Title: [PA] How 'legal' are no video/photos signs located in businesses?

Question:
A local laboratory (hospital affiliated) has a huge ginormous sign that says "Videos and photos are prohibited in this facility".

- What would happen if they caught you taking a photo/video? I'm assuming they can demand you leave and call the police if you do not. But are there any other laws? Could you be required to delete it? Etc.

I didn't, just curious.

Answer:
 Just don't take photos.  Their motivation is protecting patient privacy.  that's a reasonable objective and there's no reason to make a thing of it.

Likely (perhaps depending some on what's in your picture) their remedy is limited to demanding that you leave and banning you from the premises, facility, or hospital system.  It is at least possible that some of the people involved may have other thoughts and it isn't worth the fight.


Title: (US/CA) Employer recalculated my PTO and it went from +80 hours to -70

Question:
Small company, HR person is an overworked accountant and they calculated my hours before a vacation this summer and said i had 280 hours. I filed for a few weeks off and together with some other days off i ended up with 80 hours in the bank as i planned it so i could take the kids to the doctor, or myself.

Today they "recalculated" my PTO over the last 8 years and said they miscalculated all along and now I have -70 hours PTO balance.

Can they do this? I've been relying on their calculations all along and now I have no ability to take time off for sick days or anything! Is it worth contacting an employment attorney?

Answer:
 Have you asked them to show the math on the PTO balance?  The difference here is about a months pay.

Independently, I'd find whatever I could to calculate it myself, and see how it compares to their mathAnswer #2: 1. In CA, accrued pto is considered compensation/wages.  Your company cannot take it away once given to you.  Ask for proof that you accrued extra over the time you were employed.  If that isn't to your satisfaction, file a wage claim with the state.

2. Your employer may be required to give you 3 days sick pay in CA.


Title: Money lost/stolen by parents, advice on next steps needed

Question:
Not sure if this is the appropriate place for posting, but figured I'd start here. Bit of a story, so please bear with me - Any and all advice would be helpful.

When I was 6 years old i was injured in an accident that resulted in an insurance settlement of around $50,000. The money was placed in court protected account because I was a minor -- basically, my parents could monitor the money, but neither them, nor I could withdraw or spend it till i turned 18.

Once I turned 18, the deal with my parents was always that I could be "in charge" of the money once i graduated college. My father told me that they were moving the funds to an account where they could make low risk investments, and grow the account while it sat and waited for me to age.

I am now 23 and recently graduated college. Over the summer, after months of questioning my dad about gaining control of the bank account that contained the $50k, I eventually learned that my money is gone.

In the last 5 years my parents have had major financial troubles. To make a long story short, this summer they had their home foreclosed on, and my father declared bankruptcy.  It is my understanding that he owes/owed a large amount of money to the IRS, which is what eventually lead to the foreclosure. I was unaware of most of this till the house was actually gone.

I will flat out admit I do not know all the details because my father has been so elusive and indirect with his explanation of this to me. He made is sound as though my money was taken by the IRS before the house was foreclosed on, because he owed them so much money that was not paid. Because the money had been transferred to an investment account that most likely had both our names, or even just his on it, this is a plausible explanation. I am not sure if my name was even on the bank account -- as an 18 year old who trusts his parents and doesn't know a whole ton about money and investments, its not unlikely that i signed a paper at some point that could make this legal/possible. I never knew the bank account number or online login info-- my dad always talked about the investments and how they were doing, so I trusted him, as it all made sense.

I feel pretty helpless at this point. I guess my main question is: is there any hope of ever seeing this money again, and what can i do to find out?  I know speaking with a lawyer is the most logical answer, but I do not even know what type of lawyer to contact about this. I do not want to sue my parents, but am curious if I have any argument to the IRS to get money back from them that was not actually owned by my father. If i was tricked or unknowingly signed a paper at the age of 18 that gave my father legal 'ownership' of this money without my understanding, isn't that grounds for some sort of case?

I apologize if this is confusing, but i don't know for all the details and have done the best to piece together the details. Its tough to know what actually happened when i cant even trust my own parents anymore. Thanks for any and all advice!

**tldr: father declared bankruptcy/lost house, and my money from an accident settlement as a child was taken by IRS because of an investment account he moved it to after I turned 18 (now 23). Do I have any chance of getting this back from IRS/government/whoever?**

Answer:
 The IRS didn't take *your* money. Your parents did. Then the IRS took it from them, if that part of the story is even true.

Even if you could somehow prove that you were tricked as opposed to just signing away $50,000 to your parents without reading what you signed **as an adult**, you're going to have to go after them the get it back. Not the IRS.

You can keep digging, but I wouldn't be too optimistic on seeing that money again. Especially if you want to remain on good terms with your folks. I would at least look into it enough to verify that the money is gone though.


Title: HOA asking for 6 years back payments, after “scandal”. (PA)

Question:
My husband and I have recently been billed for 6 years worth of HOA fees for a total of $475.

There was a recent issue (minor scandal) with the former HOA President collecting money and pocketing it. This started in 2013 and continued until 2017, when we (entire neighborhood) stopped being billed. After 2 years of not being billed a group of neighbors looked into the situation and realized the HOA just stopped in 2017. A new HOA board formed with in the past few months.

The new HOA tracked down the former board president and he refused to hand over the financial records to the newly established HOA board.

Eventually some of the financial records were recovered, but they are incomplete. From what the HOA can tell us, our fees were never credited to our account. My husband and I acknowledge that we owe for the past 2 years, as we were not billed for them. However we believe we paid the previous 4 years.

This is actually a very minor deal to us, and worst case we write the HOA a check for the $475 and be done with it. But we are curious as to what our rights might be, if any, in this situation? My husband doesn’t feel like asking our former bank for years of previous bank statements to see if our checks were cashed, and by who, (we switched when we refinanced a few years ago).

So does the HOA have any responsibility in this situation, or does it all fall on me and my husband?

Thanks for any assistance!

Answer:
 Really?  Doesn't feel like asking the bank for records?  That's how you would prove it.  Kinda a silly thing to not want to do.  I can even look at checks online with my bank.

If he doesn't want to do that, you have no way to prove you paid those 4 years, and would have to pay.


Title: Felony for mushrooms in Florida. Please help.

Question: So last month I was arrested with 13 grams of wet purple ringer mushrooms. They charged me with a felony for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. I feel like I was charged wrong. Also, the Florida law states that psilocybin is illegal, which wet mushrooms do not contain. Can anyone give me a tip or an idea of what's going to happen. Perhaps ease my worries.

Answer: You absolutely, positively and without a doubt need a criminal defense attorney *immediately*.


Title: (NY) [One party consent] Friend wont return my money, told me on the phone no judge will believe me, the call was recorded from my side but I didn't know that at the time. I have a question.

Question:
Backstory: I had posted a question a couple of weeks ago on here about a friend owing me $1000 that he took, promised he would return it not later than a specific date but never did. We only had a verbal agreement at the time and I have no proof of giving the money.

Anyway so I call my friend on my house phone asking him about the money and he goes like "I'm sorry I wont give it back" so I tell him if that if he doesn't I'll have to sue you in court since he promised me to give it back on the 1st of April and so he goes like "no judge will believe you since you got no proof of giving me the money".

Now two days later I learn from my cousin, after I tell her about my friend, that she had installed something on our house phone that records all conversations for the past 7 days. We managed to get the call and it's pretty clear how he's just admitting to the fact that he took the money, on the promise to return it back, but now he wont since I don't have any proof.

Note that I only knew about the call being recorded after talking to my cousin which was after taking to my friend and not before.

I feel this might be a problem since I didn't know the call was being recorded at the time since we are in a one party consent state and one caller has to at least know about that.

My question is, can I use this as a proof in small claim court since the only one knows about me not knowing that the call was being recorded at me is me and only me? there is no way someone might be able to prove otherwise.

I'm not trying to break any laws here I'm just trying to get my money back.

Answer:
 Since you're living in a one party consent state, I imagine no judge will question you specifically if you knew about the phone call being recorded since it will appear to the judge you actually tried calling your friend to get him to admit about that and submit it as proof.Answer #2: IANAL

While it seems like this **may** be **technically** illegal, realistically I would say you are free to use the recording as long as your both are indeed in a 1 party consent state.

However a better idea may be to tell your friend you have the recording as an incentive for him to try to settle this out of court. If he still refuses then take him to court with the recording.Answer #3: Not advice but could you tell me what the name of that app is?Answer #4: Well, let me ask you this. Can anyone prove that you didn't know this call was being recorded at the time? If not, submit it and shut your mouth about it. It's unlikely that the judge will specifically ask you if you knew.

If she does, say something truthful, like "I knew my cousin was recording the phones." True, but unspecific.


Title: I have to pay $753 after insurance renewal [Toronto, Ontario]

Question:
I moved to Canada in 2016 and obtained my G class license in April of 2016. I bought my first car in 2017, Mazda 3 and my first insurance was $375. Then in July of 2017 I was in an accident and according to a neutral witness, I am at 0% fault. But not knowing the legal system here, I didn't call the police at the scene. I just took other drivers information and pictures and went straight to collision reporting centre to report it. They told me that the vehicle is not safe to drive anymore and it got written off. My insurance even after hearing from the witness, put me at 50% fault. Now in January of 2018 I got my insurance renewed and I have to pay 753 monthly.

I'm a full time student and on permanent residence in Canada. What do you guys suggest I should I do?

Also sorry for bad English and format of this post, I'm using phone.
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: Shop for a different insurance company


Title: My grandmother left me a ring in her will. My mother [VA] asked to sell the ring. I [WA] told her no, but the ring is in her possession, and I think she is going to try to sell it anyway.

Question:
Just like the title says. I was 22 when my grandmother died, but I lived in another state at the time, so my mother put the ring (appraised at around $8K 10 to 15 years ago) in a security deposit box in a bank in my hometown in VA. To my knowledge, it has been there ever since. Now I am 29 and live even farther away (WA). Long story short, my mother has suggested selling this ring to support her lifelong history of terrible money management behaviors and inability to live within her means ($98K for a single person in a low to mid-cost of living area). I told her no, offered a financial stop-gap measure, rethought and cancelled the stop gap measure today, and reminded her that I do not want her to sell the ring. I live clear across the country, and I now fully expect that she will try to sell the ring to support her reckless spending, even after I repeatedly denied my permission.

I have been in touch with my uncle, who was the executor of my grandmother's estate and who has retained a copy of her will in a safe in his home. My grandmother left all the female grandchildren a ring, and he told me he would get me the text in the will that conveys that decision. What is my recourse here if she sells the ring? It does not presently belong to her, and it never did. Is it fraud? Theft? If she sells, how do I take her to court over this from across the country? The unbelievable hell of being raised an only child by a single parent.

Answer: It would be much easier to go get your ring then to collect the value from your mother if she sells it.


Title: I think my college is violating the Clery Act.

Question:
A lot about this college has peeved me because I think they're running a racket, but in class we recently discussed the [Clery Act](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clery_Act) and after looking at my [colleges statistics ](https://www.lmunet.edu/public/uploads/campuslife/safety/annual_securtiy%20_report.pdf) they just appear to be shockingly unbelievable. Looking at other area statistics makes it even more unbelievable.

Local area stats

[link 1 same county ](https://www.homefacts.com/crime/Tennessee/Claiborne-County/Tazewell.html)

[link 2 go to page 42](https://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tbi/attachments/2002%20Crime%20in%20Tennessee.pdf)

[link 3 ky town five minutes away](http://www.cityrating.com/crime-statistics/kentucky/middlesboro.html)

My college enrolled 4,770 students this fall and I know that's not a ton but I don't think we would be so insulated from crime, I know from first hand experience that they would rather sweep incidents under the rug. Is there enough here to take action with or would I need specific cases that they aren't reporting? Also, is the fact that they haven't reported any data since 2014 a problem?

Answer:
 So because crime happens in other places you think your college is deliberately not reporting information to the department of education, an act which could easily cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars?

...No. Answer #2: > Also, is the fact that they haven't reported any data since 2014 a problem?

Who says they haven't? There's a 2015 report at https://www.lmunet.edu/administration/safety-campus-police-and-security, and the law doesn't *require* them to post it online - you can request a paper copy in that case.


Title: Noncompete in Texas? Forever a slave? Help Please!

Question:
I am a traveling Nurse my company moves me to places all over the nation to work for a short period of time. I want out of my current company and want to work directly for the hospital I am currently contracted at.

I signed this contract back in 2010. Does this non-compete expire after 2011 or is this always enforceable?

See below for contract verbage related to noncompete:

Employee Promise of Non-Competition For One Year.  In return for the Company’s promises herein, including the promises to provide you with Company Information, Company Relationships, and Company Training, and in accordance with your acknowledgements and promises in paragraphs 6-14 regarding the value, source, and need to protect these assets, you hereby agree that you will not, at any time during your employment with the Company and for one year thereafter, in the standard metropolitan area of any city where the Company is then conducting business or within a 50-mile radius of that metropolitan area, directly or indirectly solicit, negotiate, accept or perform any job position concerning infection prevention or management with any customer of the Company’s for whom you have done any work, or about whom you have learned any non-public information, while an employee of the Company.  Employee acknowledges that the Company’s customers have likewise agreed not to solicit any of the Company’s employees during their employment with the Company or for one year after their employment with the Company.

Answer:
 >I want out of my current company and want to work directly for the hospital I am currently contracted at.

You can talk to an employment lawyer if you'd like, but don't expect to be able to do this. This is exactly what noncompete agreements are designed to prevent.

The agreement certainly didn't expire a year after you signed the contract.


Title: My friend was offered a scholarship, got ghosted for two months, and apparently lost the scholarship.

Question:
My friend was awarded a theater scholarship in January, a full ride for the first year at a local community college. He applied to the college and is attending there in the fall. He has consistently been trying to get in contact with the theater director there since February to nail down specifics, and never received any sort of reply. The director has apparently been out of state since the beginning of summer, but no one received any explanation for the other FOUR MONTHS of no contact. Today was one of the first times he has been on campus, to meet roommates and such, and he talked to the financial aid department there to try and sort things out. They directed him to the theater department. He called the director of fine arts and set up an impromptu meeting, and she told my friend that he was essentially shit out of luck; they had already given out all the scholarships for the fall.

Is there any sort of legal action he can take? He has multiple forms of confirmation in writing that he was offered the scholarship. He was offered acting scholarships from multiple different schools aside from this one, so there is obvious lost value from getting ghosted by this department. We all live in central Texas, which is also where the college is based. Any help is appreciated.

Answer: Your friend needs to sue the entity that offered the scholarship and let a judge decide.


Title: [AZ] Pima County next door neighbor passed away in 2015, snow-bird winter house has been empty ever since. I'd like to buy it but it doesn't appear to be on the market? Yard starting to get overgrown, fence falling apart, mosquitos since the monsoon rains.

Question:
Tucson, Arizona. The little old lady that had a snow-bird winter house passed away in 2015. The property has sat empty since. Looking at the Pima County Assessors website shows an Estate of *Little Old Lady* with a MN address in the Taxpayer Info. There is one of those lock boxes for keys that relators use hanging from the front door but I can't find the house for sale anywhere.

I know she had a couple of kids and that lived out of state. Now, this quaint little home is starting to fall into disrepair. After the monsoon rains the yard is overgrown in weeds and I am getting a bunch of mosquito's in my yard that I suspect are from standing water in this property. There is a block wall between this property and mine with a wood slat fence built up on that properties side that is falling apart, about a dozen fence posts have fallen down. I'd love to buy it and rent it out or flip it. Actually I'd really love to buy it and rent that property and mine out.

What should I do r/legaladvice ?
Is this something an attorney can help me with?
Is there a more appropriate subreddit for this advice?

Answer:
 You can contact the estate and make an offer on it. If the executor isn't responsive, or refuses to sell, you're out of luck.

If it's actually part of your HOA and the records you reviewed are wrong, then you can wait for the HOA fines to accumulate, and for the HOA to file a lien, and for the HOA to foreclose on that lien, and then try to buy the property from the HOA. That may take some time, especially if the estate is keeping the HOA dues current and paying the fines.

You can wait for the property taxes to come past due, for the county to place a tax lien on the property, for the county to foreclose on that lien, and then try to buy the property at auction.

Those are pretty much your only options that don't involve breaking the law somewhere along the line.Answer #2: Non-legal advice. You mention mosquitoes - with West Nile and Zika, these are a health risk. Contact the local public health department and ask about what you can do regarding adding "dunks" (larvacide blocks) to major bodies of standing water on the neighbouring property.


Title: Stolen car found 4 weeks later with narcotics in it

Question: So, my car 2019 Jeep Cherokee was stolen from my apartment parking lot. I of course filed a claim with insurance and police. They told me after 15 days it is considered a total loss and they would give me an offer. The fifteen days came, and they made an offer to pay off my car and I accepted it. Eight days later my vehicle was found at a gas station with the criminal inside! He had narcotic and hyperemic needles. I talked to a detective on seen (and through email), he said he wouldn't feel comfortable ever getting in the car again due to the narcotic residue. My insurance company is now making me a new offer to fix damage to the car, and don't want to consider it a total loss anymore, I declined the offer because I go to Mexico often I do not want to drive it with narcotic residue. I emailed the detective and he reinstated that he would not drive the vehicle if it was his, and to get an attorney. My insurance company is saying there is no other option but to fix it. Im 25 and can't exactly afford an attorney at the moment and I'm wondering what they would do right now or what advice they could give me. Any input would be great.

Answer:
 I think they owe you the payoff personally. And I'll tell you why. You accepted a deal for the payoff after the 15 day mark. I assume there was some contract signed stating this. Is there a provision in there stating what happens if the car show up at any point? Was the actual approval part of the terms of finalizing the deal?

Imagine they had found the car 1 week after you've already bought your new car. What would they do? Keep your old car? Take back the one you just bought and try to do the same thing they are doing now? Would you get to keep the new car as well as the old, essentially getting a free car?Answer #2: Any chance you can get the officer to write a statement to the insurance saying in his opinion that the car is unsafe?  What kind of narcotics were in the car?  If it was an opioid, I'd be inclined to agree with the officer.  A sand size grain of fentanyl could literally kill you or a passenger if you come in contact with it.


Title: [NC]Friend adopted a dog from a shelter, the dog attacked another dog, vet bills are insane. Who is responsible?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your friend is responsible. She failed to control her dog.

She should contact her homeowners/renters insurance carrier and see if her policy covers this. Many insurance policies do cover damage done by pets.Answer #2: You have zero evidence the shelter lied about anything, how a dog behaves under stress at a shelter is no guarantee of behavior in a home, let alone behavior in all circumstances that could arise while in public.

Your friend lost control of the dog everything that follows is 100% her fault in full.

There is no requirement that the owners of the injured animal consult with your friend about treatment. An idea that is especially ridiculous in an emergency situation such as the one your friend 100% caused.

This is going to be a very expensive lesson for your friend. Any anger should be directed toward your friend's lack of control over her dog. She didn't have proper control over the dog allowing it to become entangled with a object, she didn't have proper equipment which allowed the dog to escape from it's restraints, and she wasn't able to bring the dog under control before it injured another animal. There is no other party at fault here.


Title: [TEXAS] Legal Right to Bear Arms even when forbidden?

Question:
I conceal and carry. I see these signs forbidding me to carry my firearm in these buildings. The all encompassing Constitution allows me to bare arms without restriction.

Do these businesses have a legal standing to stop me?

Answer:
 >The all encompassing Constitution allows me to bare arms without restriction.

Yeahhh...I'm going to need you to go ahead and re-read the constitution and at least the summary of the hundreds of years of caselaw dealing with this topic.  Answer #2: No, you can go sleeveless any time you want.Answer #3: Nope. That isn't even close to how it works. Let me know when you find the part where the Bill of Rights applies to private businesses.

Hint: It doesn'tAnswer #4: This is not even a particularly complicated area of sorting rights that come into conflict.

You have a right to keep and bear arms.  The owner of a property or business cannot strip you of your arms.  You do not, however, have an unlimited right to access the property of others.  They can deny you access their property if you choose to exercise your right to arms while so doing.

If you access their property while not complying with their conditions for that access, you are likely guilty of trespass.  Answer #5: They can ask you to leave, and if you do not they can trespass you from their property.


Title: My shitty ex wont comply with divorce decree

Question:
I'm in NY. In my divorce I was awarded half of his two retirement accounts. This was in 2014. The actual wording in that section is "A QDRO will be done a d the funds will be placed in a separate account for Mrs Acee. " The divorce decree doesn't state who will do this. To me the account holder would have do this. My ex husband refuses to give me the accounts info so my QDRO guy can do it. I feel like he and his lawyer should have done it years ago. There was no deadline ordered. It's also ordered that he split the income tax he receives for our 3 children because I make less than 20k.

What can I do? Can I take him back for the 5 years worth he didn't comply with the decree? And my biggest question is he has been accruing interest on my share for the past 5 years. Am I entitled to that interest?

Thank you for any advice
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 You can get an attorney who can subpoena this information so it can get taken care of.

(I work for a retirement company and frequently respond to subpoenas)


Title: Does my sublet tenant have rights?

Question:
I have been subletting my apartment to a husband & wife who have routinely lied about when they can pay rent.  A typical month for me so far is contacting them the week before rent is due, they say they'll have it by the first, the first comes around and they don't have it, they need a few more days, and then a few more, and I don't get paid until we are in the second week of the month.

I have threatened them to throw their stuff on the streets if they don't pay on time and they cite they have legal rights as tenants and that I am their landlord, but I don't think I am.

Look, I am not a cold-blooded bastard I don't like being lied to and I certainly don't like paying rent to the management company and waiting on them to pay me. These people rented a place they obviously cant afford. And yes, I know I made the error of taking on this risk by allowing them to come in unvetted but the way life works is very simple: you pay you get, you don't pay you don't get.

Facts & Overview:

* The lease is in my name
* The apartment building is owned by a management company
* The management company doesn't know I am subletting and doesn't allow it
* There are no signed documents with the current sublet tenant,  just an understanding of when rent is due....
* Tenant does not pay on time, will pay in installments, every month is filled with lies about when they can pay
* Tenant has brought up that they have legal rights and that I cannot throw them out without them being 4 months late on rent
* I want to throw them out, I want to go in there today and start moving their belongings out of the apartment

The way I see it is that it is my apartment, I own the lease, I am liable for paying it, they are my paying guests, if they don't pay then I can throw them out. Am I right?

I have tried Google but can't find anything on if my tenant in my sublet has tenants rights or not.

Thanks!

UPDATE:  Thanks for all the comments, it looks like I was wrong and I am in fact a landlord... I really hadn't considered that since I was just looking for someone to rent my apartment for me.  At the moment the tenant has agreed in writing that if she does not pay rent on a certain date that I am able to remove her and her things from my place.

Answer: Subletters have the same rights tenants do. You can evict for nonpayment of rent but you have to follow your state's laws on that.


Title: Raped by a minor

Question:
I need your help.

More than two months ago I was raped by the son of my aunt's bestie who happened to be 13. He overpowered me without any problems. We were friends before that, like brother and sister. I still can't fully believe it happened, I wish it was some kind of sick dream.

He is 13, I am 24. I'm an austrian citizen, he lives in Newcastle. The incident happened in England. Haven't told anyone I know yet but I'm going to tell my therapist (she is very caring) and my mom about it. The thing is, his mother is a devout muslim and I'm afraid she might say I seduced her poor son and become angry at my aunt. What about statutory rape? He's under the age of consent and the only evidence I've got are dozens of text messages where he confesses his love to me and brags about the fact he saved every single one of my photos and videos. I could possibly get him to admit to the rape in a phone conversation, casually asking him why he did it or if he regrets it. He doesn't have Reddit and he's only interested in games and YouTube, so I don't believe he'll find this post.

Can a 13 year old minor even be charged? Or will he just get a lecture and can sue me for slander instead?
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: The age of consent is 16 which can greatly complicate things. I would try cross-posting this to /r/LegalAdviceUK you might get some better answers over there. Answer #2: I have no doubt you will have people saying you seduced the child. That will be the defense he will use. I strongly suggest you speak with a criminal defense lawyer. Not because you did anything wrong, but because of the age he is, you would be at risk. I would ask the lawyer for their thoughts on reporting this to the police and how you can do so safely. Definitely speak to your therapist as well. Answer #3: What kind of pictures and videos were sent. If they were sexual in origin, that is not good for your case of him raping you and may be used to accuse you of raping him.


Title: [WA] My brother passed on, leaving a child behind. Ex who has not seen child in 6 years may be getting involved.

Question:
Central Washington State.

My brother passed away suddenly earlier this week.  He left no signed instructions or will, although had vocalized his instructions to many people who knew him.

He left behind two daughters, a 6 year old and a 9 year old.

The 6 year old has his estranged wife who will be taking custody of her.  Due to disagreements between the grandmother and this estranged wife the grandparents do not have any contact with the 6 year old, and this will likely be resolved without incident.

The 9 year old's mother left 6 years ago and has had no contact in those 6 years.  At one point she attempted to sign away her parental rights but I do not believe this process was completed.  They were not on good terms and to my knowledge had not spoken in some time; she had originally moved to the deep south but may have moved back recently.

Our parents have been taking care of the 9 year old off and on since she was born.  She has a full bedroom up at her Grandparent's house, and spends every Friday - Sunday during school weeks and 24x7 during the Summer months.  My parents have supported her to the point that they have been able to claim her as a dependent on their taxes the past few years; my brother was very clear in discussions with me, his friends, coworkers, etc, that if the worst happened he expected our mother to take care of his children.

My brother was very ill this past year, and that resulted in a large amount of trash building up in his house, which when he was taken to the hospital last year resulted in the police getting CPS involved.  CPS has been doing regular checks ever since and found nothing wrong.

Apparently tomorrow there will be a hearing, but not in front of a Judge, in front of a CPS Mediator or somesuch, to determine what to do with the children.  I am not sure if this is a typical process in the event of the death of a single parent or if it is due to the ongoing CPS investigation of my brother.  According to my mother, a junior CPS case worker informed her today that if the biological mother requests the 9 year old she will get her without anything being taken into consideration.

I have stressed that she needs to retain a lawyer specializing in family court / child custody, she has retained the same lawyer that they used to get custody of the 9 year old when the mother left the area in the first place.  Unfortunately this lawyer will not be available to attend tomorrow due to conflicting schedules.

I have also instructed her to take photographic evidence of the 9 year old's living space at my mother's house; in addition counselors from the school, my brother's landlady, and several other people will be testifying tomorrow presumably on my mother's behalf.

She has expressed an intent to offer a deal to my Niece's mother -- sign away her rights and my mother will pay all the legal fees, agree to wave the 6 years of child support that are owed to the 9 year old, et cetera, leaving her out clean.  I am not sure if this is wise to do or if she should wait until later.

With a CPS mediation hearing like this do the best interests of the child come into play, or is the case worker correct in that the last surviving parent trumps all?  At what point does a parent count as having abandoned a child and given up their parental rights, or does that require a court to finalize?  Will this just be a preliminary hearing, or will some form of possible temporary custody be arranged tomorrow?

I was doing some basic research and apparently Washington State does not have any form of Grandparents' rights, due to a somewhat recent court case that struck down the former law?

Answer: Wait, why is the mother paying child support to the child's grandparents?  Unless there are some facts at play here that we aren't seeing, the mother is very likely walking away from this with a custody order.


Title: How to get red zone decommissioned and other what if's regarding parking violations (With picture) California.

Question:
I live in an apartment in Orange County California.  Unfortunately for me,  this means that tons of other people do as well and have to utilize street parking.  The problem with that is that there are way too many vehicles than there are spaces to occupy.

I work a night shift which ends about 1am so I am always spending around 1 1/2 hours searching for a spot in the middle of the night. I typically either end up directly in from of the apartment or have to walk a mile back home.

I have been utilizing a small red zone curb to a field and know technically it is illegal to occupy that zone,  but I don't have much of a choice until I get a new vehicle to park with.

The zone is about 3 feet long on the either side of an old driveway I assume to an empty field.

There are a few firezone that are completely open for businesses that may need them so they never will be blocked along the street.

My question is,  can this be decommissioned as a red zone?

How could one go about that?

Is a dismissal of the ticket even considerable?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the red zone in question

http://imgur.com/f40Zsbg

Answer:
 You have no chance of challenging the ticket.  You don't get to decide if a red zone is serious or not.

You can talk to city planning or traffic control and see if they would consider removing it as long as the lot is vacant -- but if you accomplish that, what makes you think this space will be any more free than the rest of the spots on that street?


Title: FL- received Notice to Owner for a job that I already paid for in full.

Question:
I posted a little background on this job a few weeks ago.  Long story short the contractor who seemed legit ended up being a little shady and we had some trouble with the job.  In the end everything got completed and he was paid in full (although he didn't finish the job correctly, I still just let him leave and I fixed everything myself).  I have a paid in full receipt.

Now, I am receiving a Notice to Owner from a supplier that he used that they have not been paid for the pavers (the check bounced) and they will be coming after me in the form a a lien to get their money if he dosn't pay in the next 30 days (they havn't been able to contact him for 2 weeks).  This is absurd- I paid my end of the contract- why I am liable to pay double if the supplier entered an agreement with a contractor where they would accept a check? I did not sign any documents with the supplier.

Not really sure what to do here- do not want a lien put on my home, and I absolutely will not be paying again for something that I paid for already. Bringing in lawyers is crazy and just shouldn't be my responsibility in this- the owner and the supplier should be dealing with this.  WTF Florida law?  They list statute section 713.06 as their justification for coming after me.

Answer:
 WARNING! FLORIDA’S CONSTRUCTION LIEN LAW ALLOWS SOME UNPAID CONTRACTORS, SUBCONTRACTORS, AND MATERIAL SUPPLIERS TO FILE LIENS AGAINST YOUR PROPERTY EVEN IF YOU HAVE MADE PAYMENT IN FULL.  UNDER FLORIDA LAW, YOUR FAILURE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PAID MAY RESULT IN A LIEN AGAINST YOUR PROPERTY AND YOUR PAYING TWICE.  TO AVOID A LIEN AND PAYING TWICE, YOU MUST OBTAIN A WRITTEN RELEASE FROM US EVERY TIME YOU PAY YOUR CONTRACTOR.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App\_mode=Display\_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0713/Sections/0713.06.html


Title: What can be done about corrupt HOA in a "vacation community"

Question:
I have tried calling lawyers, they have a lawyer on their board. This HOA is neglecting things, misusing funds, and most importantly are funneling money into their own pockets by having service businesses they hire directly.

I know normally the people would vote to end the corruption but the board is complicit, and 70% of the community doesn't live here year round.

It seems like the perfect storm

Answer: This really looks like lawyer territory. Maybe ask several neighbors to see if you guys are willing to collectively cover the cost of suing the HOA.


Title: Landlord Failed at Security of Apartment, Now They Want Additional Rents and Penalty?!?!

Question:
Maryland

So this is not my story, but my friend's story which I am asking for help on.

Basically, the short version, in the past months, there had been repeated invasion of the apartment building by thieves.  Cops were called.  Neighbor's apartment was broken into by crowbar and the thief at the time was only scared off because my friend hear the noise and checked the hallway.

Thieves were gaining access through the backdoor, which was supposed to be locked.  But it turned out, the lock was broken.  This was documented and reported when incidents started back a month ago.  It took property management a few days after police was called to finally fix the door (not immediate).  And even after the door was supposedly "fixed," security was still being breached (obviously, there was someone on the inside) with the lock eventually broken again.

After the crowbar incident, in which a thief was no longer (and it was multiple, because appearances of thieves of each incidents were different) just content with stealing off of front porches, but actually breaking into the actual apartment with crowbars, that was the last draw for my friend.  He immediately notified the property management that they were moving out because of these security incidents.
Initially, the returned email was to simply pay for the prorated amount.  However, he got a new email today nullifying the previous email, saying not only does he need to pay for the prorated amount, but a 30 days rent, AND some "legal fees."  Which was like, WTF?  My friend was only moving out because of the gross incompetence of the landlord to fix and maintain the security of the door.  Now, not only was the deal broken, but he had to pay MORE to move out of an unsafe situation?

Something must be wrong.  I was wondering if there are provisions in the contract that he should look for that exclude them from providing safety to renters, and whether this case is worth going to court.  Also, this is just me, as my friend just want this nightmare to be over, but I want to know what I can do legally to hurt this company to the maximum.  Because even if my friend wants to settle, this is ridiculous.  Can I disclose their name and practices and perhaps get a local press to write a story about this?  What are my options to really go after them?  Cause what they are doing is downright rotten and un-American.

Thanks beforehand!

Answer:
 Crimes being committed against residents by 3rd parties isn't automatically grounds to invalidate a lease.  If his lease had an early termination option, he can use that.  If it doesn't, then he can negotiate with the landlord, or honor his obligations under the lease by paying rent for the duration of the lease.

They have no obligation to provide "safety" to tenants other than a generally habitable unit that's up to code.

>  Can I disclose their name and practices and perhaps get a local press to write a story about this?

Nobody will give a shit about that.  Apartments get robbed daily in every city in America.

> What are my options to really go after them?

None, other than leaving a bad but accurate review on apartment review websites.


Title: [Ohio] Neighbor and Money Situation

Question:
My friend's neighbor won $20,000 on a scratch off ticket. Apparently they want her (my friend) to claim the winnings as hers due to them filing for bankruptcy. They then want to give her $3,000 for doing this for them, but I feel like this is fishy and could come back to bite her. Will this affect next year's taxes when she files even if the taxes are taken out of the winnings? Is there anything else she should consider before going through with it?

Possibly relevent: they also get government assistance for being "disabled", I don't know the whole situation behind that. I feel like this is borderline fraud, especially trying to hide their winnings.

Edit: Thank you everybody, I knew I had reason to have a bad feeling about this... now to talk her out of the "but how will they know" mindset. Ugh

Answer:
 >Will this affect next year's taxes when she files even if the taxes are taken out of the winnings?

Yes. She'll have to pay taxes on the full amount of the winnings.

>Is there anything else she should consider before going through with it?

Yes. She's assisting her neighbor in defrauding the federal and state governments, as well as the creditors in the bankruptcy.

This would fall into the category of "many felonies."


Title: Laws regarding child custody and sleeping arrangements

Question: I have a daughter who is 7 years old, her father and I have joint legal and physical custody of her. My daughter just told me that she shares a bed with her dad and his new "friend". I know that I have no say when it comes to him sharing a bed with our daughter, but what stance do I have with this third person sleeping with her also? I'm completely enraged about it and I don't think that should ever happen, man or woman. I tried to find the information online, but couldn't find anything pertaining to this situation. Can anybody help me out?

Answer: Cosleeping, by itself, is not illegal. Now if they are all naked, that is a problem. If dad and friend are having sex and the child knows, is awake, that is a problem.


Title: Bought used car at a lot, got it home, my dad found a huge trans fluid leak. What can I do?

Question:
I'm in Oregon.

Hello, hoping someone can help make it clear as to what my options, if any, are.

I just bought a used car today, my first car ever. I drove it to my dads house, he looked at it for a minute and found a massive trans fluid leak and told me to get out of this deal ASAP if I could. I told him it was an "AS IS - NO WARRANTY" sale and I'm probably SOL.

I didn't buy this car outright, I got a $1500 loan from a local CU and I put $652 down on it. My loan has a co-signer that has yet to sign any documents, I have filled out my paperwork, the only thing they need to approve the loan is my co-signer.

Is there ANY way I can clean my hands of this car? I'm a nervous wreck right now!!

Answer: $1500 is a very cheap price to learn to always have a car inspected by a mechanic before buying it.


Title: Stole ~$50 in food from Target

Question:
So, this is a throwaway if you cant tell by the username,
Anyway, over the past three months I have stolen around $50 in food (Mostly potato chips/candy) that I would eat on breaks and during my shift from Target (I worked there through a sub-contracted company) I was terminated from there under their Gross Misconduct policy and have recently been charged with a class A misdemeanor for theft, I have court in about 2.5 weeks and am curious about what might happen, I know that i'm not going to get a definite answer from here but I would like to know what to expect.
Additionally I was wondering what kind of impact this may have on my hire-ability in the future with other retail places...

Thanks for any advice or information in advanced!

EDIT: This is in Kansas by the way

Answer:
 >I know that i'm not going to get a definite answer from here but I would like to know what to expect

You're being charged with a crime and you have to go to court. You can plead guilty or not guilty, but pleading not guilty is generally advisable unless there's a deal on the table. You can hire an attorney or request a public defender at your court date (assuming you qualify with low income).

>Additionally I was wondering what kind of impact this may have on my hire-ability in the future with other retail places...

It is likely to make you effectively unemployable at most retail locations that background check and many other businesses as well.


Title: [TX] Will a jeweler come to repossess diamond jewelry like banks and dealerships do a car?

Question:
I don't think my fiance and I are going to make it. :(

She wants to keep the ring but I don't even own it it's financed through Kay Jewelers. I don't want her to have it I paid $6k for it and still owe around $3k on it.

Legally can they go and seize it from her? Is it within my rights to provide them with her whereabouts?

Answer:
 In Texas I believe that engagement rings are conditional gifts. Are you or she breaking things off?Answer #2: Usually no. A car loan is a secured transaction with the car as collateral. Typically jewelry loans are just normal non-secured transactions.

Although, you should check the rules on engagement rings in Texas. Most often they are conditional gifts and if you break up she needs to give the ring back.


Title: My family is going on vacation in Pennsylvania tomorrow, but the owner sent us a contract yesterday stating he would have cameras in the house.

Question: I saw an email sent yesterday by the owner of the house we are renting. It was a contract with a section about the house having cameras. He stated he would not watch the tape unless something was broken or tampered with but I’m still uneasy about it. From what I understand it’s legal for him to do this but he didn’t notify us until basically the day before. We’ve already paid the full amount so how can I handle this situation?

Answer: What's to stop you from covering all the cameras up when you arrive and then uncovering them when you leave? Did you sign a contract saying you would not do that?Answer #2: Did you rent this property through a service?


Title: [Illinois] May I legally carry concealed at work?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Property owners generally reserve the right to ban weapons on their property, even if you posses a license to carry. I believe Illinois does permit employees to store their legal weapons in their private vehicles (in accordance with applicable state law), but your employer can choose to ban employees from bringing them inside the building.

Employers generally must post notice that firearms are prohibited, but it's possible that written notice you signed may be permitted in lieu of posted notice.

Edit: admittedly, I only skimmed, but [this seems like a good explanation of employee and employer rights regarding firearms in the workplace](http://www.isba.org/sections/laboremploymentlaw/newsletter/2013/08/pleasecheckyourgunsatthedooremploye).Answer #2: (1) If employers want to ban employees from carrying concealed weapons, they can do so without posting the signage. That signage, for business owners, is typically to prevent customers from carrying.

(2) Depends on who owns the parking lot you are in. If you are parking in the state park's lot, then concealed carry is prohibited except for within your vehicle and the immediate vicinity of your vehicle so you can store your firearm in the trunk inside a case. If the lot is privately owned, then it's up to the business owner's policy.

So if you are in a state controlled parking lot, you are violating the law by not putting your weapon in a weapons case. If it's a private lot, you're just violating your employer's policy.

[Source 1](https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/FAQ.aspx) [Source 2](http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=3497)


Title: I (25F) believe my mother (55F) is still claiming me on her taxes. Is it possible for me to get in trouble? How can I make her stop? (FL/NY)

Question:
I’m in a weird situation. I was talking to my mother and taxes got brought up. She made a statement that she has been claiming me still even in college. The thing is when I left for college at 21 I started claiming my self as independent. I did this because I moved away in my own place, payed my rent, had a full time job and a full time student. My parents, especially my mother, didn’t pay for my school or give me any extra cash except around Christmas and that was in clothing gift cards. I payed my way thru college with The student loans florida offered so I didn’t need any co-signer either.

I asked her why she is still doing this and she said because I’m enrolled as a full time student and that I’m technically still supported by her. I tried to ask how she supports me and she looked and me and says it’s back pay for when I was growing up.

I am horrified that I’m going to get a notice to pay back the taxes I received in the past years. I believe she’s going to do it again this year because she said she was.  I am currently residing in New York for the next year, and out of school for the past two years. I still have my license as my moms address but Everything else is my New York address. Could that be a problem?

Tl;dr will I owe extra money?

Answer:
>I asked her why she is still doing this and she said because I’m enrolled as a full time student and that I’m technically still supported by her? I read that parents can do this when students are enrolled full-time? I asked how she thinks she still supports me and she looked at me and says it’s back pay for when I was growing up. She also stated she pays for my car insurance but I told her why? I don’t drive anymore and I gave my car to my sister.

you can certainly be your moms dependent on her taxes, but only if that is really the case, which would mean you would have to make less than $4200/year **and** your mom provides more than half of your support each year, neither of which are true in your case I am guessing.

> I am horrified that I’m going to get a notice to pay back the taxes I received in the past years.

you shouldn't be, your mom should, she is the one here who is evading paying her fair share of taxes. this is not going to come back on you at all, once the IRS figures out that her "dependent" on her return is actually filing and paying taxes themselves, they will kick back her tax return and force her to resubmit without you as a dependent.


Title: Friend needs belongings out of ex's house

Question:
My best friend just split up with his girlfriend of 5 years. They lived together in a house in NC, her name is on the lease his isn't. He wants his stuff. Mostly normal things like his clothes and bed, but also some odd stuff like his guns and a treamill.

She currently has him blocked in every way possible and isn't talking to him. His idea was to show up while she wasn't there and get his stuff. While he has a key to the house, and the address is the one on his driver's license, I still don't know how "right" that exactly is. I told him I'd help him get his stuff but I'm also not trying to get arrested.

Can he just go in and and get his stuff, or should he contact the cops or something to set up something official?

Answer:
 Why not go with the cops?  It seems to head off a lot of potential problems, such as:

* She is there/shows up in the middle of him moving.
* She claims he damaged or vandalized her belongings and/or dwelling.
* She claims he took something of hers.


Title: 20/F dating 17/F against parent's wishes (PA)

Question: I met a girl at college that I really like, and we've been going out.  She's 17 and I'm 20.  Her mother (sole custody) is opposed to us dating because I'm a girl and has been making all sorts of threats to have me arrested.  What can she legally do to me?

Answer: she can't do anything except for forbidding her minor child to see you and punishing her for same.


Title: Update: (Louisiana) My water in my apartment has been out since Tuesday morning. Can I break my lease?

Question:
[Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3q5fvt/louisiana_my_water_in_my_apartment_has_been_out/)

Well, it's been a week since my water went out and it's still not fixed. I called the front office today, and I was told that "the maintenance men are working to fix all the leaks. Half of the complex has water so we'll check for a leak near your house." Several hours later a maintenance man knocks on my door and asks if I have water, I tell him no and he leaves. I'm almost 100% sure our two maintenance men are not certified plumbers.

So they're making it seem like this has happened because of leaks, and if they two maintenance men we have can't fix it, why haven't they hired professionals? How long does it take to fix a few leaks?

In my last post I learned that I will probably have no luck getting a judge to allow me to terminate my lease. The property manager holds some sort of government position, so I'm pretty sure if I took him to court the judge would side with him and say that he was in fact making the repairs with appropriate diligence.. But does that mean as long as he's attempting to make repairs, there's nothing I could do? What if my water is out for another week? Someone mentioned putting rent money in an escrow account, but I have no idea how that works. Could they still evict me for nonpayment? Do I need a lawyer to set up an escrow account?

I'm really interested in writing the owner of the complex a letter stating that I'll take legal action to terminate my lease if the water isn't fixed by ___ date, but I have no idea how to word it. Could someone help me out?

Answer:
 In my state its illegal to charge rent for a place without certain things.  Food preparation area, heat, water, etc.   I assume access to water is one of them.

I learned this after my apartment was flooded and they found asbestos in the downstairs flooring.  So we couldn't use the downstairs for an unspecified amount of time "until remediation is finished"

I found a attorney who advised me this was cause to break the lease and I could not be compelled to pay rent for any day after the flood since the landlord was not providing a "food preparation area and forcing an unlivable and dangerous living environment".  He charged me $140(?) for a lawyer letter to management company, but this was 15 years ago.

I lived in the apartment for 30(?) days rent free until I found another apartment and split.  They even gave me most of my deposit back (its hard to charge for damage when guys in bunny suits are tearing out sheet rock and carpets while your moving out)


Title: [CA] Neighbor above me, urinating on my Balcony

Question:
In California.

13 story Condo building with HOA board.

I've owned and lived here for almost 4 years, he has been living above be for 20+ years. I never knew who lived above me the whole time.

You are not allowed to "spray down" your balcony, only wipe it down, to prevent dripping onto the people below you.

About a month ago, I noticed a yellowish stain dripping onto my balcony.

I went to clean it the other day, and once I opened my sliding door I realized it was urine. I cleaned my whole balcony, but it still smells because there is still urine on the ceiling of my balcony (the ledge from his floor),

I thought to myself, "he must have a dog above me, the dog probably peed on the balcony, he cleaned the balcony, now it dripped, I'll go up there and tell him to stop his dog"

I went up to his unit, and once he opened the front door, I was hit with the most foul smell. He's an older man that I have seen before. He smells terrible, and if he rides the elevator, it smells the rest of the day.

I told him that there is something dripping from his balcony, and to please stop. He said he hasn't cleaned his balcony recently, and I am welcome to come take a look. YEAH RIGHT, I couldn't even breath standing in the hall way, there was no way in hell I was stepping foot in the unit.

I went down to my building manger today. He told me that it's a matter between him and I, and they can't do anything on my behalf. They have called the health dept on him, and the health dept wont do anything. They told me to write a letter and address it to the HOA board, and hopefully the board will help me. They also told me I should write a letter to him  stop, and attach bill for professional cleaning services on my balcony.

My question here is:

A) What steps should I take to stop this problem.

B) Is there anything I can do to compel the Building Management to care of this for me? It just sucks that I pay nearly $700 in monthly HOA fees, and they won't take care of the problem for m.e

Update 7-11-17: I've have my balcony cleaned by a maid service, and I have cleaned it myself as well. They just had a mop with a long poll and cleaned my ceiling. I still smell urine. It's been like 100 degrees here, so that doesn't help.

I gave all my paperwork to the building manager and will be present at the hoa board meeting on the 27th

I also left a note on his door saying no more urine, about to give him a copy of the cleaning bill for reimbursement.

Update 8/4/17

I've submitted I think 7 complaints total to building management documenting new urine staines every time.

Adult services have not been able to anything, every time they show up, he says he's fine and they have to leave. They won't come anymore.

I recruited to older ladies in the units below me to help, as they have urine trickling down to them as well.

---------now the bad news---------

I went to my HOA meeting that I have been waiting over a month for, and sat there as they went over all the ways they are wasting our money, delaying projects, bickered amongst themselves, etc. it was truly a pathetic sight to see, that these people are essentially in charge of 10s of millions of dollars if not 100s of millions you take the total value of all the units+ building operating money and everything.

Finally after the official meeting ended they went into what is called "executive session" where they hear individual problems one by one.

A young lady went before me and told her story of how she had a dispute with her contractor, and he cussed her and got in her face and it was very scary for her.

She then said that she was in the elevator as it stoped in the lobby, and that same contractor was going to come in the elevator and she told him not to. He lunged at here and cornered her in the elevator and started screaming at her until an employee pulled him off.

She asked that the HOA board require that the contractor be escorted by security if he is on premises, and that he is only to go to and from the job site.

They mocked her, told her that she has a "millennial problem", it's a personal dispute, "did you try to leave the elevator?".  The young lady said she knows of multiple complaints against this contractor especially against women and EVEN A WOMAN ON THE BOARD SAID HE GOT IN HER FACE ANS YELLED AT HER. And the rest of the board defended the contractor (undoubtedly because they are recieving kick backs from him- they said he's always done great work for the building)

I'm a pretty conservative guy and don't pretend to be some hero or social justice warrior, but it was truly sickening to sit through. I couldn't take it anymore and I stood up and told them all what they are doing is disguising and they should be ashamed of themselves and this contractor shouldn't be allowed near the building. I continued to to talk over the board director as he banged his little gavel and he threw me out of the meeting. I was only person to stand up for her. I knew it was going to fuck me over with the board, but I couldn't as a man sit there as they treated this young lady like shit.

So I don't think I will be getting any help from the board about my urine stained balcony.

Answer:
 Contact adult protective services.

> It just sucks that I pay nearly $700 in monthly HOA fees, and they won't take care of the problem for m.e

You talked to one guy who doesn't want to deal with it. Maybe he's just lazy. Take it up with the HOA board.Answer #2: Read your HOA documents.  It probably has a method to formally complain, maybe in writing, maybe at a board meeting, something.  That's probably what the manager meant by "write a letter."

> They have called the health dept on him, and the health dept wont do anything.

How do you know this?  You can call the health department as well.


Title: Co-worker punched me. Doesn't lose her job.

Question: My Co-worker punched me in the face and didn't lose her job. We work in a restaurant and we were on the floor in front of guests when we got in a verbal argument.  It escalated to a point where she punched me in the face. I went to a manager. She admitted it and it was on camera. Im a guy btw. I can't help but imagine what would of happened if I'd of hit her.  Can i do anything legally?

Answer:
 >Can i do anything legally?

Did you call the police and report her for battery/assault?


Title: (ID),(WA) Boyfriend's Mom is Threatening Me with Statutory Rape

Question: Throwaway account, tired of sifting through random blogs and forums. I guess I should start from the beginning. I met my boyfriend at a local game shop where I live in Washington when he was 17. I was 22 at the time and felt oddly connected to him. After a little searching online a few months after we met I found him on Facebook and we started messaging back and forth on occasion. He was always overbearing and belligerent in person to obnoxious levels, which I admittedly absolutely loathed as did most of the people in the shop, but I felt drawn to him. As we talked online little by little I pieced together his home life consisted of he, his mother, and her boyfriend. His mother was/is extremely overbearing and kept a stranglehold on pretty much any socializing he did and as a result lived most of his life in a cage and resulted in him trying to gain attention from anyone through his behavior, but anyways. Upon talking to him he mentioned he was straight, but I always felt a twinge of something else going on. Several months later he mentioned feeling some type of feelings for me and I let him decide and figure out what they were on his own. He would visit my home on occasion and we would do little more than cuddle, mainly because I felt he had simply missed that kind of connection all through growing up. This then evolved slowly into some sexting while apart and touching while he was here. Soon his mother started assuming what was going on and forbid him from visiting anymore, but we still talked avidly online, mainly via Facebook Messenger, which have now been deleted for months. Fast forward a few months and we began dating last September, while he did not turn 18 until last February. His mother is religious as well as being extremely homophobic so we both agreed to not say anything for a long time to her. His father, who has long been divorced from his mother because of the way she is, spends months at a time out of state for work and returns home for a couple weeks then goes back. We sat down with him and told him shortly after we started dating and he said he did not understand the whole idea of same sex relationships, but was okay with it so long as my boyfriend was happy. While his dad was away we would occasionally go over to his home and cuddle on the couch as well as do other things that should not be named. Things were quiet until his father accidentally let it slip that their son was bisexual and pretty much cornered my boyfriend into telling his mother about his sexuality and our dating. Upfront she too was okay with us dating though had some mild disdain for it. This did not last long as soon later she began calling him gross and disgusting for his sexuality. She told him that he was twice as likely to cheat on any of his partners because he was attracted to both sexes. She even so far as to try and tell him that being with a man was dangerous to his health because, having hemophilia, he would one day wind up severely bleeding out of his anus from intercourse and cost himself thousands of dollars in treatment. This went on from about December to present day. After her blatant disgust with our relationship we simply began making arrangements for him to go to a friend's house or something on a weekly basis and we would hang out at his dad's vacant house or actually hang out with his friends. Given his mother is an extremely toxic person who has gotten through life by blackmailing and manipulating people around her, it was also agreed that he needed to move out of her home as soon as possible. We waited until after he graduated from high school and shortly after we moved him out while she was at work because there was no way she could simply be talked to about it. He sent her a text about him leaving and why he was leaving as we left. She met with him here at a coffee shop and they spoke for about two hours and she left quietly under the condition he would help her with some physical work she cannot do on her own. It is also worth mentioning she has serious heart problems that he has said has messed with her mind quite a bit and is 100% pacemaker dependent; she also has gobs of money. So things went on for a couple weeks happily as he lived with me and she would come get him and drive him back at the end of the day. This activity made myself very on edge acknowledging she was probably hoping to find the slightest crack in anything and take advantage of it to move him back with her. This weighed on me a lot and resulted in a small argument and he ran to vent to her and she did exactly that. The next day they were both at my front door and he began packing his stuff out of my house while she stood in my living room and screamed at me at the top of her lungs about how I was trying to take him away from his family. During the later phases of getting his stuff out he stood in my dining room and said "Mom I don't want to leave", but by that point I was emotionally and mentally jelly. They left and she took his phone away, yes I know he is 18 and she should not have been able to do it, and she forced him to start blocking people such as myself and anyone attached to me in any way as well as still monitors all his messages. She now keeps telling him that if we talk at all she will press charges on myself for statutory rape as well as file a no contact order for him. Hence why i am here. I know she cannot file a no contact order on me for him, however the statutory rape threat is no laughing matter. I am well aware the age of consent in Idaho is 18, while 16 in Washington. Her name is not attached to his phone account so I do not think she could get access to any of that. To my knowledge she has no physical evidence that we had any sexual activity at all. However, what concerns me is all these deleted messages on Facebook Messenger. Could she potentially file something to make those come forth from some archive somewhere? Could this especially be done if she only has assumptions and malicious intent to create any sort of case against me? Being she has a lot of money, is it possible for her to hire some amazing lawyer somewhere to make all this stuff online surface somehow? Sorry for such a long post and thank you so much!!!!

Answer:
 If you’re going to post this on legal advice, which you could, I highly suggest leaving out all the emotional details as they don’t matter at all to the case.Answer #2: Have you heard of paragraphs?Answer #3: Few questions since it was a bit hard to parse your text.
1. Did you have sex before he was 18?
2. Did you ever leave the state together before he was 18?

Also yes, Facebook messages stay in the system even after deletion. So with a court order those can be retrieved.Answer #4: i don’t think this is off topic at all, post this in legal advice


Title: Statistical sampling abuse related to healthcare

Question:
So my family business has fallen victim to a trap clause within the Affordable Care Act requiring approvals to be made about care before required care can be determined (I'm not the manager only a partial victim so my understanding may not be 100%)
We have roughly 100 employees and have been having issues financially dealing with the new requirements and lack luster management within our company (nothing we couldn't handle had it not been for this issue).
Basically we are being fined for the over billing of $600k that we didn't obtain prior authorization for (not that we weren't authorized to Bill for it but there was no way to get prior authorization in those cases)...they come to this number by extrapolating their findings of a 2% sample. The actual error on our part as admitted to by the auditor was just $12 (within the 2% sample)

The only defense on our end as explained to us was to pay the full amount of $600k plus interest (we can't do this) and then file an appeal...or have the owners (aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc) face various other legal challenges

I did some digging myself and it seems there are issues just like ours all over the country...and from the word from our current attorneys is that they are attacking all of the agency's in Ohio like this and it appears to be a malicious action to shut down the small businesses in the healthcare industry

Does anyone have experience here that might help...

Answer: Frankly, this sounds like something that is above Reddit's paygrade. You are probably going to need an attorney to help you navigate this mess.


Title: My landlords want money and help cleaning up the apartment my friend trashed

Question:
(Arizona, USA) So I have a friend named Josh, he's one of my closest friends. At the beginning of the summer he had this big crisis because he was living with another friend and the friend kicked him out. Later came to find out it was because he refused to pay rent, but didn't know that at the time.

He needed a new place to stay and there was a studio open in our complex, so I recommended him to our landlords. They were more than happy to have the extra money, and made a weird lease agreement with him that I don't think exactly followed regulations or something. They didn't do a background check or financial check on him, or ask him for a security deposit or pet deposit.

Last week, he got a promotion, and, along with that, had to move to the other side of the country. He spent his last 2 weeks here by blowing his paycheck and moving money, sleeping on my couch because "my air conditioner was better" and eating all my food and drinking all my alcohol.

He left on Sunday, and today I went to check in on his apartment (I have a key). It was really horrible. He left many of his belongings in the house, as well as food in the fridge and dishes in the sink. There is cat urine and feces, as well as broken glass throughout the floor of the apartment. I lent him my extra couch, and his cats destroyed it by peeing all over it because he wouldn't buy them new litter.

He also decided he was no longer going to pay his car payment, and planned on letting it go to collections. He intended to leave the car parked in the apartment lot until the company came with a tow truck to repossess the car.

He owes my landlord back rent, but he expressly told me he has no intention to pay them.

I sent all this information in an email to my landlord, apologizing that my friend had been irresponsible and just basically letting her know the details, because he told them nothing about his move and they were confused about the state of his affairs. I was just trying to be helpful. If I hadn't told them about the car, they would have had no idea what it was doing there for maybe months.

I get an email back from her. When Josh moved in, they decided to give us a $150 break on our rent for referring someone. She says now that my boyfriend and I should pay that back to her to recoup some of the money they're never going to get from Josh. She also says that I should help her father (also our landlord) clean up the apartment. She also said that she knew I lent him some furniture, but that I would have to dispose of it and we couldn't have any patio furniture because the pee smell would attract our neighborhood's stray cats.

When I was little, I learned that if your friend makes a mess and doesn't clean it up, you have to because it's the right thing to do. However, am I wrong in feeling like I don't owe my landlords money, time spent cleaning, or throwing away my furniture? They were the ones who made a sketchy deal with him, and if they wanted that money, they could take him to small claims court. Yes, I recommended him, but they didn't have to take him. They could have run a credit check on him. I'm sorry he ended up being a jerk, and obviously knowing what I know now, I never would have recommended him in the first place. He took advantage of me also. However, I don't think it's reasonable for our landlord to demand these things.

tl;dr: My friend who moved into our apartment complex trashed the place and left. My landlord now says I owe her money, should help clean the apartment, and get rid of my furniture. Am I being awful for thinking I don't owe them anything?

edit: There was no referral paperwork whatsoever, they just said they'd let us pay less rent that month because I referred someone. No paperwork was signed.

Answer:
 >However, am I wrong in feeling like I don't owe my landlords money, time spent cleaning, or throwing away my furniture?

Nope. Not wrong at all. Your friend is an adult, and he has to be treated like one.

Your landlord also can't demand that $150 back since you completed your end of the bargain by referring a tenant. Unless there were other stipulations attached, the landlord is out of luck. She has to get in touch with Josh and bill him for all the damage he did plus his back rent. I think she will most likely have to sue him.
Answer #2: You have no legal obligation to do any of that. In your shoes I might refund the $150 but that's itAnswer #3: Time to move before we see you back here with escalated predicaments


Title: Child molester just got married (with kids)

Question:
My wife was sexually abused as a child.  Her father was convicted, served 15 years in prison, and is now on probation.

We found out by finding a picture of his wife on Facebook.  There were other photos of the wedding happening (in a basement, it looks like).  His wife does have kids.  She is aware of his convictions.

What we don't know:

1. Whether the marriage is legal
2. The kid arrangement (whether or not the kids are around him)

My wife is upset/concerned.

Is there anything we should/can do?

Answer:
The only question that matters is what his probation conditions are. You can call his PO and let them know. They can look into it. Answer #2: You can contact the probation office with your concerns about the kid. The marriage is irrelevant. Answer #3: You can call the CPS in the area where they are located and let them know. But if he has served his time he is generally free to do as he wants and associate with who he wants to. I do understand why she is concerned, but he has been punished for his crime. There may be a registration requirement, but he isn’t forever banned from having relationships, and in this day and age it often involves kids from prior relationships.Answer #4: They served their time and are on probation. Without knowing the terms of their probation (which i don't know if you have those details) this may be perfectly fine and legal.

If you are concerned and have the probation officer's information, you could let them know your concerns.


Title: [Las Vegas, Nevada, USA] On the 19th I scheduled surgery to have all my wisdom teeth removed on the 21st, a necessary surgery because they are causing me great pain all of a sudden. Did not get day off approved, warned that calling it off after being denied will get me SPI'd. What do I do?

Question:
If I get SPI'd it basically means I am suspended until they call me in in a few days to fire me. I'm terrified of surgery.  But look, I have restricted movement in my jaw since my last painful episode, and now the pain is coming back and it's only gonna get worse. I don't want to lose my job but I don't wanna live through this pain, and I've already seen pictures of what happens when you put it off too long. I've seen people who had the skin rot off their faces and necks. I need to sit here with ibuprofen right now just to manage the pain. My next appointment would have been next week but I'm not going to sit and suffer here any longer.

So no matter what, I am getting the surgery tomorrow.

Also, I have UnitedHealthCare and they don't want to cover most of the surgery or the anesthesia apparently.

What can I do about these two issues?

I don't mind coming in to work on my next scheduled day, I'm not trying to take a week off, just the day of surgery off.

My surgery is estimated to be done by 2:30-3pm. I have work at 4pm. Should I just go in ready for work, and ask them if they still want me to work in my condition? I feel so pissed off and trapped that I am considering doing that just to spite them, and let it show on surveillance footage that I wasn't lying about the surgery and needing to take the damn day off. Hell I don't even know if I will even be capable of doing that. I'm freaking the fuck out, and I have a car I'm paying off, monthly rent and other bills. I guess I won't even be able to pay for school again. This shit is making me suicidal because I'm already just dreading the whole surgery itself regardless of everything else.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Have your surgery and go to work. That seems like the best option.

I had to do the same thing back in the old days when I got mine taken out. I was fine, just didn't talk much. Answer #2: How long hav you been working there, approximately how many employees are at your job site, and did you work more than 1250 hours in the past year?

You may have the right under federal law (the family and medical leave act or "FMLA") to take unpaid time off for this surgery and recovery as a "serious health condition."


Title: "Ex-husband sharing my posts through my 7 year old son's account after he blocked me and my daughter on Facebook." [UK]

Question:
(Hi all, this isn't actually for me but for my mom. She gave me permission to ask for her and she wanted me to write it down for her as I'm a little bit better at English than her.)

First of all, my son mainly uses his account to talk to his dad on messenger and his grandparents abroad. Only have family members as friends etc.

Ok so my ex-husband and his family blocked me and my daughter on facebook. I recently found out that he has been "sharing" my posts via my son's account - he goes on his account, sends my posts selectively, then shares it with some horrible remarks on his account e.g. "out enjoying on my money." He has gone as far as suggesting my post-natal depression is fake and I'm spending child maintenance (which he refuses to pay most of the time) on myself. He says I used him and married him for his money for my kids from my previous marriage. It doesn't help that most of his friends are (closeted) racist and have commented "fucking immigrants" on the said posts.

I have not been able to work due to needing to care for my youngest son who has ASD. I try to do part-time jobs when my ex has the boys for the weekend, but he'll make up excuses to not have them and I end up cancelling.

We are currently going through a divorce he filed with the reason that we haven't been together for a while but really he has been cheating on me with my "best friend" while I was trying to recover from P.N. depression and he has been mentally and physically abusive. Oh and his whole family was on it too.

I know I can't paint the whole picture through a text post but I found this particular act of his abhorrent at the very least and would like some advice on it. Thank you.

Answer:
 I’m not so sure this is a legal problem.

But since your son mostly just uses his Facebook for messaging family can’t you just block your sons account from seeing certain posts that you don’t want your ex husband to see? It’s really easy. You just have to click the options on the upper right corner of each post. You can also just block your son in the settings from seeing any of your posts without unfriendling him.

Edit. It might also be a good idea just to block your ex and his family too.


Title: Friend with dairy allergy was given dairy in a dairy free order

Question:
Hi all, so my friend who has a severe dairy Allergy (NOT lactose intolerance, he goes into shock) went to a branch of a large coffee company today and ordered a drink with almond milk which he has ordered before and made sure to exclude every other part of it that might contain dairy.
Upon drinking it he quickly found that there was dairy in it and ran home to take Benadryl. However, it also quickly became clear that he needed an EpiPen as well to be ok. Between the expensive EpiPen, the fact that the Benadryl will incapacitate him for several hours (he had homework due tonight) and that he's traveling at 1 am for thanksgiving and will still feel ill then there was a good bit of harm done.
He has called the manager and she was rude and all she offered was a couple of coupons and a refund. Can he do better? At least recouping the cost of the EpiPen.
What steps should he take for that? And can he expect to recoup the cost of the EpiPen at least?

(location is Rhode Island, USA btw)

Answer: Honest to goodness, is this friend an adult? The epipen needs to go where he goes. No exceptions. My ten year old knows this. And Benedryl is never a rescue med. Be a good friend and remind him of these things.


Title: [Ontario, CA (Toronto)] how to willingly terminate parental rights

Question:
A friend of mine wants to willingly give up his parental rights to his son( who is 3yrs old) How can he do this? Please don’t ask for context as I don’t have the entire story, I’m just trying to help him out the best I can. Thanks.
Google isn’t of much help. Any links to forms/paperwork are appreciated, also who to contact.

Answer:
 He can't.

The interests of the child take precedence over what the parent wants. He can't just say he doesn't want the kid anymore. Even if he's not interested and doesn't care and never wants to see the kid, he's still responsible.

If it were possible to just surrender parentage, there would be a lot fewer people paying child support.

The child can be adopted, but that requires someone else to go through that long process and take responsibility over. You can't just give it up.


Title: Help! Suspended drivers license after getting in a few accidents on my permit 3 years ago. What can I do?

Question:
Hi,
About three years ago I had a car, a drivers permit and no idea how to drive. Naturally I got myself into a lot of trouble and got into three reported accidents in a months time. I had a permit and I was somehow able to get my license in spite of the outstanding accidents but I'm pretty sure now it is suspended. I didn't have insurance. I have had a suspended license since then and I would like to start cleaning up this mess. This happened in California, in 2014. I now live in New York City. What should I do so its resolved in the most simple and affordable way?
Thanks!

Answer:
 > Naturally I got myself into a lot of trouble

What.


Title: Warranty company keeps referring to techs that won't come and fix the problem

Question:
[USA] [NC]
My AC was running terribly, and had a repair guy come out and do a diagnostic. He said that it needs to be replaced as it is going on 15+ years and it keeps overheating and shutting off and then starting back up again, which is why it is not cooling enough. I called my warranty people and they said they will send out a tech within 24-48 hours. I call the place they referred a few hours later as they said they would contact me but never did and they were closed for the weekend.

After this I called the warranty company again and they found a tech that was 24/7. I got in contact with that guy and he told me he would be out in 1-2 hours. 3 hours later I called again and he is not answering his phone. It is now the next day and he is still not answering his phone. After calling the warranty company again they said there is nothing they can do.

Is this a complete breach of contract and can I just get my own replacement and bill the warranty company at this point?

Answer:
 >Is this a complete breach of contract and can I just get my own replacement and bill the warranty company at this point?

 This depends on your contract with them. I highly doubt they will allow you do your own thing and pay the bill. These warranties are notorious for awful service and failed promises.


Title: My landlord has been entering my rental home unannounced, i know this is legal, but its getting really sketchy and uncomfortable, is there anything i can do?

Question:
Basically what the title says. Ive been living in my rent house for 9 months now with a roommate from college. We moved down to Houston and got this awesome little rent house and every things been great, until recently. It all started when we were having AC trouble. Our AC went out and kept making awful buzzing noises, so i called the landlord to get it checked out. He said no problem, that he would call his guy and he would let me know what the schedule would be like (i assumed so that one of us could be there for the repairman). Well he never calls me back that day and i get home from work to find the AC working, and the filter changed. Hmm, okay i guess? He just came and went and forgot to call me. Seemed a little odd but i heard they can do that, so i consult our lease and find there is a bullet saying that as the property owner he is allowed to do this. Which is okay, it is technically his, but i would be much more comfortable being there but whatever, no big deal. Well two weeks later, it goes out again, and he does the exact same thing. I call him, he says 'okay, ill let you know when the guy is coming out' and doesnt call. Come home to a fixed AC. But this time, my roommates work boots have been moved from there normal spot, and he has collected our mail and put it on the coffee table. Thanks? The idea of a guy wandering around my house unsupervised weirds me out but its been pretty low key stuff so i guess ill let it slide. Until last week. I went to work like normal on a Weds, but realized i left my flash drive at home with some work id done on it that i needed. Get to my house around 11am, unlock my door and pass through the living room, turn the corner and there is my fucking landlord standing at the end of the hallway to our rooms, like some real life Omen shit. I freaked the fuck out for second, then realized its him, took a breath, and let out an awkward 'uhh, hey?'. He gets kinda weird and starts talking fast about how he had to check on something and wanted to check on all the light bulbs (we've been changing our own bulbs for 9 fucking months already, sure...). So i try not to act too weird so he doesnt hate fuck me and throw me in a dungeon and tell him thanks, that i was just grabbing something and was headed back to work. He says he's done and was just about to walk out, says bye, then leaves. Uhhh why was he near our bedrooms? Why the fuck was the door locked? Why wouldnt he just call one of us? What the fuck man. I tell my roommate, we both ponder the questions, but ultimately feel helpless as nothing was really wrong and our lease says he's in the clear. Well, fast forward to today. My roommate texts me and asked me how i beat him home for lunch (he goes home for lunch a lot because he works right next to the house but i work pretty far away), if i had been in his room, and said thanks for grabbing his amazon packages. I called him right away and said i had done none of those things and was eating at work. He then got weird and started looking around to make sure all of his shit was in order. He cant find anything missing, but said his door was wide open and the cat was wandering around (its usually shut with the cat in his room), his 2 packages were stacked on the coffee table, and there were bread crumbs on the counter and a knife with fresh mayo on it in the sink that wasnt his (hes a clean kitchen nazi). WHAT THE FUCK. he came in, let the cat out, brought in our packages and then made a fucking sandwich?! how often is this shit happening? What the hell do i do?

So im asking yall, what the fuck should i do? call the cops? can i add my own lock? when does this cross the border from legal to illegal? he ate my fucking sara lee bread! i live for its soft deliciousness and shit aint cheap! ive already been looking into buying a couple drop cams for our rooms and living room. and if i do catch him doing shit, what do i do? we have 3 months left on our lease and really love the house, but this is creeping me the fuck out and we dont really have a second option in a new city.

TLDR: landlord is being weird as fuck and walking into our house unannounced, slightly tampering with shit, lurking in our hallways like a creature of the night, and eating my golden loaves of bread! HELP!

Answer:
 Did I miss where you said what state you're in?  Generally you have the right to notice before your landlord enters the property to inspect or make repairs, except in an emergency.  Your lease cannot waive this requirement.

Your state law may vary.


Title: I (living in US currently) bought some meat products online from a foreign country. It was found and confiscated. Aside from the waste of money, would there have any long-term consequences for me?

Question:
I am a Chinese student currently in the US. A while ago I found a Chinese shopping website that specifically cater to overseas people, and they were advertising a brand seasoned duck meat which is not available here. They used EMS and when I got the package, I saw a "US customs agriculture inspected" and the box was empty aside from a slip about the inspection and confiscation.

So I accept this result since the stuff was indeed not allowed to send and I was playing a luck game. But I just realized, since the package have my name, address and phone number on it (this information also found on the slip), would there be any longer-lasting consequences directed to me. What I could think of: (1) police investigation? (2) future packages by me / to me will be more likely to be opened? (3) my baggage will be more likely to be opened during international air travel? Would these be possible?

Location: Texas, USA. I'm not sure if state important since this is about a federal regulation.
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer: very unlikely, unless you were ordering such a quantity that they would suspect you were smuggling things in for resale.


Title: Can a wife bring a marriage certificate to a bank and request bank statement information?

Question: The premise is that there's no prenup. Can a wife obtain all the information about her husband's financial situation ?

Answer: If the person is not authorized on the account then the bank should not give out information, even to a spouse.


Title: [NE] Neighbor is building temp fence on my mom's property.

Question:
My mom owns a 112 year old house in Omaha.  Yards are small, and garages built in backyards.  The neighbors driveway runs parallel to the fence between our properties.  The driveway was too small for anything but a model T ford to get through.  I lived in the house for 5 years, my neighbor was super nice and asked if we could take the fence down between our property so he could get his truck into the garage (he rented the house).  Since the fence was broken, rusty and full of mulberry trees, I took it down.  Over the next 3 years his truck wore tire tracks further and further into my lawn.  I regretted my decision.

He moved out, a couple other tenants came and went.   I moved out a year ago.  Since then a new guy moved in next door and has said the drive way is too small and keeps driving on our lawn.  My dad told him to stop, he didn't.  I found the property line (it's a metal spike) and our property line goes about 3 feet into his driveway.  We told him this and now he's constructed a fence blatantly on our property.  My dad is in his 70's and he's a 35 year old hot head.  My dad doesn't want confrontation.  I however welcome that.  Should I go at night and remove the fence or should we send a letter to the landlord demanding they remove it.  If we build a fence on the true property line, he loses access to his garage.   The driveway is too narrow, (honestly it was built for horse and buggy). I also feel like if we build a fence we have to  concurrently install a security camera because he'll tear it down.  Also if he refuses to move his vehicles and we block them in, then what happens?  If we don't do anything, what happens?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 I would contact a real estate lawyer here, because you have several options, including to sell him the property so he can have his driveway.

Is the guy that built the fence an owner, or a tenant? If they are a tenant, you can push the landlord and see what they can do.Answer #2: The Model T was 66 inches wide. A 2017 Honda Fit is 67 inches wide.  Some modern cars could fit that driveway if the Model T statement is correct.


Title: [NY] Is it legal for a 13 year old to "own" a rifle that was bought as a gift by an adult? Shoot it on his own property / take it to various gun-friendly locations / etc.?

Answer:
 * Minors under 21 may not possess handguns, and minors under 16 may not possess any other firearms without parental permission or authorized supervision.
* No selling or giving firearms to minors under 19, unless for supervised loans of firearms or for limited lawful activities, such as hunting.

You can "possess" one at 13 if your have adult supervision.  If no adult, you can't be in possession.

At 16, you can possess a rifle, but not a handgun.


Title: My apartment leaks every time it rains and the landlord will not fix it.

Question:
Hi All,

I live on the top floor of a low rise building in New York City. Every time it rains our kitchen roof leaks severely and anything near the leak gets ruined.

We (my roommate and I) have informed building management several times, and they usually send someone up to help clean the water but do nothing to fix it.

What can we do to make sure they fix it? Or are at least compensated fairly for having this leak?

Thank you!

Answer:
 You can send them a letter letting them know of the problem with the unit, that you consider it a habitability issue, and asking that they fix it.  Give them a reasonable period of time to make the repairs.

Guessing that in NYC saying your landlord breached the lease and moving out is not an outcome you're going for, you may want to instead involve the [city government](http://advocate.nyc.gov/landlord-watchlist/tenant-rights).


Title: Abusing free trial subscriptions

Question:
Hopefully the right subreddit to ask.

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Is it illegal to sign up for multiple free trial subscription boxes? I've read somewhere that it can be considered mail fraud. I've recently received an email from a company asking about my activity and I was just wondering what your thoughts on this were.

&#x200B;

I always used a real credit card that was in MY name. I did use different versions of my name (Bob Lee, Bobby Lee, Bobs L, B Lee, etc.)

&#x200B;

Thoughts?

Answer: I’m assuming somewhere in the terms it states only one free trail per person or customer. So yes, you would be committing fraud.