Title: Received a $5k relocation allowance for a contract job I expected to last 5 years. Company pulled the contract <year later. They are now trying to take the money back.

Question:
I took a job in the US with a large aeronautics company, let's call them Lousy Moutherfuckers (or LM for short), in April 2016. They paid me $5000 to relocate. There was a stipulation that I had to stay in the job for at least a year or I would have to pay it back plus taxes. This is the exact wording of that agreement:

"I agree that if I voluntarily terminate or otherwise leave my employment for reasons within my own control, or am terminated for cause within one year from date of commencement of work after arrival at a new work location, I will promptly reimburse (Company) the full amount of all relocation moneis paid to or for me by the (Company)."

When I accepted the job with LM they said to expect the contract to last 5-10 years. I took the job with no intentions of leaving. I bought a house in the local area, started taking classes, got braces, and bought a car. I had settled in. Suddenly in February of 2017 they told us the contract was not getting renewed and we would need to find other employment by April.

I found another job outside of LM within a few weeks. Before I accepted the new job I asked my local site leads if we would be responsible to pay back the relocation. Since we worked at a satellite location in Utah they had to run the question up to the Program Manager in Florida. He came back and said not to worry because the position was closing at no fault of our own. I took that answer and accepted the new job. Unfortunately I did not get that answer in writing and I can't find anyone that still has the email.

I am now receiving letters from LM telling me I owe them $8k (the $5k they paid me and reimbursement for the taxes they had paid on the sum). I have emailed my old Program Manager and he is running it up to his director and HR. I am optimistic he will take care of it, but one of my old co-workers that also left the company, who has a different manager but the same HR rep, was told he is responsible to pay because he voluntarily left to another company prior the contract officially closing.

To me it feels like they are playing semantics. They told us our job was ending before the year was up. We found another job based on that information, so that means we left voluntarily. Like we were supposed to turn down job offers just to sit and wait out the clock on a dead contract. It smells like bullshit.

So, r/legaladvice, let's hear your advice. Do you think this something I have grounds to fight? Should I talk to a lawyer if I am asked to pay?

Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Do you have their recommendation to find work elsewhere in writing? They may have you on a technicality that you went and found another job, but you could argue constructive dismissal. I would talk to your old coworkers and get a lawyer together, since this is something that affected multiple people. Answer #2: Keep calling, not just your former management but also anyone indicated in the letters and explain to them the issue telling them that you were told to quit and requesting a letter confirming that you do not owe. If you don't make progress after a week or so, get an employment lawyer.

I had exactly this happen to me by (probably) the same company in MD many years ago. I thought I resolved it but did not get it in writing, then it dragged on forever until I got the lawyer.Answer #3: If you took a job before your contract was ended, they may have you. You need to get an attorney involved at this point. Answer #4: At the very least, you should be able to figure out the $3K tax part. You may have to discuss it with the tax advisor (or just research online). If you are to repay that portion back to the employer, you should be able to either amend your last year tax return or claim it in this year tax return. But either way, you should be able to get it back as part of the tax return process since this becomes a tax on the money you had to return.

Make sure you only pay them back as much as went through your pay checks and W2, not anything extra of the "employer portion" of the taxes.


Title: Squatters in a Neighbors house in MD.

Question:
A mother and her 2 daughters have recently moved in to a neighbors house, the house was recently foreclosed and is owned by the Bank. A member of the community staff tried to check on the house and they had broken in and changed the locks have been changed (by the squatters). The Mother has gone to the extent of walking around and introducing herself to many people in the community. What can i do to remove them from the house? What is the fastest corse of action?
Edit: Easton, Maryland. I'm aware that their are no Squatters rights in MD.

Answer: If it's not your house, you can't remove them. You can call the police and report them, or inform the owners of the home.


Title: Can my rate of pay fluctuate dependent upon who is on duty?

Question:
To start with I live in Florida. Now the issue is that in the grocery store that I work at they are offering a promotion to shift lead which comes with a $2 raise. That being said if there is a manager on duty, then the time in which the shift lead is working, underneath the manager, they'll only receive the entry level pay that the standard employees receive. While unfair, I want to know if there is any legal ground in which the company can stand on when doing this.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 >While unfair, I want to know if there is any legal ground in which the company can stand on when doing this.

They don't need a legal leg to stand on.

You are free to agree to or refuse to work under this arrangement. If you agree, then they don't need any "legal ground" for you to have a mutually consensual arrangement like that.Answer #2: This isn't illegal, even in employee friendly states.  Think of it this way, the $2 is for the additional duties/responsibilities you have when you fill the shift lead role.  When you don't have to fill that role, you are not paid for it.

A certain airline does this all the time.  Flight Attendants who act a purser get a few more bucks an hour on those flights.  From what I understand, it isn't worth it, so the purser is usually the lowest ranked FA.


Title: My school just called me in..

Question:
My school just called me into the office. They found writing on the wall that says "I have a grenade". They said that I wrote it because I have similar hand writing and was the last person to use the bathroom, but before me an entire sports team went in. The administration told me that they were going to ask the sports team if they saw the writing and deal with me from there.

They didnt let me call my mom, or let her come in. The police officer said I wasn't being honest, and that there would be serious consequences if I was lying. He said this because he said I seemed nervous.

What can I do?

Just in case I have to clarify: I did not write it.

Answer: What school administrator knows the handwriting of a single student? Answer #2: Watch out because they might try saying "XXX saw you do it, you may as well confess". Don't back down man


Title: Pot shop in Tennessee

Question:
Tennessee currently has a bill on the house floor (that will be voted on in 2018) to legalize medicinal marijuana. I am hoping to open up a medicinal shop if this bill should pass. What legal steps (if the bill should pass) do I need to take to be able to open my shop. I know very little in this field so any advice would be helpful.
Thanks.

Answer:
 > What legal steps (if the bill should pass) do I need to take to be able to open my shop.

Step 1) Hire a lawyer.

Step 2) Do it however your lawyer says you need to do it.

Step 3) ?

Step 4) Congratulations. You bought yourself an expensive job.


Title: Ignorant Coworker

Question:
Location: Ontario Canada

One of my coworkers has an intellectual disability. I'm not sure of the politically correct term here, I grew up knowing it as being "slow" but I know that isn't correct now. Everyone knows this about Jason (random name for clarity sake).

Last week Jason was in my area helping unload some boxes while Peggy (another coworker) was doing something else.

Jason accidentally dropped a box and a few items were damaged. No big deal, I drop stuff all the time, everyone does.

Peggy sees this, and starts going off on a rant. Then yells at Jason "this is why people with disabilities shouldn't work here!"

I was in too much shock to say anything at that moment.

Jason was shook-up by this, and I helped him go to HR about it.

Well HR basically gave Peggy a slap on the wrist and said it was just ignorance she didn't know. Whatever.

Am I right here to be pissed off? I mean Canada has some pretty strict discrimination and harrassment laws. Especially for people with disabilities. Should this not have gotten Peggy fired???

Am I just over reacting here? A close family member of mine is intellectually challenged, so this hits close to home. And Jason and I are pretty close for being coworkers.

Appreciate any advice here, and will pass along to Jason it need be.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 If it was a one time incident then HR talking to her and explaining it's not appropriate for her to repeat it then that's that. Answer #2: Get Jason to file a report with the Department of Labor about abuse and discrimination at work.

I have a child with autism and ID and this just raises my hackles.


Title: Intent to posses prescription narcotics

Question: So if someone could help, that would be great. Basically, in my state, Montana, is intent to posses prescription narcotics a crime? Essentially what happened is I mentioned to my friend that I would at some point like to buy adderall (a prescription narcotic) and he mentioned he knew someone who would like to sell to me. He then proceeded to buy some for his own consumption, and was caught by the police. My name was mentioned in a text message as wanting to purchase the adderall. Is this a crime? If so, what should I do?

Answer:
 No, you most likely will not be charged. You could be on the polices radar now.

Edit: And because we've seen this so many times before in here.... in a month, when your *friend* calls and says he has Adderall for sale, you should probably not buy any as he's most likely working for the police looking to lighten his sentence or avoid charges completely.


Title: My California high school has suspended me, and I don't think it's justified

Question:
I live in California.

Recently an Instagram account with offensive photos that targeted some African-Americans at our school was discovered. Every single person following that account, a total of 14 people including myself, were given a 5 day suspension.

Here's the information I think is relevant:

- I live in the Bay Area

- My involvement in the account was pretty minimal: I had one comment on one offensive post that stated "yep", had liked no posts, and was following the account. That's it.

- My parents and I have not received any kind of notice that states the specific offense I've committed, and it is my understanding that a notice of this sort is required by law.

- My math teacher is not allowing me to make up a test that I will miss due to this suspension.

- The police department is also conducting a criminal investigation, trying to determine whether or not the account constitutes a hate crime, that sort of thing.

- I was brought in for questioning by the police, and that seemed a little suspect. No parental consent or anything.

- It was a private Instagram account that belonged to another student. The account was not dedicated to being racist/offensive, it just had some offensive posts on it.

Is there anything I can do about this? Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you.

Edit:

I'm 17 and the suspension began yesterday (Thursday 3/23)

Answer:
 Mebbe stop following offensive and racist accounts?

Do a 180 here and decide NOT to continue embracing those ideas? Because you were suspended? Maybe those ideas are not good ones?


Title: Oregon. Can my employer do this to deny me my breaks?

Question:
I was assigned a shift from 2000-0400 (8pm to 4am). During my shift I radioed in to tell them I was taking my lunch break. I immediately get a response back informing me that I don't get a lunch break on a 4 hour shift, and because my shift falls through midnight it is actually counted as two back to back four hour shifts, and I was denied my lunch.

Is this technically legal?

Answer:
 https://www.oregon.gov/boli/ta/pages/t_faq_meal_and_rest_period_rules.aspx

>Meal periods of not less than 30 minutes must be provided to non-exempt employees who work 6 or more hours in one work period.
>
>Work period is defined as the period between the time an employee begins work and the time the employee ends work, including all rest breaks and any period of one hour or less not designated as a meal period during which the employee is relieved of all duties.


Title: [GA] Got caught With Girlfriend in a park after closing hours and got a citation.

Question:
Basically I got caught with my girlfriend after the park closed in our car just making out. We're both seventeen if that is relevant in the state of Georgia.We both got citations and I was wondering if we should just call in and pay the fines or should we go to court? The officer seemed pretty adamant that he would be at the court date as well. Should we just pay the fines and apologize to the officers for breaking the law?
Edit: A little followup i have to wait 5 days until i can call and see if i have to appear before a jury or if I can just pay it off like a speeding ticket.

Answer:
 Just pay the citation, it won't hurt you.

Take responsibility for your behavior and


Title: Minor Car Accident... Time Sensitive. Please give Advice.

Question:
Southern California, US.

I had a minor accident, and stupid albiet.

Was at a stop light, saw the green light and went. It was actually a "left green light" my lane was still at a red light. I rear ended the car in front of me @ 5mph. I don't actually remember if the car in front of me did the same thing, went and stopped but my timing was delayed and ended up bumping his car.

We pulled over had a police show up and the cop suggested we don't need a police report since the damages seem minor. Go through each of our insurance claims, etc.

Problem: I am driving my relative's car. His car is also late on tags. He paid it but the tags haven't arrived because he didn't update the smog yet. I have a suspended license. I also am not listed as a driver under my relative's car. The cop spoked lengthily to the other party in his car and the driver I hit left with some papers. Then the cop spoke to me. Suggested I somehow get added to the insurance policy using some loophole, but my insurance company won't insure me because my license is suspended (since I last checked which was last year).

What should I do? Am I automatically at fault since I rear ended him? How do I avoid being sued? The party seems decent and just wants to make sure his car if fixed. How can I find the means to pay for his damage? (kind of have to not care about the damages done on my relative's car since that can be solved with more mercy).

Answer: You're liable. You can try to go through insurance but your claim might get denied. I wouldn't recommend lying to the insurance company or trying a "loophole".


Title: Virginia reckless driving. 82 in a 65. Scared to death.

Question: Ive been recently pulled over for going 82 in a 65 mile an hour zone in Virginia. I am a Virginia resident. I realize what I was doing was stupid. In trying to find out what to do, I see stories of people going to jail. Im 22 years old and was driving a sports car so Im absolutely terrified of what will happen to me in court. I am genuinely scared that I have ruined my future. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer but I live in Virginia. You need a lawyer. Anything over 80 in VA is reckless driving.

Edit:hit to butAnswer #2: Not to make it worse. But you should be scared, as others have said, Virginia takes speeding very seriously and for good reason. My neighbor was caught speeding roughly about the same speed differential you were going, she lost her license with minimal jail time.

On a side note, if you are found guilty you may want to sell the car. Your insurance rates at that age are gonna sky rocket. A cheaper car the better. Unless you can afford it. Answer #3: You need an attorney immediately. Reckless driving isn't taken lightly in Virginia.Answer #4: You have two options.

A) Just go to court. You'll be at the mercy of the judge, who can and may well impose some seriously insane penalties. Jail time, four digit fines, and license suspension are all on the table.

B) Get a lawyer. This is a common thing in VA, and you should be able to find one with tons of experience. You'll likely get the charges reduced to something involving a modest fine plus a minor violation on your record. Maybe even no points.

Those are your two options. Pick one. The likely outcome within each of those scenarios largely depends on the county you were caught in.


Title: Administrative Staff at Skilled Nursing Facility is not talking with insurance and is demanding us to pay. (IL USA)

Question:
My dad is currently at a skilled nursing facility and he has been there since October. Our HMO Insurance was covering it and then it stopped on January 16; because the admission director told the insurance that my dad was at custodial level of care. She is not a medical professional to be telling the insurance that information.

We (my mom and myself) found out that my dad has PPO insurance. We told the admission director to use that insurance. The admission director said, "When they deny coverage then you will have to come in with a check to pay us for the time he is here."
The PPO approved his stay. Then on January 23 the insurance stopped coverage. We find out that the facility is not sending over Physical therapy notes nor, bills.
We are asking the facility to send this over, but someone is telling them that we have no right to an appeal. I am telling them that is a lie and to call the insurance. They say they are, but when I call the insurance the insurance says that they haven't spoke to the facility since January 16.
My dad is still there and the facility is hounding us to pay them $11,000 for my dad's stay (from March 3-March 10).
I am asking them to send over more Physical Therapy note and bills to the insurance, but they haven't yet.

Update: I got in contact with the corporate manager and she is ashamed of what happened and the lack of communication with everyone. She will work on everything on Monday and call me with any updates

Answer:
 Request the documentation you need for the insurance to reprocess your father's stay and provide it to the insurance company.

Ultimately your father's arrangement with his insurer is on him.  That is obviously difficult in many situations, but it is the state of how things work at present.

>She is not a medical professional to be telling the insurance that information.

It is obviously common that administrative staff and not trained medical professionals communicate with insurance companies.  They do so by reading the facilities records created by medical professionals.  If doctors or nurses had to take every call from an insurance company the price of care would correspondingly increase.

If what she told them is false, you should be able to have that report corrected.


Title: Hulk Hogan lawsuit has officially killed Gawker - Gossip site to shut down next week.

Answer: Oh, well. If you want to call out celebrities that can afford to sue you, you might want to have the money to be able to afford to legally protecting yourself.


Title: (NY) Store Owner/Manager Attempts to $500+ from a Customer's Credit Card

Question:
Posting for a friend of mine because she doesn't use Reddit.

Today, my friend's manager told her to take down a customer's credit card information and give it to her. The reason she gave for this was the customer's card got declined, and my friend went along with it and provided the info because she assumed her manager had a good reason for it and didn't really understand what the manager was going to do with it (she assumed the manager was going to try to charge the account some other way, because there was an issue with the card). The manager then proceeded to attempt to steal over $500 from it, which predictably didn't work because the card had just been declined.

This is all she told me, but I will try to clarify anything if needed. What kind of trouble has my friend gotten herself into and how should she go about reporting this?  Also, this manager recently asked her if she would link her (Friend's) card to the manager's PayPal account so she could withdraw her money for her "because she just cancelled her card and can't do it."  She said no for obvious reasons.

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer and I'm not sure if your friend would have much legal liability here but she could get fired for this. Credit card info typically isn't stored in such a way that it can be used later by a merchant. My understanding is that PCI compliance is an industry issue and not a law enforced by the government.

Your friend may want to look in to employment elsewhere if this is how the owner runs their business.


Title: Girlfriends ex-roommate wants her to stay on lease (NYC)

Question:
My girlfriend just moved in with me from a 3 bedroom she leased with a friend a few years back (both in nyc).  Her friend wants her to stay on the lease because:

a) she doesnt have the salary to be the only one on the lease
b)she wants to charge a new person in that room more so she can pay a very low price for her room

Ive talked to my girlfriend about how this is a bad idea and how her friend can get her father to cosign, sign the lease with the new roommate(s), or she can just find a new place to live.  My girlfriend is adamant about not only staying on the lease, but letting her friend rent out the room opposed to renting the room ourselves to get some financial benefit for helping her friend stay in the apartment without having anyone new on the lease.

I know this is a bad idea, but what are the real risks shes taking?  Thanks!

Answer:
 >  but what are the real risks shes taking?

Being financially responsible for the entirety of the lease.


Title: [RI] Need help figuring out if this Evergreen clause is legally voidable

Question:
I'm trying to get out of a contract with a huge trash company (with access to much deeper legal resources than myself) who is price gouging my business (price has more than doubled since we began in 2008). This unnamed large company has a really good contract, and I haven't been able to find any loopholes to exit, until now.

The agreement renews every few years, with a very small window to exit the agreement without exorbitant fees.

Pursuant to [RIGL 6-13-14](http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE6/6-13/6-13-14.HTM), if we aren't given written notice that the lease term is ending, we can void the contract.

As far as I can, we don't own the dumpsters -- they even have the company's logo on the side. We receive a charge on every bill for these dumpsters. Although the word "Lease" is not explicitly stated anywhere in the contract or on the bill, is this a lease in a legal sense?

We are given exclusive rights to the equipment, we don't own it, and upon termination of the agreement the equipment would be taken by the trash company. To me, this is essentially a lease, but I need to know if it would be defined as such in small claims court.

Answer: Nothing can force you to contract with them indefinitely.  If you give notice that you do not wish to renew the contract, they cannot force you to keep doing business with them.  It's possible that you will have to pay cancellation fees, but if they truly are exorbitant e.g. the cost of the contract for another full term, they may not be legal.  You should consult an attorney familiar with contract law in Rhode Island.


Title: What do i need to sue my Neighbor for a scratch on my car? It was his caused by his 4 year old son.

Question:
I am trying to get my neighbor to pay for my hood being repainted because his 4 year old son accidentally scratched it. I didn't see it actually happen but when i came outside, the other kids in the neighborhood said that the 4 year old did it.
i sent them 3 estimates of around $500 each, but i don't think they are going to pay it.
I just am not sure if it is worth going to court for and if i do, what documents will i need to get a judgment?

Answer:
 Let me guess -- the other kids were all older?  Far be it for older kids to point the blame at a younger kid. To get a judgment, you'll need to go to small claims court and prove that the 4-year-old did it.

You should really consider whether your hood actually does need repainting.  I had a dog somehow climb up the hood of my car to sit on the roof and scratched the hood all up.  About 30 minutes with polishing cream and all the scratches were gone.
Answer #2: Get any and all  documentation to can gather and file a claim against their homeowners insurance. But honestly with little to no evidence other than the statement of children it's going to be an uphill battle


Title: [VA] Landlord wants to deduct from security deposit, but itemized deductions were sent after 45 days.

Question: So my lease ended on May 26, 2018, and after weeks of asking her when we can expect the security deposit back, the landlord just today (July 13, 2018) sent us a list of deductions she is taking from the security deposit. She has never consulted me about any of these deductions until just now. This is my first ever lease, so I'm not sure of how all this works, but since it is after 45 days, it seems like she is obligated to return the full amount if she hasn't provided itemized deductions in that time. Any help would be appreciated! I can provide more details if necessary. I live in Virginia.

Answer: Did the lease actually end May 26, or did you just move out that day?  Most leases end the last day of the month, so it would still be under 45 days. Answer #2: One of the key items missing in the post is what’s being deducted so it’s not even determinable it they are allowable deductions. My state doesn’t allow normal wear and tear to be deducted from security. That doesn’t mean LL don’t try all the time. But since we don’t if this is for wear and tear or a hole through the roof it’s hard to say.


Title: I legally transferred the title of my car to my girlfriend for insurance reasons. We broke up, and I'm now out of a vehicle i paid for 100%. Did I fuck up?

Question: Basically what the title says. The car was worth 4500 maybe 5 grand. The only reason I gave her ownership was insurance was much cheaper for her(120$/mo cheaper) than me. It was foolish i guess but we'd been happy for 5 years so i didn't see it coming. Anyways I guess I'm just wondering if I have any leverage in this situation, and how fubar'ed am i.

Answer: The title's in her name, it's her car. You have nothing.


Title: Car dealership forged my signature

Question: Hey guys so I recently bought a used car and the dealership had me sign at a 4.24 APR but when the bank received the loan it was at a higher rate. They sent a different piece of paper then what we had signed and the sent our signatures from the other loan separately to verify it. The Owner of the dealership called and apologized but I want to know if I should take legal action. I signed on it with my parents as cosigners, and my parents aren’t the type to sue. Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 You can contact the police (forgery is a crime) and the state regulatory agency that oversees car dealerships.Answer #2: Complain to the CFPB. I had this exact situation happen at a Ford Dealer, and I got action by doing this. Answer #3: Absolutely report this to the police.  If they did it to you they are likely doing it to other people.Answer #4: How did that apology go? “I’m sorry we forged your signature, have a free air freshener on us.”

Did they fix the APR?


Title: Got duplicate item from overseas, mine to keep?

Question:
I recently bought an item from the US and it has arrived here in Australia in duplicate, so now I have a spare item that I would love to keep. Since the company is from the US, do the regulations surrounding the item concern US fair trade law, or Australian?

US trade law says any unsolicited goods received may instantly be deemed a gift, however Australian law says the company has a month to collect their product back.

Can the company from the US follow Australian laws and try and retrieve their accidental sent item or is it likely being a US company they won't? Thanks!

Answer:
 You are misunderstanding US law. This was not an unsolicited item. You ordered one. You got two. You need to let them know and see if they want it back. The law you're referring to is if, out of the blue, a package arrives from someone you've never done business with and never heard of and then they demand payment.

So under both US and Australian law you should notify them, keep records of that, and let them make a decision on how to proceed.


Title: Amazon France wants to cancel an order citing French Predatory Pricing Law, does it apply in this case?

Question:
So I have attempted to purchase something vastly below its normal price from Amazon in France, and received an email stating "We were forced to withdraw this item from your selection for the sale of the latter to the wrong price would have resulted in a sale at a loss, which is prohibited by law." (translated with Google)

My very basic understanding of this EU law is that it only applies if the sale of the product or service is being done below cost "with the purpose of forcing other firms out of business."
However, a pricing error would mean there was no such purpose.

I am writing this from down in Australia, where if something is advertised at a price, then that is the price you get it at, with the exception being if the party selling it clarifies before you attempt to buy that they had made a mistake and removes said price.

This was not the case when I made my purchase.

Have I mis-interpreted this law in the EU?

Answer:
 >I am writing this from down in Australia, where if something is advertised at a price, then that is the price you get it at

Bet it doesn't work that way in Australia. This is basic contracts. You made an offer, they didn't accept it, no contract.

If Australians were forcing online retailers to honor pricing mistakes I would have heard about it.


Title: someone keeps sending my teenage friends nudes [singapore]

Question:
hi r/legaladvice

so someone keeps spamming my friends' instagram messages with his nudes. (we have blocked him.)

we are thirteen years old and female.

is this illegal where i live? can we report him?

thanks.

edit: one of my other friends says he keeps on saying he wants to "f*** her" help
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Tell your parents, school counselors really any trusted adult.  I suspect this is a "friend" exercising extremely poor and illegal judgement.  In case it is a pedophile ask the trusted adult to help report this to the police.Answer #2: Yes, make a police report. This may be an offence under the [Protection from Harassment Act](https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act-Rev/PHA2014/Published/20150525?DocDate=20150525) and/or the offence of insulting the modesty of a woman under the Penal Code, among other things.


Title: [US, Florida] Questions about "Being Hispanic"

Question:
TL;DR: I don't consider myself hispanic. Must I legally identify myself as hispanic on **government** documents?

My father is 100% Cuban and family only moved to US when Castro seized his assets and properties. My mom is a european mix. The only thing about me that is hispanic is my name. I was born in the US. I look like a generic white guy and have no spanish in my accent. I don't associate with my father or his side of the family.

There are two ways they are worded. Sometimes they just have one question that groups hispanic in with race, other times they ask it separately from race.

Apologies for this question but I have to fill out so much paperwork this is a constant question for me.

Thank you for your time.

Answer:
 The Office of Personnel Management defined race and ethnicity in 1997:

https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf181.pdf

As per the linked document, you are Hispanic/Latino: "A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race."Answer #2: Ethnicity is a choice. So mark the box or don't. Up to you


Title: [NY] Can a public schools search cars without a warrant or law enforcement

Question:
I've noticed that High Schools in areas around me have code of conducts that state they are allowed to search a vehicle without a warrant if they have probable cause. Along with they do not need students consent or knowledge they search the Vehicle (I doubt they'd break into cars.)

Now I know real law enforcement has that. But do school administration and security officers (Non-LEO's) have that right as well?

Answer:
 School staff may search a student if there are “reasonable grounds” that the search will turn up evidence that the student broke a school rule or law. They must have a specific reason to believe you broke a school rule.  For example, someone told school staff you had cigarettes in your bag/locker/car/whatever. They can't just be like "he is a bad kid so he probably has cigarettes in his car"

If your car is parked on school property, your car is included in that.

Probable cause could be that a teacher walks by and sees marijuana in the passenger seat.


Title: Had to switch hotel rooms [NY] and wondering if this room is legal?

Question: Just switched hotel rooms.  It's a suite and you walk into the bedroom.  It has another room, which has a sleeper sofa, tv, and dresser, and this room is connected with a steel door with a long glass panel.  The room with the sleeper sofa does not have a window.  There is also no heater or anything and with the door closed it is freezing. Is this legal?  I thought the rule was two exits were required for a room?

Answer: Zoning laws are grandfathered so an old building doesn't need to be changed until major renovations.  Or they convinced the inspector it was one room.


Title: Failure to stay in single lane

Question:
I’m attending court for a ticket that i got one night when i totaled my vehicle into a ditch around 4 am. Someone called the cops and they showed up.  i passed sobriety test but received a ticket for failure to stay in a single lane.
I’m representing myself hoping the officer on duty will not appear.  ANY ADVICE on the best way to get off with the judge?    I’m a 20 yr old female. In the police report i had told them the truth. That i got of work very late bc of my bartending occupation i was driving home tired and reached for my belongings in the passenger side and lost control.     The officer even checked my phone and stated he has no evidence that i could have been texting and driving.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: You didn’t stay in your lane... you failed to operate the vehicle with the care needed to not wreck it.  You appear to have broken the law for which you have been cited.  You can ask nicely, but that’s about it.


Title: Tattoos and work place discrimination

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Can you get gloves tattooed on your hands? Then everybody wins.

Legal advice:  Hand tattoos make your life harder. Legally, there isn't anything you can. Do about that.


Title: My former neighbor has sued me 12 times for being a witch [serious post]

Question: I swear I am not trolling. A man who used to live in my neighborhood has sued me 12 separate times because I'm a witch, having filed in many different jurisdictions. I know he has mental issues because CPS took his kids and he abandoned his house and it was foreclosed. I haven't spoken to him in 2 years and he has never been violent at me but I am sick of this. The first 11 times he sued it was dismissed and he had to pay costs. I was served again yesterday. It's to the point where no lawyer where I live will take me on as a client because he never pays the costs so it's not worth their time. He is jobless as far as I know. So not only do I have to travel to a different town to get a lawyer but I have also lost over 30 days of pay because of all the times I've had to miss work to go to court or go see my lawyer. I have a restraining order against him and like I said he had never contacted me but lawsuits are not included in the order (I tried but this is a violation of his rights apparently). What can I do to get him to stop? It sounds stupid but this is wrecking my life. The location is Florida. Thanks in advance.

Answer: according to section 3 of the Malleus Maleficarum, hes got a strong case


Title: How are there only 2 wanted people from Mexico according to Interpol red flags?

Question:
I just wonder how it works, I was randomly looking up Interpol wanted list and there are people there for things for all kinds reasons, but when I filter it by wanted country? I assumed Mexico would be insanely long giving the cartels , drugs, and corruption, but it only shows 2 people?

do they not post their red flags? or is it that hard for them to get red flags?

Answer: Interpol is an international police agency working group that exists largely to facilitate cooperation between police in different countries. Many of the kinds of crimes you're talking about are strictly internal to Mexico, and many more are addressed by direct coordination between Mexican, American, Guatemalan, Belizean, and Cuban agencies, without Interpol's involvement.


Title: [NC] No notice to appear then failure to appear

Question:
My mom called me today to let me know that the police were looking for me for a failure to appear.

I know the importance of going to court if you get a court date. The issue is, *I never received any notice to go to court*. My mom says she didn't either.

Further, there is no reason *anyone* should believe I live at my mom's house. I haven't lived there for three years. My current address is updated everywhere it should be -- that is, with USPS, the DMV (both registration and license), and even my voter registration has my current address.

I haven't been arrested. I haven't been charged with a crime.

WTF, how did this happen? It's assumed that I *did* get a notice and that I just chose not to go to court. How is this even supposed to be avoided? How am I even supposed to prove I didn't get notice? Is everyone expected to call the police every time they move just in case? Am I supposed to be calling the police every day just to make sure that there aren't any warrants for me?

This sucks.

Edit: I do have a lawyer that will be addressing this on Monday, but I just wanted to know what is *supposed* to happen.

Answer: Call the station tomorrow morning and ask what all of this is about. Are you sure to don't have any overdue tickets?


Title: (L.A. County)What Should I do About the Noisy & Difficult New Neighbors Moving In? With a twist!

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Personally I would just report them.  You already tried the nice way by talking to them, so now its on them.  Its not like you are being unreasonable.

But def start parking in the garage and move your stuff inside.


Title: [Illinois] Graduated law school, yet to take the bar, gave friend some (legal?) advice, am I in hot water?

Question:
I'll keep it short. I received a phone call about 2 weeks ago from a friend who had some drug charges brought against her. I told her that I was not licensed to practice, to stop sending text messages about the issue to me or anyone else, and to start looking for an attorney in the area. I consider this person my friend, who was clearly very shaken up from the situation, and told her that "she would get through this" and general consolation along those lines. Frankly, I don't even know what the charges are. I didn't suggest that any payment be made, haven't "advertised" or put out any public information about taking on clients, haven't prepared any documents or correspondence for this, and other than that have not responded to the subsequent barrage of text messages asking for me to speak with her over the phone.

Well, she ended up getting an attorney, and this attorney pressed for my name, which was shared during that consultation... along with the fact I just graduated law school. The attorney also apparently asked what firm I am with (obviously none at the moment), and I am unsure as to whether my suggestion to stop communicating with people and to get an attorney would constitute "legal advice." I could see it as either being for an ethics complaint, or that they were simply curious as to how they were sought out.

Anyone have any thoughts as to whether this attorney was asking for information about me for the purpose of reporting unauthorized practice? My intent with the whole thing was to calm her down, to quit broadcasting her situation to whoever she may have spoken with already, and to talk to an actual attorney. I'm not able to find much useful information on whether the amount of information given constitutes legal advice. So, thoughts? What is the minimal bar for "legal advice" in this situation?

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer, and you're probably more qualified to answer this question than I am anyway.

I'd say that if that's what you actually did -- calm your friend down and advise they spoke to a real attorney, you're in the clear.

The attorney she found was likely just trying to make sure they had all the information. As long as your friend was truthful about it ("He didn't tell me anything, just told me to find an attorney") then you're still probably fine.

I don't know how your state in particular will take "stop talking to people" ie: "is it legal advice or not?" but I know it's a pretty common thing to recommend even among non-lawyers.Answer #2: You sound like you covered yourself fine. I wouldn't worry about it. They were probably just fishing to figure out how much to charge her. If you know the firm they consulted with, you generally know their prices and you can undercut them a little. It's very common to do.

Ethics complaints are scary when you first start out. You're going to learn in short order that people are going to be coming out of the wood work to ask you questions about things. Preface everything you say \(after you pass the bar, say you have no experience with this type of law, etc\), advise them to seek counsel with a more experienced lawyer, and don't write down what you say so there's no memorizations of the conversations that could be taken out of context.


Title: [Tennessee] I'm 21. Can I legally kiss my 17 year old girlfriend?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Pay a real lawyer to advise you, or better yet find someone age appropriate.


Title: KS i want to see my fiances kid at school. Biomom will be pissed. Can she do anything?

Question:
My SO and I are engaged. We haven't told birthmom but not for any particular reason. She would probably just reply rude if we did. But we openly talk about it with my 7 yr old stepdaughter so i bet mom knows. Any way stepdaughter has a school walk/run fundraiser thing that any family members may come to. I dont think any other family members of biomoms are going. I want to go but my SO will be working so he can't go. He says i shouldn't because biomom will make conflict and he thinks she can get me banned from school. Im not going to take her out of school just visit for about an hour.

My question is: if i went and biomom got pissed is there anything she can legally do to me? Can she somehow get me banned from stepdaughters school?

Answer: Yes, she has the ability to notify the school that you are not allowed to be around, converse with, or pick up the child.


Title: Indiana. Being blackmailed

Question:
I was texted by someone I don't know that they know me, and that I stood up their friend and pay for sex or something of that nature.  They also know where I work, and claim they have a relative that is high up enough there.  They wanted $400 or they'd "post all over" facebook that I pay for sex, with pictures of me, etc. as well as go to their relative and show them the conversation I had with another girl, which never states that I would pay for intercourse or even want intercourse with her and just wanted friends.

I've scoured facebook for an hour or two with both my own account and a throwaway in case I was blocked from seeing the posts, and I could not find any evidence of them posting anything about me.  Although I don't know the person, I had leads based on their claim that a relative works at my company.

With that being said, if they did go to HR with their admittedly poor evidence, what do you think the chances are I could lose my job and if so, what course of action could I take to prevent it or fight it if it comes to that?  I am in a union.  I'm fairly sure it will come down to my word against hers, but if she's related to someone then it may be tricky.  I was unable to get the blackmailer herself to openly admit her demands, it was done through the proxy (the original girl I talked to about being friends with who said she told her friend ((the blackmailer)) about me and that that person knows me and wants $400, etc.)

Sorry if I'm unclear on some parts.  I would be happy to clarify anything that seems convoluted.

Answer: Ignore it. Just trying to scam you out of $400.


Title: Hurt at work, then discovered cancer. What pays?

Question:
So I'm a chiropractor at an outpatient clinic within a university and I'm performing an adjustment when I hear a crunch in my shoulder. Was some of the worst pain I've ever had. Took x-rays and instead of something like a dislocated shoulder, I found out my humerus (upper arm) was broken. I'm relatively young and nothing about the adjustment should ever cause that.
Long story long, I knew something was wrong with the bone, and the potential reasons were not good. I called HR and went to their physician and tried to get an orthopedic referral which would take two weeks. I couldn't wait that long knowing that the most likely reasons were all cancerous (lymphoma, sarcoma, etc). HR gave me permission to find my own ortho referral which I did and ended up getting admitted to a hospital. Thankfully, after biopsy, turned out that it was a benign tumor that weakened my arm and I'm going to need some surgeries to fix it but not really life threatening.
To my question: is this something that is covered by workers compensation? I also have short and long term disability, and am eligible for FMLA, but I also am the only source of income for my family of 5, soon to be 6. I don't know what's going to happen and am afraid to just trust an HR dept to do what's best for me. I don't have any lawyer friends in GA but am concerned that I may need one pre-emptively? Just grateful for life and to be a daddy, but now I want to keep a roof over our heads while I recover. Any advice or thoughts about what's ahead for me? Both regarding the medical and recovery expense as well as income? I am salaried, exempt, if that means anything. Thank you in advance!

Answer: The injury you had a work will likely be covered. The cancer likely won't be covered unless you can prove it was caused by your work environment. Even then, that's an uphill battle. Take your FMLA and work out the hospital bills for the cancer treatment. If you can pay anything on them, they likely won't send it to a collection agency. File for the worker's comp injury and let them pay for that.


Title: [Ontario] Employer doesn't pay me for up to 20 minutes after work sometimes

Question: My boss only pays me for times ending in X:00 or X:30, so if I work until 5:45 for example I only get paid until 5:30 and that extra 15 minutes is gone. He says he'll only pay me if I stay and work until the next interval, 6:00 in this example. Can he do this? If not, what should I do?

Answer:
 I am at work and cannot find the statute however i believe in ontario that rounding is legal so long as it is to the nearest 15 minute interval and consistent. So no your boss cannot always round down (if it ends in 7 or less he can round down or 8+ can round up but its either both or neither, he does not get to pick and choose.)

You can file a complaint with the ontario labour board for unpaid wages and show your timecard as evidence of your bosses misconduct, they will investigate and if found in your favour will order your boss to pay the pwed balance or face further consequences.


Title: Large corporation refused to honor contract with university student organization. What can we do?

Question:
(Texas, USA) Our student organization, a local branch of an international nonprofit, entered into a contract with a corporation stipulating that they would pay us x% of profits for us working events for them. On the contract, we provided a mailing address for our checks to be sent to. The checks were sent to our nonprofit's USA headquarters (California) instead of the address that our chapter specified in the contract, and they have been cashed there, totaling to roughly $4000. Our headquarters is refusing to give our specific chapter the money, and the large corporation is refusing to write us the checks to the correct address. We have worked very hard for this money, and we need it fairly urgently. What, if any, legal options might we have to get our money?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: If your University has a Law School, go ask for assistance - and take a copy of the contract with you.


Title: Is there anything that can be done about a registered sex offender living in the neighborhood I lifeguard at?

Question:
This is a bit complicated to explain

I lifeguard in a neighborhood near my own in the state of North Carolina. I've been there for a couple years so I'm actually pretty protective of the families I've known. Recently I found out from one of the residents that a guy who just moved here is a registered sex offended. I saw his mug shot and immediately recognized him because he'd been to the pool multiple times and had two  young kids. I went home and searched him on the national registry and he was convicted of possession of a picture showing sexual performance by a minor and using a computer to have sex with a minor. Both of these convictions were in Florida in 2013, he was 37 at the time of the offense and 39 when convicted.

My questions are, how is he allowed to come to the neighborhood pool? Can I do anything to stop him from being there? Can anyone? There are kids there constantly and it's my job to watch them! I almost feel like I can't do my job when he comes to the pool because I'm so focused on him and not the kids. Any advice would be appreciated because this is a really sticky situation and I absolutely adore the kids and families of the neighborhood I work in and I don't want anything to happen to them.

Answer:
 > There are kids there constantly and it's my job to watch them!.  I almost feel like I can't do my job when he comes to the pool because I'm so focused on him and not the kids.

Your job is to watch the *water* and make sure nobody drowns.


Title: [NC] eBay seller trying to take me to court for a faulty iPhone he didn't want back.

Question:
Maybe I'm just really stupid but I don't know. Basically I bought a used iPhone on eBay listed as a good phone, but it had a reported lost/stolen esn. I contacted the seller on eBay to no avail, and resorted to calling him. He says he didn't know it was bad and that it's because he got a replacement from insurance or something. He said he'd try and remove the bad esn. Couple days go by and I have to call him again to see what's up, he had forgotten and said he'd fix it

He says he can't remove it and I tell him I want a refund, he agrees. I say if he wants I'll take a partial refund of $350 (Bought it for $400) since he said he doesn't have a use for it. He declines and says he'll just resell it elsewhere. So heres where it get's stupid. He sends a refund, but refuses to pay for shipping. While the refund is clearing he marks the eBay case as "Item received" and the case closes. So the case is closed and I have the money and the phone. He told me he wanted it, so I send him a text saying "let me know when you figure out shipping and I'll send you phone" I get a response back in gibberish "I haven't but be no I can send u a few shipping" Alright... I'll let him tell me when he's figured it out. Anyways 2 weeks go by. Nothing. No texts no calls no eBay messages. I figure he's lost interest and doesnt care so I get rid of the phone.

The guy calls me 2 days after I get rid of it wanting to know when I can ship the phone and how he can pay me. I tried to get the phone back but I can't. I tell him I don't have it, and that since he didn't respond I figured he didn't care. He says he broke his current iPhone and needs this one now and tells me "your so fucked" "you stole from the wrong guy trust me" "this is going to be fun" I'm in panic mode and I don't respond at all. He texts me 2 days later saying "My uncle is a lawyer and by law you have to send it back or the money or I'll take you to small claims court" "I have a statement from eBay backing me up" "you have until the end of the week to find a solution or I'll continue with the case"

So I looked everywhere, and pretty much everything says that he can't do anything since he closed the case and made no contact, but I really don't know. I don't have the phone and I'm not paying the full price for it, since it was faulty. I don't mind sending him the money I got for it, but before I tell him that I want to make sure I'm clean here.

Answer: You are an idiot. I can't believe you think it's okay to get a refund for something and then have the gall to sell said item instead of returning it. The court of eBay is not the court of Law. I hope after you lose the civil suit, which you will, he takes his evidence to his DA to bring criminal charges agaonst you. Hell, it may even be a federal case if you two are in different states.


Title: $1900 bill after landlord changed housing policy in 2015 from including electricity to not including it via a signed agreement. I never saw the agreement. Do I have any legal footing?

Question:
Here's the facts:

* I have a signed lease from early 2015 that I agreed to the all-utilities-paid apartment - including electricity. I have not been given a lease since then - my rental payment history is pristine.
* I got an email from my landlord a few weeks ago saying that in late 2015 the apartment complex switched everyone over to pay for their own electricity and sent out an agreement to sign. I never received it.
* Landlord gave me a $1900 bill for all the electricity I've used since 2015.
* The same day I heard about this, I switched over to my local power company immediately and am now paying for electricity.

I'm not looking to go to war. My goal is to find out if I'm legally liable to pay the $1900 bill despite never knowing about this change or signing anything agreeing to it.

On a side note, I approached the VA (I'm a veteran) about getting a lawyer and ended up with a kid that  sounds like he's fresh out of high school. His handwriting... [this is part of the form he sent me](https://i.imgur.com/6Z87U0X.png). I know I'm being judgemental and perhaps this is a good, easy case for him, but is this something I should consider giving to someone with more experience?

Answer:
 Contact the landlord and ask them to produce this agreement that you signed.   If they produce one, challenge it on the basis that it's not your signature (if you really didn't sign it).  The lawyer can help with this, along with a polite "yeah I don't owe this, screw off" letter.  You might get sued for that $1900, and then you'd have to either settle or convince a judge you didn't sign that agreement.

It doesn't really help the landlord that they waited at least two years to inform you that you're behind on payments, rather than -- you know, after you missed the first payment.


Title: Falsely charged while booking with Expedia

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Call your financial institution of the card file a chargeback.

Easy as pie.


Title: Bought Property Without Access to Municipal Water Supply When Original Owner Stated Otherwise - Miami, FL

Question:
Hi Reddit, I recently bought a property and unfortunately today I received some bad news. We have learned from Miami-Dade Water & Sewer that the property requires a water main extension in order to be available for development.

When the previous owner demolished the existing home on the property, the grandfathered access to the 1" inch water line at the back of the property expired. The new requirement is an 8" inch pipe. In order to meet the requirement the previous owner was advised that they would need to access the 20" inch water main located about 280 ft. from the property -- running it along the entire front of the lot (this was never done).

My question is this: was the original owner obligated by law to disclose this information prior to selling the property? If not, I'm looking at footing the bill of a hefty plumbing project :/

Thanks for any help.

Answer:
 First, who told you that a 1" water line would be enough?

Second, regarding the covenant made by the seller during the process, you should contact the attorney you had at the time of the purchase. They will know what to do.


Title: Wells Fargo is foreclosing on my parents home. Details inside, please help

Question:
To start this off, my mother has some mental issues. I'm not sure the details of what or why (know of some childhood trauma and being removed from parents home). Recently she's been having issues with migraines and other medical issues that have limited her from doing what has typically been her role in the household (taking kids places, shopping, cooking, making sure bills get paid, etc) as my dad is a civil engineer that works 60-70 hours a week.

Apparently my mother fell behind on making mortgage payments on both the 1st and 2nd (HELOC). It wasn't an issue of money (my dad makes well over 6 figures) but likely due to the issues discussed in the first paragraph. Since my dad isn't home often he never got any notices of late payment or the foreclosure warning/notice sent out in May. Apparently one was also sent to his work and signed for by his secretary but he says he never saw it. One was posted on the door (the bank says) but my mother claims she never saw it.

My dad first learned of this when he received a notice on the door this week saying they needed to be out by Tuesday and that the foreclosure sale had concluded. My dad apparently is working with Wells Fargo and has already gotten the 1st mortgage current. The second mortgage is what was sold (I guess?) to an investor who wants to renovate the home and flip it. They only owed about $32,000 on the HELOC so currently my dad has an offer in to purchase that lien (I guess?) for $50,000.

Are they just fucked if the buyer declines the offer? Are there any other options? I'm very worried as I just graduated college and don't have a lot of savings or any way to help financially. I currently don't live in the home but live in the same city in **Anchorage, Alaska**. I have two younger siblings in the home (17 and 15) and would hate to see them just pulled out of school and forced to move if my parents actually have to be out by next Tuesday. My dad has quite a bit in his 401K but not a lot of liquid assets. If they are just fucked and lose all their equity my dad is considering leaving the state to go live somewhere down south that has far cheaper housing. I feel like I'm rambling, but I just found out and am quite stressed. If anyone has any advice or suggestions on how to deal with this, it would be very appreciated. I can provide more info if needed! Thanks again

Edit: This is not the first time this happened. I believe in summer 2015 or 2016 they received a similar warning/notice about a upcoming foreclosure because the same thing had happened with my mother. I think also somehow autopay got turned off and she hadn't noticed that they were late on the mortgage. They did pay then and get the mortgage current.

Answer:
 > Apparently my mother fell behind on making mortgage payments

This doesn't make much sense, I'd be worried she was funneling the money somewhere else. If she fell behind on paying that she probably would have fallen behind on paying other things like utilities, so you would have had more notice there was a problem. I find it highly unlikely that nobody else in the house, including the nearly adult children, didn't notice any of the signs. There is TONS of warnings before a home gets foreclosed, it doesn't happen unnoticed.


Title: Mom passed away and a consignment shop owes her money.

Question:
Hi there, my mom passed away a few weeks ago and I've received a bounced cheque from a consignment shop for her.  The consignment shop has since went out of business. The cheque was only $75, with a bounced cheque fee of $7.

How do I pursue this? I have the name of the consignment shop, and the shops landlord contact information. Is it worth my time? It's only $82, and I could definitely use an avenue to channel my frustration into.

I'm in Calgary Alberta. Thanks

Answer: You just lost your mother man, and we are taking about $80 bones!? Let it go, mourn.


Title: My niece lied online and in real life about her boss saying she would fire my niece if she didn't cut and straighten her afro (California)

Question:
My niece is a junior in college. This summer she got a part time job at a restaurant. She told her parents, me and some other family members that the owner of the restaurant told my niece she would fire her if she didn't cut and straighten her afro because "your hair is unprofessional like that". She also posted online about it.

There was originally an outcry against the owner and a small protest but some other people who worked there came to the owner's defense because they are black and the owner never said anything about their afros or hair. Other people have shaved or multicolored hair or visible tattoos and the owner never said anything to them either. It has now come out that my niece lied and the owner never said that. She apologized to the owner online but the owner has filed a lawsuit for defamation and harassment and the college told my niece there might be a hearing about her conduct. The police have also been called and my niece has lost a lot of her friends over it.

What kind of outcome will there be from this? I am not saying that what my niece did was right but my family has never navigated the legal system for anything before and everything seems very confusing and overwhelming. I also want to ask if my niece should reach out to the owner again?

The location is the state of California. Much appreciated, thank you.

Answer:
 Usually the advice would be that defamation suits are hard to prove and hard to win, but they have a VERY GOOD case against her.

Your neice should not do or say ANYTHING without a good lawyer.  Answer #2: she could have to pay financial damages against the innocent business she hurt, and could be suspended or expelled by the school

making false claims like this hurts the credibility of people who have actually suffered discriminationAnswer #3: Don't reach out to the owner.  The more she admits the worse it is for her.  She needs to hire an attorney to defend her in the defamation suit.  Answer #4: Your niece probably signed a code of conduct with the college upon her admission, and you should find and consult that to work out what the consequences may be for her at the college, w/r/t the conduct hearing.  Not sure if expulsion is on the table, but it could be. Answer #5: The niece needs to stop talking to anyone about, and go and get an attorney of her own.


Title: Wife's Medical Debt [MO][USA]

Question:
Hey everyone.

Last year (about 1 year ago) my wife broke her foot and it required surgical correction. We owe nearly 30k to various collection agencies because at the time she was uninsured. I have two questions regarding this debt.

1. My father in law may of "accidently" kept her enrolled in his insurance. He is one of those people who hardly ever changes anything. When this surgical procedure and following care was done, it was all filed under selfpay, and now it has all gone to medical debt collectors. Would it be too late to retroactively have her covered provided it was a little over one year ago?

2. As the husband, am I legally responsible for this debt in this state? Debt collectors have began calling me all the time and its really starting to annoy me (working as intended i suppose). Hypothetically, if we became divoriced, would I further be responsible for this debt? We've had a really rough marriage and there is a moderate possibility of this occurring.

Answer:
 >My father in law may of "accidently" kept her enrolled in his insurance.

What do you mean by accidentally?

>As the husband, am I legally responsible for this debt in this state?

Missouri follows the "doctrine of necessities," so as her spouse you are equally as responsible for her medical debt accrued while married.


Title: PTSD in the workplace and reasonable accommodations- OH

Question:
Without going into too much detail right now (I am waiting to hear more of the story, and get permission to post his whole story here), my boyfriend is running into issues with his employer not providing reasonable accommodations for his military service related PTSD.

Namely, he asks them to be flexible on his arrival time when he has trouble sleeping the night before due to anxiety and stress, and he has to leave to make doctors and therapy appointments. His boss and HR called him into the office and said they were going to transfer him to an hourly position instead of salary, therefore not compensating him for the time he has to miss due to his condition.

Is this grounds for a suit based off ADA laws?

Edit: If he wanted to consult with a lawyer based on the full story, what type of lawyer would he want to look for? Employment?

Answer: I had to read this twice to be sure. You're asking if they have to pay him for time he didn't work?  Or if they can move him to a job he gets paid for time actually worked?Answer #2: They're not required to compensate him for time he hasn't worked. Transferring him to an hourly position actually does sound like a reasonable accommodation, if the job duties are the same.


Title: Wondering if it's legal to have sex while escorting.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 That *is* prostitution.

EDIT: however offering prostitution services appears to be legal in general in Canada. I need your province. Answer #2: > So I was wondering if I could be charged with prostitution or something

Yes, if prostitution is illegal where you are, you can be charged with prostitution for prostituting yourself.


Title: Longterm Parking Took My Car out of the Lot and Got into a Hit and Run Accident

Question:
I live in CT but the incident was in MA. Last week I dropped my car at a longterm parking lot (not affiliated with the airport to my knowledge) as I went overseas for a week. I returned Sunday night and got a call yesterday informing me that a claim had been filed against me for a hit and run accident in MA on a day in which I was out of the country. It did not take place on the property of the parking lot. There is no major visible damage to my car and it is difficult to get much information out of the insurance company (I recently changed insurance companies and only my former insurer has contacted me about it (though that may be because they represent whomever was hit)).

Do I need to file a police report? Can I have them pay for a mechanic to ensure that no damage was done to the car? I have yet to talk to the parking company as I want to have all of my ducks in a row before doing that. I have a receipt that shows my car was under their control at the time of the incident.

Answer:
 Yes, contact the police where the lot is located.Answer #2: > Do I need to file a police report?

Yes.

> Can I have them pay for a mechanic to ensure that no damage was done to the car?

No.Answer #3: Claims adjuster here.  Contact your insurance company so they can investigate and protect you in case you are pursued for damages.  Provide evidence as requested (receipt for parking, plane ticket, etc.).  It's possible someone read off the wrong plate #, which turns out to be yours.  Given the FOL (facts if loss), you should be seeing some damage on your car.  Your insurance/his insurance should look at your car and the other car to see if anything lines up.  Also, ask the other carrier if there's a police report see if the department that's investigating wants to speak with you at all -they probably won't though.  Minor hit-and-runs are seldom investogated.Answer #4: How do you know someone took your car off of the lot? Is it at all possible whoever reported the hit-and-run mis-read the plate of a different car and it ended up matching to yours?

Maybe start with the parking company and request proof that your car never left the lot.


Title: My grandmother gave my parents a fund for my education. I attended three years of college but left without a degree and with about 25k of it unspent. Do I have a legal right to this money?

Answer: Depends on how the money was being held. Most likely candidate is a trust, which will depend on the terms of the trust.


Title: IA - Neighbor doesn't want me on his half of a shared pond.

Question: I share a pond with my neighbor. The pond is about 20 acres with maybe 14 of it on his part of the land. We've always been friendly until I built a small cabin on my part of it. Not sure if there's some type of jealousy that changed things, but now he says he doesn't want my kayaks or bass boat on his part of the water. I understand he can tell me not to step foot on his land, but can he keep me off the water?

Answer:
 Apparently in Iowa one can assert property rights to a private lake.

Not very neighborly.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ia-supreme-court/1307162.htmlAnswer #2: Is the actual lake deeded as his property,  or is only his access deeded? If he actually owns out to the center of the lake, I suppose he could report you as trespassing.  I am not sure if police would cite you or laugh at him though.


Title: Lawyer up - Anyone else want to class action sue Skype for blatant rip offs?

Question:
Are there any lawyers out there who want to take this on? Because I know I can't be the only one who's absolutely pissed about Skype.

A complete and blatant ripoff by the company.

I signed up for Skype and put into my account $49 not knowing if or how much I might use for some planned calls I was going to make. In the end I never used it at all.

Five months and 24 days later I get an email from Skype telling me that they are going to close my account for lack of usage, and that I would lose any credits on the account. So I contact Skype and ask for a refund.

And those cocksuckers told me that they do not refund unused money kept in the accounts, and that when I transferred those funds to them that I made a "purchase".

I am absolutely certain that no business transaction has legally occurred because I did not receive any material or service in return for consideration paid. In fact, you could consider this an "overpayment" to my account (as I had zero dollars in "charges payable" for any charges listed as per their terms and agreements.

They kept on claiming that I "purchased" the credit so therefore they are entitled to keep the money (even though I could purchase services such as make phone calls with it if I chose too) which is pure and utter bullshit.

This is lawsuit material (and yes, I saved a very detailed, 2 hour chat with their customer services reps trying to get them to explain how based on their terms and conditions, that they could be entitled to keep my money in the account...and they couldn't.)

I couldn't give two shits about the money - but I cannot stand getting ripped off by a kajillion dollar corporation like Microsoft.

If anyone else is in here in North America and if any lawyer wants to take a run at them I'm in.

Answer:
 >I am absolutely certain that no business transaction has legally occurred because I did not receive any material or service in return for consideration paid.

You sent them money. In exchange, you got Skype credits, which is a service that allows you to call phone numbers.

How did you not receive a service?

>They kept on claiming that I "purchased" the credit so therefore they are entitled to keep the money (even though I could purchase services such as make phone calls with it if I chose too) which is pure and utter bullshit.

What the fuck are you talking about? You **paid them** for credits. How is that "bullshit"? **You paid them.**

>This is lawsuit material

No, it isn't.

You bought a service that expires. It expired.

>If anyone else is in here in North America and if any lawyer wants to take a run at them I'm in.

You are free to contact class action lawyers in your area and ask if they want to take the case.

Be prepared to be laughed out of their office.


Title: Boss withholding $0.50 per credit card transaction and reporting cash tips himself. OH, US

Question:
I work at a local family diner in Ohio, for a family that has about 20-30 people under their employ. After working at the restaurant for about 6 months, I've been closely keeping track of what my customers write in as a tip on their credit/debit card transaction. I first thought something was fishy after about 2 months, and in the 4 months that I've been keeping track, I have never received all of the tips that customers have left. One time, I brought it up to them and they told me "it just depends on when they do the cash out, and what days fall on the check," then the next week, I received what was well over the amount I should have made during that pay period. I suppose to make up for it? Ever since that big check though it's been back to normal, receiving about $60-$80 less than the amount I had come up with when I kept track.

Not only is that an issue, but I also recently found out that for every transaction through credit card, 50 cents is taken out of my tip for that transaction, supposedly to pay for the credit card machine. I'm not sure if they only take it out of transactions with tips or if it's 50 cents out of my check for every transaction made under my waitress ID, but either way this is problematic. This was never addressed to any of us, he didn't say it at the interview or bring it up at any time, and we have no employee manual to refer to regarding this. I heard it from another waitress, and she told me to keep it quiet, so that tells me he didn't want us to know this to begin with. Is this legal?

Answer:
 Legal under federal law:

*Credit Cards: Where tips are charged on a credit card and the employer must pay the credit card
company a percentage on each sale, the employer may pay the employee the tip, less that percentage.
For example, where a credit card company charges an employer 3 percent on all sales charged to its
credit service, the employer may pay the tipped employee 97 percent of the tips without violating the
FLSA. However, this charge on the tip may not reduce the employee's wage below the required
minimum wage. The amount due the employee must be paid no later than the regular pay day and may
not be held while the employer is awaiting reimbursement from the credit card company.*

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.pdf

Doesn't make the employer any less of a piece of shit, however.Answer #2: Under federal law, deducting a percentage (not a flat fee) for credit card transactions is legal, provided it's no higher than the actual cost of processing that tip.  You only have to pay that percentage on your tip, not on the entire check.  50 cents sounds way too high unless you are getting huge tips, so it's most likely illegal.  Credit card charges these days run 2-3%.


Title: Someone stole money from work, I was fired, asked to pay back. I didn't take it.

Question:
Coming from Kentucky here.

I am being accused of stealing a very significant amount of money from my workplace.  I was terminated yesterday.  The reason for my termination is "Business Conduct/Ethic and Reporting Irregularities."  I was the manager for the parking garage at a hotel.  I, admittedly, was very bad with taking deposits to the bank.  I am not contesting my termination, as I understand that I was irresponsible with an important part of my daily duties.  The issue here is that a very large amount of money went missing from my collection of deposits.  I did not take the money, I did not give the money to anyone, I do not know what happened to the money.  The long and short of what I did wrong is that I should've taken money to the bank and did not.  I created a situation in which there was a significant amount of money in one place that could be stolen by whoever did so.  In the phone call for my termination, I was offered a chance to avoid an investigation by setting up a payment plan to pay the company back in full.  I was told that if I did this, I would not be investigated, the hotel I worked at would not be investigated, and I could save myself the embarrassment and hassle of a criminal investigation, court appearances, media attention, and the possibility of being charged with a felony.  I was given until close of business  today, 5PM, EST to call them and say whether or not I'd like to take the payment plan option.  I didn't take the money, so I don't want to pay for it, but I'm also very afraid of this ruining my life, as there is very little evidence for or against me here.  I'm worried that if I choose to let them go on with their investigation, the lack of camera evidence or suspects will wind up with me being wrongfully blamed and jailed or charged.  Help!

The big question:  do I set up a plan to pay their missing money that I didn't steal because I am partially to blame for the fact that it went missing and avoid a lot of hassle, or do I fight the good fight and hope they can figure out who actually did the damn crime?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You need a real life lawyer, not "legal advice" from Reddit.


Title: Should I get married?

Question:
I'm a 24 year-old woman from Atlantic Canada, an atheist and altogether no fucks given type of person so this question is devoid of emotion. I'm thinking about having a kid and as things stand my boyfriend and I are completely separate people on paper. His name is on the house, the major utilities, the jeep everything and my name is on my master card and my phone bill. Of course we both contribute to the household but legally, everything is his.

For security, I tried to get my name on the house but was told we need an amendment from a lawyer for the mortgage which will cost a lot of money. I also considered a "prenup" type agreement without the actual nup.

My parents want me to get married, my co workers say to file as a common law.  As things are now, if we end up filing taxes together well end up paying in about 500$ each year. Where as now my boyfriend gets nil and I get 500$

Is there a way to secure my position in the household with a baby (half the house half the car etc) without having to combine our incomes or pay 1000$+ for a lawyer?

What rights does being married actually give You? When you're married do you HAVE to file together?

Please help I'm clueless!

Love from Newfoundland and Labrador

Answer:
 Getting married at a time when you do not care at all is typically a bad idea that has long term financial consequences. It suggests that you're at a point in life where you're developing and may develop in a very, different direction than you current partner. On a personal, and frankly financial, side I would suggest delaying this for a bit of time.

My concern is that your threshold for a significant sum of money is $1,000. That tells me that you're not doing things that are more important (financially and legally) than marriage. For instance, do you have term life policies naming each other beneficiaries? Being married and getting the other half of stuff doesn't matter if you're broke without two incomes. Do you both have wills in place? Advanced directives? A lot of these can be done online for very little money or even free. They may not be perfect, but they typically will work in low complexity situations.

I wouldn't get married because of what your parents want, nor would I take your co-workers' advice withotu getting legal advice. Answer #2: No, I don’t believe you should. Based on how your post is worded, it sounds as if you have malicious motivations for getting married. You should not get married in order to one day take half of your boyfriend’s assets.


Title: On Monday night my Step-Father jeopardized the lives of myself, my mom, and a work associate of his. I'd like to know if I have future legal recourse if I document the event properly. [Nevada].

Question:
I'll try and keep this succinct.

First off, I have no interest in pressing any charges at present. I'm 23F and I am resolved to let my mother handle her relationship with her own best judgement. I'm actually decently close with my step-father, and this is in no way a matter of petty revenge. He does have many issues though and I want to make sure my family is protected if an event like this arises again.

***

**The Event**

I am switching jobs and currently living with my mom and step-father. I haven't been in the house since 2009 and have never lived with him long term. They've been together since 2011.

He does a lot for my family, but he has *many* issues (no abuse or violence or anything like that -- just severe ADHD and massive control issues). This is the first time they've put us in a position like this.

The 4 of us went out to dinner about 45 minutes from where we live, which is in the mountains. Everyone had been drinking enough, except from me as I don't drink so I was the sober driver. About 10 minutes into our trip back he began getting on my case about how I was sitting (the situation was truly that benign, and this is typical behavior for him -- last time I drove them it was "it's not my fault nobody taught me how to work the A/C properly", always something mundane). I brushed him off and we all continued with our merriment.

He won't drop the issue, and starts physically manipulating me into the position he would rather see me sit in. I tell him to get his hands off the driver. This is where things escalate. He begins screaming about how I'm sitting and telling me to pull the car over so he can drive. He is hammered, we are on a windy road with no lights, no shoulder, and a mountain face on one side and a cliff on the other and no center divider. My mom tells him to calm his shit and again, nobody is too concerned.

Then, he grabs the steering wheel and jerks it toward the side of the road to try and pull over. I start screaming and am fighting to keep the car moving straight and we are going ~50mph. We are now swerving all over the road with him wrestling me for control of the wheel. I get scared and swung my fist sideways and hit him somewhere on the face. He reactionarily cocks his fist back to deck me, and I'm terrified he is going to knock me out cold while I'm at the wheel and we are still above 35mph on this road. Fortunately he realizes what he is about to do (again he isn't violent, at all) and drops the fist but still reacts by grabbing my arm and my hair. Now I'm being pulled out of my seat, and did what I was trying to avoid from the start which is slamming to a stop (I have no idea if there are cars behind me or next to me or anything, and was terrified I would get us in a pile up). We come screeching to a halt almost sideways across the center divider. The second the car stops I'm in hysterics and uncontrollably shaking and crying.

My mom takes over and she remains incredibly calm. For the next 30 minutes home he screams nonstop, switching from saying I'm a depressed psychopath which is why nobody will hire me, then saying I have no reason to be depressed (which I have been) because I'm such a capable worker (which is true and I have a good resume -- irrelevant but still) and have a fantastic safety net (my parents) and I'm going to do great things, then saying I wasn't brought up right and you don't punch people and if he had a knife he would stab me right there, then reverting back to years ago instances saying nobody ever makes sure he's doing okay, and the insanity continues all the way home. All my mom says to him is "you have 12 minutes left with this family so make sure you're doing how you want to spend it", "you have 8 minutes left with...", you get the idea. He puts the credit card company on speaker phone and cancels all her cards, changes our cell phone provider passwords, and now my mom is crying saying we aren't going to spend his money and that's not what this is about.

I'm in the back hysterical being comforted by his coworker (I'm very close with her) and texting my boyfriend (evidence?). I described the situation to him and am terrified and he's enraged and coaching me through the evening. My mom packs her things and takes his coworker to my cousins house down the road. My boyfriend books me a hotel room and tells me I'm not to go anywhere else that my stepdad would know where I am so I pack and get to the hotel.

He's since sobered up and I know appalled with his behavior and terrified he is losing his family. I called my mom and told her I didn't have any words of encouragement as to what she should do, but that I would support her decision either way and there wouldn't be any bitterness on my end if they worked it out.

***

**The Aftermath**

My mom and I have both been 100% no contact with him (I think at least she has) since it happened. I know he is blowing up her phone and email and has been texting me also.

He has *a lot* to lose right now. My mom is **heavily** integrated with his company as a "corporate wife" but she is almost certainly more respected than even he is, throughout most of the industry in fact. If she leaves him, everyone will know beyond all doubt he fucked up bad, and will likely do some kind of investigation because they know how tolerant she is of his BS and would know whatever happened is likely a liability. And of course, one of his coworkers was there as a witness.

She has told me and him (and I agree with her) that the events of the weekend cannot be a part of her professional life and as far as their work relationship is involved, it never happened. I'm 100% sure she won't run her mouth at all, and 99% sure if the situation came she would speak up to protect my mom and I.

I do think my mom and him will work it out (pure speculation), and if they do I can't go to the police or press charges as it would ruin their lives. Obviously at this point I'm not concerned with his life, but it isn't my place to make decisions for my mom.

What I do want to do, is (if possible, and herein lies my question) collect every shred of evidence and documentation that I can so if he ever pulls a stunt like this or tries to financially cut my mom off then I have him dead to rights with this event. I just, don't know how illegal it is to pull a steering wheel? Perhaps I have no recourse at all -- ergo while I'm here.

I would be willing to file a police report without pressing charges, but I'd like to get a little more information about what the legal and social ramifications of even doing that could be for my mom. I immediately asked his coworker to type up a testimonial of the events as she experienced them, and told her I understood from a professional standpoint she couldn't give them to me because that's too large a liability for her, but if she could safeguard them it would mean a lot to me. She agreed and I'm going to confirm later today those exist.

Bonus info: My mom and stepfather are not legally married. I was a raised in another state that my younger brother still lives in, and she maintains residency there for the sake of his college tuition fees. She has said she is still protected by the Marvin Act (I'm not familiar with that, but they did have a wedding ceremony and she uses his last name).

Also she does not work hardly at all because she works as his "corporate wife" so there is a huge financial concern to me as she has only about $1500 of her own money in the bank. A huge factor in where my extreme concern lies, as we have been absolutely impoverished before when I was in college and used my financial aid money to feed my family. I don't want to go back there, not at all. And, as I mentioned at the top, am currently unemployed (save some minimum wage gigs to get me by while on the hunt).

***

Anyway, please advise? Until my mom decides how she would like to proceed I'm unwilling to do anything that would be making irreversible decisions for her. I would though, if possible, like to compile a folder with anything incriminating I can to use if I need to protect my family.

Thank you for all who read.

**TLDR
"I was driving when my drunk stepfather grabbed the wheel from me and nearly caused an accident. In the process he also grabbed me. I don't want to report this to the police, what other action can I take?"**

Edit: Apologies for unnecessary length. This isn't my jurisdiction of knowledge and I was concerned with leaving out important details.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Okay, there's an awful lot in there. You should really try to add a tl;dr with bullet points, and a list of your questions. I'm really not sure what you're asking.

E: I see you asking if you can just collect the evidence and do nothing about it. Yes, you can, but that will make it harder to pursue charges against him later. The longer you wait, the harder it is.

You also need to tread lightly here, because what you're describing is flirting with extortion.

I'm also not entirely sure what "she works as his 'corporate wife'" means.


Title: Car took a left into me yet I am at fault

Question:
Mods delete if this isn’t the right place for this

Yesterday on my way home from work a car taking a left crashed into me in the middle of an intersection. I received a ticket from the officer who arrived for running a red light.

Back story:
As I was approaching a light at a fairly large intersection (both roads are 4 lanes) going about 40, the light turned yellow but my judgement told me I was close enough to proceed through the intersection. When I crossed into the intersection the light was still yellow. As I was moving through it, I noticed a car was taking a left and at this point it was too late. My car doesn’t accelerate fast enough to miss the car and slamming on the brakes would have done nothing. The car hit me right on the drivers side door and front divers side wheel.

I got out, made sure the passengers in the other car were ok and called the police. The police came took the witnesses statements that stuck around and everyone went on their way except me. My car had to be towed away as it couldn’t be driven anymore.

The officer then told me he would be writing me a citation for running a red light with a requirement to appear in court. When he told me this I told him I understood why he was giving it to me (someone had to get something) but that there was no way the light was red before I got to the intersection. Even if you don’t believe me, at least read my logic.

This car that hit me was in the middle of the intersection waiting for traffic to clear to turn left. If I had arrived at the intersection after the light had turned red and continued through, wouldn’t it make sense that I would be the one doing the hitting and not the other way around? The officer replied that he believed I had entered the intersection when the light was yellow, it turned red while I was in the intersection and the other car then took a left without looking and struck me.

He still gave me the ticket.

So what I’m looking for help with:
1. I don’t understand how I am at fault. Did I proceed through a yellow light into an intersection. Yes. But my understanding is that as the car going straight you have the right of way in this instance. The lady driving the other car should have looked even if the light did turn red with me in the intersection.

2. I’d like to dispute this ticket and in the best case scenario prove I’m not at fault. Is there anything I can do or since I received the citation am I screwed?

Any help is appreciated

tl;dr Yesterday on my way home from work a car taking a left crashed into me in the middle of an intersection. I received a ticket from the officer who arrived for running a red light and may be at fault for the accident.

Answer: Get a traffic attorney to fight this.  That'll be the best way to make sure you're properly defended.


Title: Roommate moved out month and a half ago, left a lot of stuff, now threatening court if I don't let them get it.

Question:
About the middle of October, my roommate moved out of our apartment into a house with his wife, he paid his half through the end of October, so he could leave his stuff there. He said he would take all of it, but between the time he moved out and the beginning of November,  the only thing that changed were the dirty dishes he left, after I asked when he was going to clean and take them. I told him his stuff would be thrown out after the month ended because he wasn't paying g to store stuff with me, and I was tired of dealing with him. His wife texted me twice asking if I was avaliable to get the stuff a couple weeks into November, threatening to bring the cops and take me to court if their stuff isn't there. I've thrown out most of the stuff he left, nothing worth much money, do I have to worry about being taken to court over this?
Edit: I live in Michigan, sorry I left that out.

Answer:
 >I've thrown out most of the stuff he left, nothing worth much money, do I have to worry about being taken to court over this?

Yes, you do. You likely didn't have any right to dispose of his property.  There were other legal remedies available to you, such as charging him for storage.  You should make him a settlement offer for the value of the property (plus a little more) to avoid being sued. Answer #2: Only the landlord has the right to deal with a former tenant's possessions that were left behind.  So yeah, you could be sued.  Unfortunately, without your location, nobody here will be able to tell you what your rights and responsibilities are vis-a-vis the roomate's belongings.


Title: Pulled over for DUI in pa (20 years old)

Question: Last night I got pulled over for not fully stopping at a stop sign. About an hour before I left my friends house I had about 1/3 of a beer. I was put through sobriety test which I think went pretty well, and then blew a .00 and was then taken to a hospital for a blood test. I was tested for BAC and drugs, and while I was not under the influence I do regularly smoke marijuana. After doing a little research I'm nervous that I will be charged being that 1ng/ml is a very low amount, and even if I wasn't impaired I can still be charged with a DUI if the residual amount in my system exceeds 1ng/ml. Any advice on how i should move forward with this? I won't get the blood test results for 2 weeks.

Answer: If charged, hire an attorney.  If you're not charged, thank your lucky stars and change your behavior.Answer #2: How is it legal to take someone to the hospital for blood testing after they comply with a field sobriety test and blow a 0.00?


Title: [FL] Ex Employer Refuses to Give Me Final Paycheck

Question:
I worked in the drug and alcohol treatment field in Florida for three months, and quit after I realized my employer and her company were doing tons of illegal and unethical things. Some of these things consisted of firing a nurse because she wouldn't lie on an admission (the CEO wanted to bill for something that wasn't medical necessity) and giving large amounts of medications to one of our clients in the detox and telling her to distribute the medications to other patients (these are drug addicts in detox)... It was absolutely disgusting what she was doing in her company so I left at the end of a pay period.

My ex boss never gave me my final paycheck for $1100. I was on a 35k a year salary. Christmas is coming up and so are my bills and I'm fucked. I start a new job next year but for right now I have no way to pay bills or buy food for my family.

I filed a wage dispute with the Department of Labor, and they informed me that because she didn't contact them in 15 days, that my case was being closed. I don't understand what exactly they do if the employer has the option of just ignoring their claim and not giving me the money I worked for.

I want to pursue her in small claims for twice the amount owed (I believe that's the max in Florida). But it is expensive to even file the papers and it's money I don't have... I'm running out of options and hope..

Another girl who quit also didn't receive her final paycheck and I put her in touch with the Department of Labor and she is pursuing a claim as well..

Can someone point me in the right direction? I feel like a lawyer would be a good bet but the one I called never called me back. I'm assuming $2200 isn't enough to make it worth the lawyers time...

Answer:
 I would start climbing the ladder at the DOL.  Them closing the claim because the offending company didn't respond sounds extremely questionable.  If that were the case no company would ever respond, and all the cases would be closed.

Call them and when you get through to someone calmly and politely ask to speak to a supervisor/manager.  If they say they can help you, calmly repeat that you would prefer to speak to supervisor/manager and will wait.

When talking to them make sure you start taking notes.  You want a record of who you have spoken to, when and what was said.  Do this for every call you make regarding this.

You probably aren't going to see $$ from this soon, from what I've seen labor disputes can take months.  I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but you are going to have to make arrangements for bills etc until the claim gets worked.

I hope this works out for you, sorry you are going through this during the holidays.

edit: hey look at that, it's my cake day.  cake for everyone!
Answer #2: Can you provide any context about the DOL complaint? Did they tell you over the phone that the case was being closed? Did they provide you a written decision or update? That seems odd - I agree that an employer shouldn't be able to simply stop an investigation by not responding. IANAL, though.