA] T-Mobile opened an account under a different name than mine using my SS. When they faxed off my info to their fraud dept. to close the account, I found out 3 weeks later they never filed a claim.

Question:
So like the title implies, I went into T-Mobile to open a new account with them because I wanted to leave Verizon. T-Mobile finances phones instead of having contracts, but they run a credit check first to determine if you're eligible. After entering my SS to be checked, the associate told me I already had an account with them.

I told him that was impossible because I've never had T-Mobile before. After about an hour of being on the phone with corporate T-Mobile employees, he discovered someone else with a different name than mine had used my SS to open an account over a year ago.

The associate told me he could fax off a copt of my DL and SS to their fraud dept. so they could investigate and close the other account. He wrote down my phone number as the callback #. He said it would take about a week or so to hear back from them.

It's been 3 weeks since then and I haven't heard anything. So today I give T-Mobile a call and speak to a rep who puts me on hold after giving her some basic information. Then I get hung up on. I call back again and speak to another rep who tells me that there isn't a direct line to their fruad dept. but she could check a claim status for me. After about 5 minutes of waiting, she informs me that there is no record of any claims being opened for the fraudulent account.

I've about had it with T-Mobile. They didn't perform a proper background check on the guy before letting him open an account under my SS. I'm planning on speaking to a lawyer, but wanted to see if Reddit could offer any legal advice/suggestions.

Answer:
 Have you ever pulled your credit history from the three bureaus, and have you done it since the other account was opened? Now would be a good time. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com.

If you see anything about the other T-Mobile account, you can inform the credit bureaus that you never opened that account. If the account is in bad standing and in debt, then you can dispute the debt with the bureaus. That will get the fraud department at T-Mobile to get off their ass and do something.

That said, since the account is in a different name, it may not show up on your credit reports. I'm surprised T-Mobile didn't run a background check at the time the account was opened. Had they done so they surely would have discovered that the name they were given did not correspond to that SSN.


Title: Mom died suddenly from a brain aneurysm and I am now wondering if I could pursue a wrongful death lawsuit [DE]

Question:
OK, so this is a somewhat complicated situation, but I will try to be as brief as possible while including the relevant facts. My mom died in 2008 suddenly from a brain aneurysm - I was thirteen at the time. I am now twenty three and have recently become aware of the fact that she was on Yaz birth control at the time of her death. I did some research online, and there have been many, many lawsuits against Bayer related to Yaz for them downplaying the risk of blood cots related to taking the medication (including risk of stroke/brain aneurysm). Needless to say, my life was drastically changed when she died and it is somewhat difficult to deal with this possibility, even now. My dad wanted/wants nothing to do with any legal matter considering her death and never considered the fact that anything may have contributed to/caused it, but understands why I want to look into this. I wanted to post here before even talking to a lawyer for a few reasons and I have a few questions:

1. Is it too late ? I am just now learning about this being a possibility and certainly had no notion of it when she died (I was still a kid, after all).
2. How could I go about getting/confirming her medical records?
3. What should I do next ? If I do talk to a lawyer, should I stay in state, or should I talk to someone elsewhere (I live very close to PA, NJ, etc.)

Honestly, this is just a very difficult situation for me to come to terms with and the possibility that some pharmaceutical company may be responsible for her death is really horrible to think about. Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 First, I am very sorry for you loss. That must have been a terrible trauma for you.

That said, malpractice and wrongful death is a very complicated topic and not one that we are able to assess. You would need to speak with a product liability attorney who does plaintiff representation for pharmaceutical liability. You can call your state bar association for a referral. You can also google Yaz Lawsuits and contact any of the firms advertising current class-action suits against the manufacturers

However, I feel it worth mentioning that Yaz has not been found to cause aneurysm, which is different from blood clots. While all hormonal birth control of this type increases the risk of clots in certain patients, Bayer (and the other company that I cannot think of the name of that co-developed Yaz) failed to publish accurate data about the frequency of clots when it was in human trial, which is the basis of the previous and current lawsuits against them. The fact that your mother passed from an aneurysm does not rule out the possibility it is related to her medication, but it does not indicate it was \*likely\* to have been caused by it. Again, it isn't impossible, but also isn't something we could say one way or the other here about. You would need to have an attorney review her medical records. The fact it has been eleven years since she passed also may contribute to the difficulty of having a viable cause of action against Bayer for her death.

Again, I am so sorry for your loss.


Title: (Saskatchewan) Boarder stole our barn cat!

Question:
I run a horse boarding business out of a leased farm and we have (had...) a wonderful 3-legged barn cat who was the best mouser we ever had. Technically the cat is/was the landlord's but for the past 3 years we have provided all of his food, care, vet, etc as he is a valuable part of our business. He was everyone's favourite animal.

A couple months ago, one of our older boarders started over-feeding him. She would go into our food and pour 2 cat bowls overflowing with food and would do this every day. The cat gained way too much weight and repeated requests for her  to stop went ignored. We locked up the cat food but she just brought her own and would feed it when we werent there. Eventually the cat started ignoring mice and it became a serious problem as the barn started filling with rodents.

Eventually I told them if they didn't stop I would terminate their contracts with the facility, and they finally let it be though every day we saw them they would moan and complain about this effing cat who had become wider than he was tall, "starving."

Last Sunday when our staff was working, they freaked out that their horses had "no food" and pitched a shit fit. Their horses had over 150lbs of hay for the night and were very well fed. They refused to talk to me and instead accosted our staff and actually called an old boarder whohasnt been at the barn for months for help. They rooted through the whole farm, stole feed from our employee after she went home for the night, stole equipment and have since been ignoring my calls, texts, and emails. They have not paid their March board yet and I think I have to start filing small claims soon.

But when those hay bales and some other equipment (about $150 worth of boarder's horse stuff) was stolen and moved that night... so was our cat. He has not been seen for over a week and I have been at this farm for 3 years and have NEVER gone a day without seeing him. He has 3 legs and he is a lazy ass who likes to warm himself under the heater and only hunts within the building and around the outer edge. He never wanders from the immediate yard. The cat food that they were keeping at the barn went missing and they (switches between they and she because her sister is semi-involved) have not been back to the barn since that day.

I don't have any solid proof that she took him but is there anything we can do?? This cat is essential to our business - mouse management is sooo important around horses, and mice are starting to invade our feed. We are bringing in a new cat tomorrow that we are getting documented and micro chipped in the morning and everyone will sign contracts agreeing to leave this cat alone. But I miss my 3 legged baby and even though he was the landlord's cat he was under my care :(

The landlord is not interested in getting involved. She really doesn't care about any property goings on or upkeep and wants to wash her hands of the place. I know I can sue for the missed board but I want to know if I can have someone find out if they have my boy and if I can pursue the matter legally if they do since he's technically not mine.

Answer:
 Call the RCMP for the stolen property (mention the cat as well since a cat is property), then when they are searching/arresting them for theft they will probably find the cat as well. In a side note, you can go ask the local vet to put you on a list for a new stray they get so you can use it as a mouser (this is pretty normal for rural vets).

Edit: They stole from multiple people? have everyone file a police report. The RCMP tend to be pretty good about retrieving stolen goods in rural areas, especially when you know the name of the thief.


Title: Dad died without a will. What do I do about the car he bought me?

Question:
Context: I'm in my early twenties, have no experience with anything like this, and live in Kansas.

My dad died in July without any sort of will or legal preparations. His estate is in probate now. The paperwork to appoint a family member as administrator of his estate is finally being filed now.

He owned a few cars that I drove, mostly the one that he'd given me as a gift. However, there are three main issues:

* The title has his name on it, not mine. Also, we can't find the title itself at all. It's nowhere in his house or the cars.
* He was paying monthly for car insurance, so the policy expired.
* The registration tags expire tomorrow.

I know I need insurance in order to renew the tags, and I can't take out a policy on a car that's not in my name. What do I do? What is the administrator's responsibilities here and what are mine?

Will it take long? My dad's assets have been frozen until now, and I've been couch surfing since I was living with him until he died, but getting a job without reliable transportation is extremely hard... Would it cost a lot? Would it be wiser to get a beater car instead due to time/cost?

Thank you in advance, and I'm sorry if I asked the wrong questions or am in the wrong place.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: the car was a gift but he had not yet transfered title? is the car part of the estate that has been frozen, and is everybody in agreement it was your car?


Title: I am being threatened with a lawsuit for money I do not owe

Question: I dated a guy for 3 months, I broke up with him due to how he treated me. He was constantly lying to me and saying disrespectful things about me and my family. He would constantly get jealous of anyone I spent time with including my own family. At first he constantly texted me saying he'd change and that he'd kill himself. Once he realized I was serious about the breakup, he started saying that I owed him money from everything he spent on me. Out of nowhere he came up with 5k and when I told him that wasn't even near the amount (probably not even 200-300 since we only dated 3 months), he said he didn't care. He keeps threatening to call the police on me for "stealing" from him. I still have his stuff in my possession so I tried meeting with him in a public place with a friend. He refused to take it without the money "I owed".Then he dropped the money amount to $150. I don't know what to do, I really don't want any trouble. Even if I gave him the money, that wouldn't guarantee that he'd leave me alone. It would also make it look like I did owe him, which I do not.

Answer:
 Do not pay this weirdo any money.  If he texts or e-mails you, be sure to keep them as evidence of harassment.  If he continues to harass you, call the police.
Answer #2: Don't pay him anything. Whatever he spent on you during the relationship is not owed back unless he actually loaned you money or something. The legal concept of a gift is basically the same as the regular one. So if he gave you anything that was not a gift, you should try to return it to him.

The guy is looking for attention. I know this because I've been on that side of a breakup (although I've never stooped that low). If you can think of a way to return the things you need to, do it as soon as possible and cut off all contact. That's the main goal here - to cut off contact. Answer #3: Ok, if you were dating and they were gifts then the amount of money you owe is $0. You can't turn a gift into a debt after the fact.

He can call the police all he wants about "stealing" but this simply isn't a crime. He could sue, but there's exactly zero chance that it would go anywhere.

You don't owe him anything. You never owed him anything. He's trying to use this absurd line of reasoning to control you. Even if you paid it wouldn't stop anything because it's not about the stuff, it's about control. He wants to control you. Caving on this point would be demonstrating that he can control you, and would only embolden him to pile this every time he's remotely unhappy.


Title: [MI] Do insurance companies always deny claims due to illegal acts if it is stated in their policy?

Question:
To be intentionally vague, I wrecked a motorcycle and sustained significant injuries. I did have a blood alcohol content but was not arrested or charged with a crime, and the police were not the ones who ordered the test however they were present for the results. The insurance provider is asking for a copy of the police report to process the claim.

Must I provide the report? My concerns are centered around the assumption that a BAC was noted in the police report. Are denials of this nature made at the discretion of the insurance provider? Any concerns from an employer standpoint?

Thank you

Answer: I work for an insurance company! We will obtain it ourselves, we don’t need you to do it.


Title: My School Screwed Me

Question:
[Here](https://imgur.com/a/4Gz6Z) is a slide show explaining what happened.  Is there anything I can do?  The $6000 that I now owe is my tuition plus a $2900 fee for not registering for selective service.  My school has known about this for months and has neglected to tell me until now.  Is there anything I can do? Im in Ohio if that means anything.  Ill reveal my school if its necessary but im trying to protect my identity and schools reputation as much as possble.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 First, go here and double check: https://www.sss.gov/Registration/Proof-of-Registration

If you are simply just bring proof. The issue is if you are not, you don't qualify for certain government aid which is why the amount may has blown up. Also you should have received a registration card if you did. I would simply register with the Selective Service ASAP and hope you still qualify. If you are registered if you received any funds via FAFSA they may be able to help you to. If you just failed to do it, it is simply out of the schools hands.


Title: [CA] People vs. Aranda: Why can't the prosecution introduce a statement by a defendant that implicates a co-defendant?

Question:
I'm reading the book Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, one of the DAs who worked on the Charles Manson murders. In it he claims they can't use confession statements from some of the suspects because they say things like "we" and "us". According to him, the California Supreme Court ruling in People vs. Aranda prevents the prosecution from using these statement against other suspects when tried together. So when one suspect says "I did X" that is admissible, but not "We did X" so long as they are tried together (I'm assuming this means if one takes a plea they can testify against the others and use these statements?).

I'm not a lawyer and I don't really understand why this is the case. Can someone who's familiar with this expand upon the reasoning of the California court in this case?

Thanks!

Answer: It's a violation of the Confrontation Clause. The co-defendant is implicating the defendant in a crime and unless the co-defendant testifies, the defense attorney has no opportunity to cross examine the co-defendant about the statements. If the co-defendant does testify, the statement can be introduced. The statement can also be sanitized to remove portions implicating the defendant, though this is frequently not possible because the statements are so intertwined.


Title: How hard are "living in office space" laws enforced? (North Carolina, USA)

Question: I am not asking whether it is legal or not to live in a rented office space in an office building. What I am asking is: In places where it is illegal to do this, what happens if you are caught doing it? Do the police just ask you to leave, give you a warning, or do you actually get hauled off to jail for it? Thanks.

Answer: If you're leasing an office space and live in it, then get caught, your landlord will likely be fined for a zoning violation, terminate your lease, and pass the fine on to you if the lease allows it.


Title: My clients stbx wife has sued me for affection alienation but Ive never met her before in my life and we live in different states: NC (her) and TN (me) and my client cant even explain why. how is this even possible?

Answer:
 I swear to fuck there are people that need to be banned from this subforum, this case absolutely is not a joke that would be laughed out of court.  Alienation of affection is a thing and NC is one of the six states that recognizes it as a tort.  The wife does not need to prove you had sex with her husband.  You can look up "§ 52-13. Procedures in causes of action for alienation of affection and criminal conversation." And get yourself a lawyer.Answer #2: It doesn't seem relevant whether you've met her or not. What is your relationship with your client? What is the nature of your business?Answer #3: Funny thing about alienation of affection, it's still tortious even if you never met the wife of the guy you're bumping the ugly with. It probably will make it worse that it was for money.

Get a lawyer and stop having sex with married people in Hawaii, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Utah.Answer #4: Have you been served with legal papers?  Does the format block at the top say NC or TN?


Title: UT. Can i be ticketed for having my puppy off leash while at my apartment complex, which is private property?

Question: A lady came out of nowhere yesterday while at my complex and foot booted my 8 week old puppy about 3 feet in the air, then called the cops because it was off leash. The cop was really nice about the ordeal, but said i could technically get a ticket and to have a leash on the puppy if we see this lady around, because she would have to ticket us if another citation occured. The problem is that this lady likes to watch her window waiting for us, then proceed to run out her door and pretend that our puppy is viciously attacking her so she can beat it up and call the cops. The complex has a leash requirement but they don't enforce it (the manager loves to play with the puppy when we take him out). There are 3 people here that all own puppies that we take outside to play with each other, and she does it to all of us. Technically the complex is private property, so would a cop really be able to give me a ticket for letting my puppy play off leash?

Answer: Depends on the exact wording of your local leash law, but yes likely you can be ticketed for that in a public space even if it is on private property.


Title: Does someone going around telling people that they're your significant other when they're not count as sexual harassment, especially if you withdraw from participating in a professional organization as a result?

Answer: Do you work or go to school with this person? If not, it's likely irrelevant whether this is "sexual harassment". How did this cause you to withdraw from participating in a professional organization?


Title: Railroad permanently blocked access to my family's homesteaded property. Now there's no parking, no road, and no path to get to it. [MSPaint map]

Question:
#ALASKA

My father-in-law homesteaded property about 30 years ago. Yes, *homesteaded*, like "if you live on the property, you get it for free." He built a cabin, lived on it, and got a land patent. He then moved away, and hasn't visited the property in a *very* long time.

I once talked to him about visiting the property, and warned him about adverse possession, and things like that. He's a bit of an anarchist, and said there was no way anybody was stealing his property, and got angry with me for suggesting it. So I had to drop it.

Now I've driven by the property a few times, and asked questions about it. My mother-in-law said they used to park in this one area by a railroad, and would hike to the cabin. (Eventually they moved out, the cabin collapsed from disrepair, and is abandoned.) But now the railroad has fenced off the parking area, making it impossible to park there. There is no other parking area within miles.

So the railroad company has already blocked their primary method of accessing the property. What can I do? Here's an image:

[The most beautiful Alaskan Map ever.](http://i.imgur.com/IO6mdly.png)

Answer:
 Have you tried contacting the railroad? How long did they park in that parking lot for?Answer #2: Maybe the railroad homesteaded the property because it was abandoned and nobody had been there in a long time.Answer #3: OP, you are this sub's new favorite person because of that map.  Thank you.Answer #4: "He's a bit of an anarchist, and said there was no way anybody was stealing his property"

So he claims title by deed from the government by merely living there and then wants the government to protect his property indefinitely from anyone else doing the exact same thing.  Some anarchist.

Does the actual land patent go to the road?  Go to any road?  Alaska gave him a land patent that is landlocked?

Your answer is likely easement by necessity, if you don't already have an easement of some kind to a road.  If Alaska deeded him an island of land with no easement or road access...I find that oddly funny.


Title: Got put in to a leasing contract but was never shown the contract and the signature on it is forged. what do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Save/ print out the contract and keep it as proof.

You can bring this to the store manager and see if they will fix this and compensate you or you can go straight to the police and report the fraud.


Title: Want to break our lease early because of noise coming from upstairs neighbor. Landlord trying to charge us a number of fees. Help!

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Unless your lease guarantees no noise, you're unlikely to have any real recourse here. This is part of what comes with living in multi-family communities. Answer #2: >The first time we complained, the office employee who we complained to TOLD the tenant that WE were the ones that complained, and he said the guy would come down and talk to us. He did, and he blamed all the noise on his child.

Why didn't you just talk to your neighbor first, like normal adults?

>That was in November and the noise has actually gotten worse. We emailed the front office again last week and no one ever responded

Talk to your neighbor.  Let him know when he is making too much noise.

>My partner will now be working from home full time, and he cannot have all this noise happening during the day!

It's almost as if he should talk to your neighbor and ask him to keep it down.


Title: Fl-I think a Process Server is looking for me.No idea why!

Question:
6:30 am this morning a woman was ringing the doorbell and banging on my Mothers door (haven't lived with her for over 20+ years and it was another address and state).
They woke Mom up and she answered the door to a middle aged woman clutching a folder.
Mom asked "who are you/what the hell do you want at 6:30am?".
The woman stated she was looking for "anotherthrowawayFl " as she had "papers to be signed".
Mom said I didn't live there (true)and shut the door.
Then called me.

Now this is very weird as Mom's address is not on my credit reports or my Lexus Nexus file.
A simple Google search of my name brings up my current address and all my legal stuff (driver's license,voter registration etc) has my current address.
I did file Bankruptcy last year but that has been discharged and closed so I should not have a collection agency after me (this is why I'm on top of my credit reports and Lexus file to make sure everything is reporting accurately).
I have committed no crimes and nobody wants to sue me (as far as I know) so what is going on ?
Was this a process server?
How can I find out what they want?
If it's a legit company ,like I said,I am very easy to find just using google (and I live within walking distance of Mom ironically enough) and if it's a debt they could easily pull my reports and get current address.
I'm kinda freaked out about this ....What can and should I do?

Answer:
 Most likely for a debt. Are you sure everything was discharged? Anyway, they will probably find you. Don't take active steps to duck service there is no point. Once you are served then you will have a better idea.

> How can I find out what they want?

By getting served.


Title: WA: IRS rejected my TurboTax prepared tax return

Question:
I filed my taxes on time this year using the online Turbo Tax software from Intuit. Anyone who used Turbo Tax this year knows it is a very clear step by step process of entering information and if you miss a field the program will not proceed until all required fields are filled in. Foolproof right? Not so much.

Turbo Tax reported my adjusted gross income for 2016 as $0, this is incorrect as I made about $80k in 2016 at my job. Here is the message on the Turbo Tax site:

>Let's try entering your 2016 AGI again
>The IRS already rejected this number:
>-$0

I don't recall a field asking for my AGI, and if I missed it I would imagine it is a required field that would prevent the program from moving to the next step. The IRS rejected my tax return. The problem is, I did not notice an e-mail from Turbo Tax saying my return was rejected by the IRS until after the filing deadline. Now I am looking at substantial fines while I wait for the IRS to send me my AGI in the mail for 2016.

Who is legally responsible for these possible fines? Is this the same legal situation if I used a human accountant to prepare my tax return but they reported an incorrect AGI? My return was accepted by the Turbo Tax software and I gave my bank information to pay my $1,100 in federal taxes. Again I don't recall being asked for my 2016 AGI, as I do not have that information at hand. I am waiting for the IRS to send me the paperwork with my AGI for 2016 in the mail so I can refile a corrected return. Should I call the IRS and talk to an agent, or contact Turbo Tax? I'm facing some possible steep fines because of this. Thanks.

Location: Washington state USA

Answer:
 You have to review and approve what you submitted. If the info you put in is wrong, it's on  you.

The AGI thing is to verify your identity. If you didn't file last year, then 0 is the correct answer, so Turbo Tax won't reject that.

Why do you owe substantial penalties? Did you not submit a payment?


Title: Is it legal to sell food that has been dropped on the floor then cooked?

Question:
My friend and I are having an argument. We heard of a restaurant dropping uncooked food on the floor then cooking and serving it. Although we agree this is gross, we're arguing over the legality. Is this some kind of health code violation? Or does the fact the food gets cooked (killing any bacteria) mean it's safe for consumption and legal?

I'm in Australia but I'm guessing a lot of countries have similar laws on this.

Answer: It is safe for consumption to cook it but it’s just gross. Here in the U.S. if you got caught by a health inspector it would definitely be a fineAnswer #2: Probably depends what it is. Produce has to be washed anyway, it's not dirtier for having been on the floor, it's grown in dirt. But washing off a protein is kind of... questionable behavior.


Title: What happens (or may happen) when someone is caught going into the "wrong" restroom? (California or broader US)

Question:
Do they just get yelled at? How much authority, if any, does the owner of the restroom have to physically remove them? Can they get arrested? I realize it may vary by jurisdiction, just looking for real-world examples.

And I must disclaim that I'm not planning on doing so, I'm just wondering in terms of the ongoing news cycle debate on the issue.

Answer: As a female nothing has ever happened to me when I've accidentally or occasionally had to use the men's restroom. There's been a few times I've lead a bunch of other women to use the men's room when there's a huge line for the women's and no one using the men's. A few weird looks maybe.


Title: It all started with Spider-Man, a pedophile, and the cops

Question:
Context:

I don’t know how long ago it was, but there was a post going around about a kid who catfished pedophiles, met them (while dressed as Spider-Man), and beat them. A [recent r/madlads post](https://www.reddit.com/r/madlads/comments/bzhscr/this_is_beyond_madness/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app) has been making its rounds and that sparked the memory of the pedophile beating Spider-Kid post. I’m in no way fit for beating people, nor do I want to, for obvious reasons, but I’d like to do something. My plan of action would be similar to Spider-Kid’s: catfish, agree to meet, alert the cops of the meet, and bust them. However, I am unsure of any legal issues in my area (Georgia, USA). What are the legal implications, if any, that I should take into consideration before attempting this?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 That this could land you in a lot of trouble. Maybe when the cops see the AI-generated pics you use for catfishing, they’ll decide to investigate you to see whether there are actual children behind those images. You’ll find all your electronic devices confiscated, and then word will get around that you’re under investigation for child abuse once the cops start asking your friends and co-workers about you.

Don’t be Batman, leave the crime fighting to the cops, and find a different hobby.


Title: A soldiers German Shephered was given away under false pretenses while deployed. Any suggestions?

Question:
I am not sure if anybody here is aware of the case of the Soldiers German Shepherd that "disappeared" while he was overseas on deployment. The very short version of the story is that Zara was left with a friend here in Maryland to care for her. There are (were - she deleted records but screenshots were taken) many posts on fb by said sitter where she acknowledges that  Zara was to be reunited with her owner and that she misses him as much as he misses her.

Shortly before he was due home Zara went "missing". Many had suspicions when the story did not add up. We had searches and trackers come out, SO MANY MAN hours spent searching the area and there was ZERO signs. Through tons of research and internet sleuthing. Zara was found to be living in SC with another person. The person that gave her away also has a place down there. I do not want to give to many major details away but Jon has proof she was given to them under false pretenses. These people have taken very good care of her and love her. But she belongs with her owner.

Any thoughts posted here would be helpful. Or you can reach him (and read more on the story) via his Help Bring Zara Home FB page. Anything anyone can do to help reunite these two would be awesome.

Edit: Original was deleted because I messed up and went against the rules. Sorry about that. Thanks mods for letting me know!

Edit 2: Sorry i guess my legal question is: is this a civil or criminal matter? Jon is being told it is NOT criminal even though he has found proof otherwise. I can go get the info he found.

With it crossing state lines and the laws being different for each state on the matter which state does it fall under?

I need to get him in here. Let me see if i can do that. Im just a friend helping sorry.

Answer: Forget any civil or legal actions here, go straight to the media. The media would eat this shit up. Returning war hero is separated from man's best friend by wicked dog sitter owner refuses to give her back. You'll be viral in about 5 minutes.


Title: Bank treating me different because they assume i have different amounts of money?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Is it legal that they treat me better because i have money?

Yes, of course you are going to be treated better if they know you are a customer in good standing with the bank. There is nothing strange or illegal about that.


Title: My stepbrother owes the state of Israel over 500 000$ Canadian dollars. He has fled the country and came to Quebec Canada where we live. He treats relatives like shit and can stay here for 3 months under a tourists visa. Anything we can do?

Question: We know this might be too far fetched, but is there anything legal we can do to report him ?

Answer:
 Sounds like the Israeli Tax Authority would love to know he's fled the country. https://taxes.gov.il/English/IncomeTax/Pages/LobbyLayoutIncomeTax.aspx

Click on Contact Us -> Justice tab.Answer #2: You can evict his ass if you or the homeowner agrees. Also, a good idea to contact the police, if he is not a citizen he might have intentions of overstaying.Answer #3: If he has stated that he intends to work illegally or overstay his visa, CBSA will be interested in that and at the very least force him into a "visitor record" that they use to help ensure someone leaves on time. A visitor record also has a firm leave by date with no extensions. They may also decide that he has entered the country under false pretences and revoke his permission to be in Canada.

Make notes of specifically what he said (verbatim) and what date and time. This will help convince CBSA to act. If your family is cutting him off and he has insufficient access to funds to support himself, that also may influence what CBSA would do. As a foreign national with visitor status, he has the (temporary) privilege of visiting  and very few rights as far as remaining in Canada. The privilege can be revoked any time and for nothing more than a strong suspicion.


Title: Parking ticket

Question:
So, a little backstory.  I'm a delivery driver for Papa John's in Georgia.  They recently started having us use new car toppers with fancy gadgets in them to monitor driving habits.  The part that is relevant is that it docks us points on our driving score for accelerating and braking too hard.

So I'm taking a delivery to the college here and pull in front of the building I'm looking for.  All the normal spots are full, so my intent was to turn around and park in the street in front of the building.  I pulled into a handicapped spot, put it in reverse, and saw a car coming, so I waited.  Turns out, the car was a cop car, who proceeded to give me a ticket for occupying the handicapped spot.  I tried to explain that I was trying to turn around, but he cut me off, so I figured I'd try to explain in court.  I was doing some research to see if there was anything I could use to help my ccase and found GA code 40-1-1, section 40 which states: "(40) “Park” or “parking” means the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading property or passengers."  The last bit about loading/unloading, would that be a legitimate defense if they won't let it slide on the turning around bit?

Answer: Show up to court and explain your situation. You were trying to safely make a 3 point turn.


Title: Accused of Statutory Rape

Question:
I (24M) have been accused of rape by my sister (16). She went to a doctor's appointment and said that I penetrated her when she was beginning 6th grade. I would have been 19 at this point. This never happened. I have always been extremely close with my sister and am at a loss of why she would accuse me of this. When she was younger, she was molested by my older brother and my family decided to keep it a secret and nothing was done besides my mom never leaving her alone with any of her brothers. My sister accused him and me, and while he is finally getting what he deserves, I don't know what to do to prove that I am innocent.
My situation in the United States is very fragile. I am a DACA student here and this accusation can ruin everything for me. I don't know what to do, I can't count on my family and I don't have a huge income. Where do I go? Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 > I don't know what to do to prove that I am innocent.

It's impossible unless she was making it up intentionally and she confesses to making it up (and even then not everyone will believe she made it up). You never have to prove you are innocent; someone (like a DA) would have to prove you are guilty. If the police contact you, do NOT speak to them without an attorney, you have no obligation to. Practically speaking, try to get away from your family as quickly and completely as possible.


Title: Why is child support not capped?

Question: I'm just curious the legal/ethical reasoning behind it. For example, say someone had a child, split up, then a few years later started making millions of dollars, that would, in a lot of places, equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in child support. It's very obvious that you don't need this amount of money to raise a child, and since child support is calculated using income of both parents, why wouldn't there be a cap?

Answer: Not a lawyer, but child support is for the benefit of the child, not the person with primary physical custody. I belive the idea is that the child should have the same financial support from their parents regardless of if the parents are together. So if the parent paying child support has a significant increase in income, the child doesn't miss out on that benefit simply because the parents are no longer together.Answer #2: The idea is that you should support your child to the lifestyle that you yourself enjoy.


Title: My band account used on amazon/payment rejected, amazon wants me to pay

Question:
Hello!
I always hoped I wouldn't need. This sort of advice, but...
I love in Germany. My bank account (Lastschrift) was used to pay for someone's goods on Amazon. A few days later the payment was rejected by the bank. Now Amazon sent me a letter where they want me to pay the amount (around 150eur). They will not give me any info about delivery address, or the goods ordered, because a different email address was used in the order. How should I proceed?

Answer: Did you report the fraud to Amazon and to the police?Answer #2: If you’re saying the payment was made without your knowledge or permission, I would tell them no and inform them the payment was fraudulent.


Title: [NY] Boss doesn’t give lunch break

Question: Hello Reddit! I’ve been working a few months as a paralegal at a firm in NY. I work 9-6 everyday Monday to Friday. I am not allowed a 30 minute break. I eat at my desk everyday while answering phone calls or working and it’s not like I have those 30 minutes to go outside or do anything of my choosing. I’m going to be quitting in a few weeks. Is there some governmental labor organization I can contact and I am entitled for some sort of compensation?

Answer:
 If you're the only person on\-duty, or you're the only person in that specific occupation, then that may be an exception:

[https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/employer/meals.shtm](https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/employer/meals.shtm)

[https://labor.ny.gov/formsdocs/wp/LS443.pdf](https://labor.ny.gov/formsdocs/wp/LS443.pdf)

This is assuming that you've agreed to relinquish your meal period, or assuming that you have not yet approached your boss and specifically requested that you be allowed a meal break, or assuming that your employer does not have a written permit from the DOL to do this.

If you feel that you're not an exception, or that you've requested a meal period and you've been turned down, you can get in contact with the NY Division of Labor Standards:

[https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/workprot/lsdists.shtm](https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/workprot/lsdists.shtm)


Title: U.S: Can somebody list the steps to get all my personal data back from Facebook, followed by how to delete it from their “ownership”?

Answer: You can't. You voluntarily turned over everything to them of your own free will. There is no way to unring that bell. Nothing you posted on facebook will ever been 100% gone.Answer #2: Just so you're aware, you can't "get your data **back**" from Facebook.  You can get a copy of it.  They have your data forever and nothing short of a court order compelling them to delete it will ever get them to.


Title: I owe money to a doctor I have never seen on a date I wasn't in town.

Question:
I didn't know where to post this but I don't know where else to post it.

I checked my mail today and found a bill from a medical center. The last time I went to this medical center, I saw Dr C in Nov 2014, was totally weirded out, and never went back. I figured the bill was from that visit so I opened it. I couldn't owe more than $9 (my co-pay) so I wasn't too worried.

I owe $16.50. It says on the lines next to the billing part:

*2015-08-06 Patient: dotchianni, Account Num: (acct #)*

*2015-08-06 Claim: (string of numbers), Provider: B.A., PA-C*

*2015-08-06 Professional RECORDS-1st REQUEST*

*2015-08-06 Your Balance Due On These Services*

My questions are...

Is this saying I saw B.A., PA-C? Because I never saw B.A. I only saw Dr C.

Is this saying I was seen on August 6th, 2015? Because I am pretty sure I wasn't even in that city on August 6. I looked at my calendar and I was in my home town that day.

I know $16.50 isn't a lot but I can't afford it and I am really confused how they are charging me for seeing a provider I never saw on a day I was not in that city. My co-pay is only $9 and I am pretty sure I paid it.

Where do I go from here? What do I do? Where do I even start?

Answer:
 > Where do I go from here? What do I do? Where do I even start?

Do you own a phone? I don't want to assume if you can't swing $16.50. If you do, fantastic! Call them and tell them they messed up. You weren't in town that day, didn't see that doctor, and want to know why you were billed. They will either say "Oops, our bad" or explain why you were billed for that amount on that date. In the latter case, call your insurance and ask them why they didn't pay that additional $7.50.Answer #2: Your post says the fee is for providing your medical records, perhaps to another doctor.

Did you request that your medical records be sent somewhere?


Title: The dealership for a RV we were going to buy lied on our loan application.

Question:
This happened in Texas. Okay, so my husband and I are upgrading our 5th wheel and found a trailer we absolutely loved. The place got some shady reviews but whatever. So I get all the pictures I want, send pictures of our trailer, and we get our trade in amount. Trade in amount is good so we go look at it, we still like it and decide to go home and decide what to do.

I call the sales guy the following day and tell him we want to do it, we have money to put down, where do we go from here? He tells me to go online and fill out our credit application and he will submit it then call me with the interest rate and payments. So, I write down everything true on the credit application and electronically sign it, now I'm waiting until he calls.

He calls me. We got preapproved with the lowest interest rate. Blah blah. He calls back a couple hours later and tells me that he needs me to sign the paperwork as soon as possible so they can get this in before the end of the month. I say okay and we get off the phone. He then calls back and tells me when I get the paperwork that I work at the same company my husband works for as office manager. That's cool and all but I don't work. I'm a stay at home mom. He then tells me he had to change my husband's income because they would start questioning it. I asked if this was legal or if I would get in trouble.  He laughs and says, "no we do it all the time."

So, long story short he changed all of the information I sent over for the credit app. I haven't signed anything obviously and I'm not going to, but can I get in trouble somewhere for all of this? I am aware it's fraud but I didn't commit any of it.

tl;dr went to get a loan for a RV. Put all true information in my credit app I sent over. The sales man changed it before sending it to the bank. Lowered husband's income and put I had a job when I don't. Says they do it all the time.

Answer:
 In Texas it is illegal to receive credit through deceit and/or trickery. [Sec 32.32](http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/docs/PE/htm/PE.32.htm)

Sec 32.32(c) further spells out the potential punishments for such an offense, it varies based on the value of the line of credit.


Title: Super quick Fair Housing Act question!

Question:
If I am reading this right, basically a landlord could not impose breed restrictions, weight limits, etc. on a dog if it is an emotional support animal?

I am getting one (have some ongoing issues from a past abusive relationship), and my apartment usually has a weight limit of ~70lbs, but the dog recommended to me by my physician can be upwards of 100lbs. Could they evict me? Thank you!!

Answer: A landlord would owe you q reasonable accommodation only. Having an animal that size may cause undo hardship or not depending on the situation.


Title: A friend left previous employer on bad terms, now said employer is refusing to sign verification of employment.

Question:
My friend is trying to buy a house and getting the verification of employment is the difference of several thousand dollars (higher down payment, higher interest rate).  I know that a previous employer is not required by law to respond to a VOE from a lender, but considering it's costing him financial does he have any grounds for legal action?

The "bad terms" were they being quite upset that he left.  They had no complaints about him before he left, but he was quite unhappy with the work, the pay, and the company in general and when a good opportunity for his family came up he jumped.

This is Texas.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You answered your own question. It doesn't matter why he left. They don't have to complete it.  He should ask if he can provide pay stubs instead.


Title: Can I take a 3.5 ounce bottle of contact solution on a airplane if it clearly has >3.4 ounces?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Will the security let me pass, or would it be taken away?

Probably depends on the mood and diligence of the agent.


Title: Company says it doesn't hire without a visa. Then... hires without a visa?

Question:
My brother's girlfriend from Ontario is trying to move here and had some strong leads in a mid-sized US company undergoing a lot of expansion. After some interviews, she got a rejection email stating, explicitly, 1.she needs permissions already to work in the states legally 2.the compny doesn't sponsor visas. 3. please connect with us in the future yaddayadddayadda

Fast forward a few months and she catches some newspaper story interviewing a Canadian who was already at the company. He is quoted saying the company sponsored his h1-b. What's up with that? She showed me the email and the story and was like "weird remember those guys who said no? they lied!". Something doesn't seem right here.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Its almost as if during the course of time polices and people can change. Its weird. Makes you wonder if, like we move through the 3 dimensions of space we somehow move forward in the 4th dimension of time. And via  this motion  that which once was may no longer be.

I will do more research and report back.
Answer #2: There is nothing illegal here.


Title: IL Found out my tenant is cooking meth in unit. Called police and he was arrested. I haven't heard a word in 3 months. Can I retent the unit? What about his stuff?

Question:
I own a trailer across town and it had a year lease with a tenant who got caught (by me) cooking meth in it. I i formed police and he was charged and imprisoned.

I do mot know the length of his sentence.
He has refused to call me or accept my calls.
It has been 3 months since I last spoke with him.

Obviously he has not paid rent these last 3 months.  I held out this long thinking maybe he'd contact me somehow. I am not familiar with how prisoners make/receive phone calls. I have no other people he knows to contact to pick up his stuff.

Can I keep/sell/toss his belongings? Can I retent the unit? Do I report him for breaking a lease?

Answer:
 Unless you want a very expensive suit against you later down the road you're gonna need a Hazmat team specifically for a meth lab clean up. I know that in California when I did a clean we gutted the house down to its support structure. Basically just wood, concrete, electrical and plumbing was all that was left. It will probably be more than the cost of the trailer unfortunately. Answer #2: You need to have a hazmat removal company clean the house.  You can and will be sued if you rent it out without a proper decontamination.  Answer #3: You cannot just toss his stuff and re-lease the unit.  You have to get him evicted, even if he is in prison. There is a way to do notice by posting on the door, both for the eviction notice and the service of the lawsuit, but you must make sure you use the legal forms. Not sure what county you are in, but the Cook County (I.e. Chicago) Clerk of Court website has all the eviction forms on their site.

Make sure you disclose to the court that the tenant is in prison. I don't believe it should slow the process (though I am not directly familiar with this situation), but you don't want them to find out later and overturn the eviction. Answer #4: I'd see if your states Victims Compensation Fund can help! They pay for crime cleanup in my state


Title: Neighbour pulled a gun on me

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Call the police.


Title: Are our remrera scamming us?

Question: So my woman and I have a contract agreement that's typed and signed saying we have 3 months on a property staying in a nice room.... Well after less than 2 months they are saying we need to leave asap. Now I know my rights and all about the law so I told them they are in the wrong and should have given us a written 30 day notice from the actual owners of the property and home. Wake up this morning to our renter with a "30 day notice" ... except she made it a 29 day notice, trying to say that when I brought up that she should have given me some form of information or notice as to why why need to leave, that was the first of the 30 days.... I'm so confused please help . located in California and should add our renter do not own the home. They're renting it as well?

Answer:
 >I'm so confused please help

You're confused because she's making shit up. When  does your current three month tenancy end?

Are you subleasing from her or renting directly from the landlord?


Title: Signed a lease under false pretenses, broke the lease, now I'm being sued

Question:
I'll try to make this short.

Two years ago I was offered a job in Louisiana by a friend. The job was working with my friend digitizing records in radio stations making a good amount of cash, and the company hiring us to do this work would also pay our rent. Sounds too good to be true right?

So we end up moving down there into this big rental house, which I was ok with because the company is going to be paying the rent. Only thing is, the job has been postponed for a couple months so we both needed to get jobs to pay the bills until the job started.

So, 3 months later, my roommate has started acting pretty strange. Very secretive, moody, seems angry a lot, goes out a lot. I think they're doing drugs. I ask about the job, have they heard anything about it, and I get stony glares and "stop bothering me about it already, it'll be soon." Always soon. The job is starting soon.

So I decide to look at the situation I'm in. I can't afford the rental because it's way too expensive for what I make. I can't stand the roommate anymore because it seems as if I'm being lied to about this fantasy job and the person I moved in with is not the person I'm dealing with now.

So I leave. I break the lease and just take off. The landlord got in touch with me and said I'd be responsible for that month's rent and the next months. I didn't pay because I figured it would just go away, or that the ex-roommate would pay it knowing they'd done me wrong.

So here we are, two years later, and I get a summons in the mail. I'm being sued by the ex-roommate for almost 3 grand for breaking the lease, 2 months rent, utilities, and moving expenses for them.

My question is, do I have a case? I would have never signed the contract had I known the job was a lie. What case do they have against me? Do judges make exceptions like this in court?

TLDR: Signed a lease with a friend who said the job they offered me would pay the rent. Broke the lease because I found out the friend was lying about everything. I'm being sued now, do I have a chance in court?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Unfortunately for you, I don't see much of a case. You willingly entered into a lease, your landlord doesn't care who's paying but has your name signed on a contract agreeing to pay rent.

Upon your departure it sounds like your roommate/friend had to cover everything. While I don't know if they honestly have a claim in damages in excess of the rent and utility bills, they certainly are within their rights to sue you to try and collect.

Call them up and see if they'll settle for what you owe them. Just packing up and moving on because of a deal gone-wrong doesn't alleviate you for contractual obligations.


Title: Chiropractic Malpractice case?

Question:
I've been having lower back problems for a while, but it was a dismissive pain (in my opinion). The pain was on and off throughout the month. In fact, the only pain I'd feel was from getting up from bed in the morning, but as soon as I stood up, I was okay. The pain only lasted for few seconds.

I've always been skeptical of chiropractors, but I ended up visiting one to see if I could help get my lower back, back to 100%. After a few weeks of neck/back cracking (this occurred every session, and I saw her 2x  a week), I wasn't feeling better, so she suggested I do some exercises to strengthen my core/back. She gave me a pdf of exercises to follow, but the next day after I did the exercises, my back felt worse. I went to the Chiropractor the day after and I told her I was in pain from the exercises. She proceeded to crack my back (I was very, very hesitant), but she insisted she's 'old school' and I will feel better in time. When she cracked my back the second time (the left side), I shouted in pain. It was so bad I started crying.

After the visit, it was hard to walk. My back was really bad. My fiance (who was with me during the visit) helped me get into an Uber car to get back to my apartment. I was wincing in pain throughout the ride (about 15-20minutes). When we arrived back home, I couldn't get out of the Uber car by myself. It was painful to move. My fiance helped me out, but I was only able to stand, holding onto him. I was in extreme pain, so much so that I wasn't able to cry properly and I was breathing hard and my body was shaking. Standing, sitting, or laying down on the concrete floor - none was an option, every position hurt. Feeling helpless, scared, and holding on to my fiance for support, we made a decision to call an ambulance right then and there (the Fire Department ended up coming too, to help pick me up).

In the ambulance, all I can remember was that the medic gave me '6 doses' of morphine to soothe the pain. Once I got to the hospital, I was requested to pee and I couldn't. I was scared because that was a bad sign. The doctor who was attending me was originally hesitant to order an MRI, but after he heard I was having trouble urinating, he ordered one. (Thankfully I was able to urinate after a while at the hospital)

Turns out I have a herniated disc in my lower back AND degenerative disc disease.

I had to take a week off from work and was in bed most of the week. My fiance had to work from home because it was really hard for me to get up from bed by myself.

All this happened about 3 months ago. For obvious reasons I never went back to the Chiropractor. Now I'm back on my feet, but my back isn't the same at all. I'm 25 years old, but I feel like an elderly person. Sitting down hurts (which sucks because I'm a software engineer and that's all I do!). Bending down and picking up stuff from the floor hurts - had to order a reacher pick up tool to avoid bending. I'm dreading flights (I travel back and forth from CA to NJ often). Now I'm afraid of the complications that could occur if and when I am ready to start a family and bear children.

In the end, I completely regret going to the Chiropractor. I feel like my back problem escalated since I started visiting the Chiropractor. Like I said in the beginning, the lower back pain I was experiencing wasn't concerning, and it became a daily issue after visiting the Chiropractor. I want to pursue a case, but honestly I am afraid of wasting time and money. I'm not at all familiar with back injuries, medical malpractices, or lawsuits.

Any advice or sharing your own past experience is much appreciated! Thank you./

Edit: I guess one of my biggest questions, which would help me on forming a case, is it possible to get a herniated disc from chiropractic visits?

Answer:
 You need to find a physical therapist in your area that specializes in spine rehab.  Herniated discs are actually super common for a PT that deals in spine rehab, and they can get you fixed up.  Bear in mind that you might have to call around a bit as not every PT clinic specializes in spine rehab, and many that don't won't even work with spinal patients (spinal rehab can require expensive specialized equipment and tends to necessitate a certain approach to patient care.

Answer #2: As the bot has correctly assumed, medical malpractice is far beyond the scope of what the internet can provide in terms of advice. It's incredibly complicated. Reach out to a medical malpractice attorney in your area and speak with them.Answer #3: "I want to pursue a case, but honestly I am afraid of wasting time and money. I'm not at all familiar with back injuries, medical malpractices, or lawsuits."

As the bot has indicated, medical malpractice plaintiff's attorneys will meet with you for free and if they think there is a possible case, they will often/usually request your medical records and have a similar doctor/nurse (in this case a chiropractor) look at the records and let them know whether the doctor in your case screwed up and/or how badly.  They will also need to evaluate your potential recovery, as medical negligence cases are usually done on a contingency, meaning the lawyer will take a portion of any winnings as their fee in lieu of charging you.


Title: Dealership won't let me cancel extended warranty

Question:
Four days ago, the dealer sold me a Honda Care Extended Warranty, claiming it was "required" by Honda. After finding out this is untrue, I returned and asked to cancel it. The dealer argued that he could not, as it would cause my APR would go up. As I understand, this is untrue and suggesting so is actually in violation of the Magnus-Moss Act of 1975, and is classified as fraud. On top of this, he insulted me. I have a recording of the entire conversation (legal under the "One Party Consent" Law, or 18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(d)). There is nothing in the contract preventing me from cancelling, the only problem is I need the dealer's signature. What should my next course of action be?

Edit: I'm in New York (sorry fellas I don't know how to use Reddit)
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: I dealt with this problem a few years ago when I bought my first vehicle and ended up threatening to call the Better Business Bureau in order to get the warranty dropped and sign a new contract. Let the dealer know that you know their actions are illegal and don't listen to any excuses. When getting it dropped make sure to read the contract closely because unscrupulous salesmen and mangers might have tacked on something else that you were unaware of. In my case I ended up needing to go back a third time because of my fees being miscalculated.


Title: (Kansas) Boss asked me to do something dangerous, I refused. What legal framework, if any, protects me from retaliation?

Question:
For starters, I don't actively suspect any retaliation will occur. I just want to be prepared in the event that it does. Title is TL;DR.

We got hit by a major storm tonight. I deliver pizza. Around 10:30 or 11 I recommended to the shift manager that we contact the store manager and ask to close early or at least stop deliveries since the roads were getting bad. We were told no. I leave with the next delivery and the water on the back roads is roughly 2 feet deep. More than once I could feel my tires struggling to make contact with the road, so I turned around and told the shift manager to call the store manager again and put me on the phone because I didn't feel safe going back out there. District manager got involved and tried to get us to keep going, but I held my ground - I was firm but I wasn't rude. I said I didn't think it was safe for me or my vehicle to go back out. They didn't push the issue after that.  I've never refused to take deliveries before, and I'm slightly concerned they may write me up for insubordination or reduce my hours as punishment.

First question: is what I did protected by law?

Second: if so, am I protected only from termination, or also from lesser forms of punishment/retaliation?

Third: In the event that something does happen, is there a particular government agency I should be contacting, or should I be escalating this up the company chain instead?

Answer:
 They can fire you.  But would you really want to work for people who think so little of your life that they were content to put you in this situation where you almost died?

If they fire you, claim unemployment.  If they deny it, dispute it and explain the situation to the hearing officer.Answer #2: > First question: is what I did protected by law?

No.

> Second: if so, am I protected only from termination, or also from lesser forms of punishment/retaliation?

Neither.

>Third: In the event that something does happen, is there a particular government agency I should be contacting, or should I be escalating this up the company chain instead?

You may find luck escalating up the chain. It sounds like you acted reasonably, but you're not protected by the law.

Kansas is an at-will employment state, and you can be fired for any or no reason at all (apart from discrimination against you as a member of a protected class). SoAnswer #3: Is it possible he might be covered under STAA? STAA defines a "commercial vehicle" as:

> A commercial motor vehicle covered by STAA is defined as any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on the highway in commerce princi- pally to transport cargo or passengers.

I don't know if pizza is considered "cargo" for this purpose, but if OP is punished he could contact OSHA within 30 days.

More information on STAA and a commercial drivers right to refuse to drive in adverse conditions:

http://www.tdu.org/resources/your-rights-under-staa-refusing-drive-under-bad-weather


Title: Hypothetical: On striking somebody who is provoking you.

Question: If somebody sarcastically challenges you to hit them because they think you'll back down and you ask them to clarify whether they are being sarcastic or not, if they explicitly say they aren't being sarcastic could you say they gave consent for you to hit them as a legal defense?

Answer: Consent and/or provocation are not defenses to assault or battery *in most jurisdictions.


Title: Can I sue a company for false nutrition facts?

Question: Hi, I'm a diabetic and I bought a Mrs. Freshley's cinnabon cinnamon danish (probably a bad idea in the first place) and when I looked at their nutrition facts it said there were 75mg of total carbohydrates. Which would mean like .075 carbs. I know that's not true. While this is obviously a typo, if I can prove this caused my bloodsugar to reach a dangerous level with only one serving size and false nutrition facts, could I sue?

Answer: Surely you also read the ingredients in addition to the nutritional label, right? Where was Sugar listed?


Title: Neighbor threatening to sue for pee-filled water balloon

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Yes. Your brother assaulted him. Assault doesn't require the other party to be injured. He could also go to the police and your brother could be in serious trouble. Answer #2: What's ridiculous is you treating this so casually.


Title: Being accused of Blackmail (US)

Question:
I recently found out my ex gf was posting ads on craigslist soliciting herself for money. We didn't end things on a good note. After I found this out, i attempted contacting her with no response. After this I decided I needed to contact her parents as drugs were involved.

She apparently denied everything to her parents and said the advertisements with nude pictures (now deleted) were posted by me. The parents are now accusing me of blackmail and extortion. I made it very clear that I didn't want anything out of this except for her to get help. The mother used to be a high ranking government official as well.

I'm very nervous that this will become an issue for me. I don't want to get in trouble for trying to do the right thing.

Answer:
 Ignore them.

They can accuse you of being Emperor of the Moon if they want, but until you see papers from an actual court it's all meaningless. Obviously if you're worried you can go for a free consult with a local attorney, and if you're actually charged or sued hire an attorney immediately.


Title: [Texas] Might not be being hired due to employer not believing I have a disability

Question:
I'm trying to get hired on at a non-profit, but I believe they don't believe me about having a disability. How would I prove this is the case?

I already volunteer there and basically was offered pay about 2 weeks into the volunteering, now 2 months later it's "we'll keep an eye out for a position for you," when it was at first "we'll create a position for you"

This is at a homeless shelter, where everyone who stays there has nothing but positive things to say about me.

How would I go about proving I'm being discriminated against, do I need something as flat out as a recording them saying they don't believe I'm disabled. Or can it be something less obvious?

Answer:
 I don't get it. If they don't believe you are disabled, then how would that be discrimination? Discrimination would be if they *did* believe you were disabled and didn't want to hire you because of it.

What exactly is going on that makes you think you are being discriminated against?


Title: Can a lawyer write letters for me without actually representing me?

Question:
Basically I need a lawyer to "file" my suit but I do not necessarily want or need them to represent me in court (civil suit). I just need the opposing team to understand my suit is very real and serious. Basically I want the lawyer to handle paperwork , not show up to court.

California **

Answer: Do mean that you want to draft the complaint and other documents, and have the attorney put his/her name on them? I (and nearly all attorneys) would never do that. My reputation is built on my work product. I'm not going to put my name on whatever you write. That's crazy.


Title: Notice of apartment inspection - False pretense for entry?

Question:
Hello Friends,

Location: Florida
Time in Apartment: 2 years

I received a notice today at 5:00PM (when I got home from work, stuck in my door) stating the following:

xxxxx Management will be conducting a brief inspection of your apartment on Thursday, December 20, 2018 between the hours of 9AM and 5PM, if you have any pets; please make arrangments to have them secured. This notice is being given with compliance with 381.0088 (FL) Statues.

I looked up the statutes and this particular one is for entering premises to search for migrant labor camps. I went to the front office and asked about it and the woman stated "It's our pest control service, they've done this for like 15 years, it's 3rd party" when I asked about the warrant that should be obtained they said they had it but not there. Is this entering under false pretense? I have valuables here and I'm not keen on a 3rd party entering my home. Statute below. Thoughts? She also said this was my 24 hour notice, however doesn't that mean they would have to come at 5:00PM since that's when I received it? In my 2 years living here I have never had this inspection before.

FL STATUTE 381.0088:
The department or its inspectors may enter and inspect migrant labor camps or residential migrant housing at reasonable hours and investigate such facts, conditions, and practices or matters, as are necessary or appropriate to determine whether any person has violated any provisions of applicable statutes or rules adopted pursuant thereto by the department. The right of entry extends to any premises that the department has reason to believe is being established, maintained, or operated as a migrant labor camp or residential migrant housing without a permit, but such entry may not be made without the permission of the owner, person in charge, or resident thereof, unless an inspection warrant is first obtained from the circuit court authorizing the entry. Any application for a permit made under s. 381.0082 constitutes permission for, and complete acquiescence in, any entry or inspection of the premises for which the permit is sought, to verify the information submitted on or in connection with the application; to discover, investigate, and determine the existence of any violation of ss. 381.008–381.00895 or rules adopted thereunder; or to elicit, receive, respond to, and resolve complaints. Any current valid permit constitutes unconditional permission for, and complete acquiescence in, any entry or inspection of the premises by authorized personnel. The department may from time to time publish the reports of such inspections.

Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 Looks like they may have cited the incorrect statute.  From what I can determine, that doesn't mean the notice is invalid.

If you are uncomfortable with someone entering your apartment for pest control services, you should consider buying property of your own.  This is standard for apartments.


Title: AT&T lied to me and is forcing me out of a lifetime phone plan against my will. Is there any recourse?

Question:
I have what is known as a “grandfathered data plan” with AT&T. I have had it for many many years and it has served me well. I do not wish to get rid of it, and they cannot take it away for me because it is contractually guaranteed for me as long as I wish to keep it. They occasionally introduce features that are not included in the old grandfather plans in an effort to get people to switch to other plans which may be more profitable for them and which may contain a reduced feature set for the consumer. I have never bitten a hook on those features because I like my plan the way it is.

I just spent over $700 on a very nice Apple Watch 3. Prior to my purchase, I called AT&T and verified that I would be able to add the watch to my grandfathered cellular data plan without any issues. They said that it would work fine, and I would be charged an additional $10 a month, which is reasonable to me. So I purchased the Watch.

I received the watch today and I was experiencing difficulties pairing it with my iPhone. So I called AT&T while on the phone with the Apple support technician. The AT&T senior tech support representative explained to me in no uncertain terms that there is literally no way that the Apple Watch 3 will pair with somebody that has the “family plan“ grandfathered unlimited data plan.

I explained to her that I invested a considerable amount of money in this watch based directly on their advice and I expect it to work with their network the way that they told me it would. She had no sympathy, and told me point blank that there was nothing that could be done and I was out of luck.

I realize that this is totally a first world problem, and that I am posting mostly out of anger, but I wonder what recourse there is for someone like me in a position like this. I am being forced into some different plan after being lied to by AT&T about an issue that is very important to me. It’s not going to make me homeless, I’m not going to suffer any ill affects other than maybe a dent in my pocketbook that Has yet to be determined.

Just curious if this is as frivolous as I think it sounds. If it’s not, it might be fun to rattle their cage a little bit.
Thanks.

I am in San Jose, California.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 If I recall correctly, the new Apple Watch 3 has its own internal cellular circuitry, allowing it to operate like a phone in the absence of an iPhone.

So, it should be possible to "pair" it via bluetooth with your iPhone (such that it would function like an Apple Watch 1 or Apple Watch 2), but as for adding it as another, independent cellular device onto your grandfathered plan, I would expect that AT&T is in the right to refuse that.

Otherwise you could just go and buy 100 iPhones and add them all onto the grandfathered, truly-unlimited plan.

AT&T has an obligation to allow you to keep your grandfathered plan for existing lines/devices, but I do not believe they have an obligation to allow you to continue to add additional cellular devices to that grandfathered plan.


Title: Girlfriend was raped by her brother when she was younger...

Question:
According to how much she remembers, she was about in 4th grade, in between his first and second child. It occurred in her room and he threatened her with a hammer and then it happened. She can't remember an exact time of year or day, just it was after school.

He has had a history of hitting her and even once attaching an electric dog collar to her and she has scars on her neck from it. He's currently in a case of breaking and entering our home and stealing our dog (who was recently neutered and suffered from issues with his stitches).

Is there anything she can do? The law is very confusing but he terrorizes her. For the last three years i've dated her, I can see how much fear she has when he comes around. He's a known heroin addict and has zero connection to his kids... Her mother does nothing and bails him out constantly. She has another brother who is very much so useless and a drunk but not abusive. Her father is abusive but out of the picture entirely.

We feel like going to the police does nothing because she has no proof, but they know he is a scumbag and he keeps ruining her life more and more and she lives in fear and has no confidence from this and I feel so bad... what can we do?

I have her permission to post this and we will answer as much as we can...

edit: we are in Massachusetts.

Answer:
 She can go to the police. I'm confused: this is literally her brother?Answer #2: NAL

Encourage your girlfriend to reach out to a sexual assault organization like RAINN or a more local service.

They can offer support, connect her with legal services, who can help her with getting a restraining order and advise on the efficacy of reporting the rape to the police, and provide advocacy every step of the way  if it's needed. Answer #3: Go to the police, see about getting a protective order.


Title: Landlord contracted a company to remove satellite dish from leaving tenants, accidentally removed mine, claim no responsibility.

Question: Are they responsible for the re-installation costs?

Answer: Your landlord is not. The company that illegally removed your sat dish is.


Title: Can I hire my ex husbad's lawyer, SPokane washingtion

Question: My ex has a good lawyer, that he used during our divorce. I want to hire that lawyer for a child support increase against my exhusband, can i do that?

Answer: Short answer, no. This would be a conflict of interest for the attorney and I can't fathom a circumstance where your ex-husband would sign off on the conflict, even if that was a possibility (depending on local rules).Answer #2: No. That is a conflict of interest. I doubt anyone from him office would even agree to represent you. It raises serious ethical concerns.


Title: Was in A Car Accident Yesterday. I live in California and Need Help. I did Nothing wrong.

Question:
Not sure if this goes here but here it goes. Last night after a shitty day at work I get hit by a Chevy Suburban. I was driving my 2001 Hyundai Elantra GT. I went down my usual route which requires me to make a left into a main street in the city. Drivers are very good about respecting the Do Not Cross Line marked on the street so that people like me can merge into the main street. I always need to make a left which requires me to drive into a "Median" marked by yellow lines. From there I merge in with Westbound traffic.

On this particular occasion as I slowly drove into the yellow median A suburban was zooming down the yellow median(illegally I might add as he had no reason to drive on it). I didn't have time to avoid it, but I slammed my brakes so hard that I may have pulled a muscle because I was in pain. The Suburban stopped almost half a block away.

When I got out of the car I could hear the guy yelling "Oh he's faking it! He's faking an injury! You were speeding! Why you driving so fast!" the guy that had stopped at the Do Not Cross Line gave me his number and said "I saw the whole thing. It was his fault you did nothing wrong." He even went as far as arguing with the other guy for hitting me. The Suburban driver wanted to pick a fight with me it seemed, but I wasn't interested. I ignored him and said nothing as I know us arguing won't solve anything.

The cop shows up and says he won't be taking a report because idk what his reason was. He asks us to move our cars to the side of the road amd that we need to exchange insurance info. Once we move the cars the same cop comes over and decides he will take a report. The other party seemed infatuated with taking pictures using several different cameras. I took a few pictures myself. They had no license plate(a new car they said) so I took a picture of the VIN number on the dash.

The cop took all our things. I asked to get a copy because I didn't get the insurance info from the Suburban people. The police officer said it wouldn't be necessary as it was all in a report and My insurance company can access it without me needing to carry it around or something to that effect.

So all that's over and the Suburban people ask me if I'm injured. I never said I am, but never said I was okay either(I'm seeing a doctor today as my leg still hurts and am experiencing back pain). After acting like a douche bag the Suburban driver finally says to me I hope your okay abd I'm sorry this happened and shook my hand. I don't think they ever called their insurance company at all because I was on the phone with my insurance the entire time this was happening and they were joking around chatting with the cop.

The tow truck driver shows up and asked about the accident. He asked what damage the other car had. It was just the rear passenger door that got bent in, my intire front bumper, radiator and front passenger fender is dead. He said that even though I did nothing wrong, chances are the other driver will be favored as the victim. I have liability insurance and no money for a replacement.

I can't afford to have the insurance make a call against me because of some weird law or rule that they have. What should I do? Also, should I begin repairs on my car. I'm sure I can fix most of it now. Or should I wait to hear back from the insurance company.

Answer: Can you please edit in some paragraph breaks? This is very hard to read.


Title: Restraining order

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Stop contacting her and don't seek her out when she moves back. In order to get a restraining order she would need to show continuing harassment. If you don't contact her again and she happens to see you 3 months from now it shouldn't be an issue.