Title: MI - Being Harassed by Mailman

Question:
I don't know if there is necessarily "legal" advice but I've seen other Postal problems in this sub.

It's long but **TL;DR Our Mailman makes frequent requests for us to change the height of our mail box, refused to deliver mail after seeing a dog, gets food on our mail, and disturbs our neighbors. We are the only house he does this to. USPS main office we have talked to refuses to do anything and backs up Mailman from hell**

A few months ago My husband and I moved from one side of the state to another and have had nothing but problems with our Mailman. It has been the same gentleman from the beginning, if that's important.

When we first moved in we had a metal mailbox. One night what I presume were teenagers hit it with a baseball bat. There was a small dent (the size of my fist). For the next two days we didn't receive any mail. On the third day we got a pink post card requesting we contact the post office because they were holding our mail. They claimed our mailbox was destroyed and "nonfunctional". So we replaced it promptly with a plastic one and mail resumed.

When we installed the new one it was put in at the same height as the previous one that came with the house.

Our mailman doesn't have a mail truck, rather just a normal car with a USPS sticker on the side. A week after installing our new mailbox we stopped getting mail for two days. On the third day... postcard. They are withholding our mail again.

This time our mailbox is too tall and difficult for the Mailman to deliver our mail. While this was frustrating, we didn't make a fuss. We dug the hole deeper and reinstalled our mailbox the whopping four inches lower they requested.

This was fine for a two months until apparently his route changed and he was given a different vehicle, this time an SUV. Can you see where I'm going with this?

Two days of no mail, third day we got a postcard. Now our mailbox is too short and he can't deliver the mail. Okay, *fine*. At this point my husband is getting irate but we comply **again**. Mail delivery resumes.

My husband has a hobby of restoring guns so he frequently gets packages that are sometimes awkward sizes (large envelopes for example). When we first moved in our Mailman would deliver our mail with large packages to our back door, or if our garage was open he would come in and set it on a table in our garage which was fine and greatly appreciated.

Not even a month after we had to raise our mailbox we had a new issue. My husband and I have two medium sized dogs (Golden Retrievers). The dogs are frequently off leash outside if we are outside as well, but never unsupervised. One week my BIL was visiting with his dog, an elderly Lab.

My BIL was outside on the porch with his dog when the Mailman pulled in to drop off a package that didn't fit in our mailbox. He pulled down our driveway (longer than average, about 100ft), got out of the car. My BIL waved hello, and got up to get the mail. The Mailman saw my BIL and the dog and apparently flipped. He started yelling at BIL to restrain the dog and that if we had loose dogs he was never delivering mail to us again. He got in his car and drove off without delivering the mail.

I suppose my BIL could be lying, but his dog is 12, mostly deaf. He said the entire time Rocko didn't even get up from laying down.

The next day we received a post card stating we had to pick up our mail at the post office for the next week -- like we were being punished or something.

After this event my husband and I went to the post office and ask to speak to whoever was in charge. We showed them all of our post cards, and told him
How the Mailman in the past and never said anything when our Goldens were outside offleash and the dog the Mailman was presumably scared of was not residing with us. They told us that these were all valid complaints, but since Rocko wasn't staying with us our mail delivery would resume the next week.

And it did until we had another package come through.

It was 10AM when I hear a car horn blaring outside. Our Mailman was parked in front of our mailbox laying on his horn. My husband went outside and walked up to the car. The Mailman said he had a package that didn't fit in the mailbox, and handed the mail to my husband before driving to the next house.

This became a repeat occurrence where he will park at the end of our driveway and blast his horn until one of us comes out and gets the mail. According to our neighbors, if we aren't home he will still do this for a minute. If we aren't home we can expect a post card stating our mail can't be delivered.

This was frustrating for us *and* our neighbors. We talked to several of them and while they had one or two instances of weirdness none of them have been targeted like us.

Which leads us to the grand event that has pushed me to post here. One morning I'm enjoying my coffee when I hear the horn blast. I quickly threw on shoes and a jacket and hustled down the driveway to get the mail. I got to the car *and he was eating a donut* I knocked on his window that was rolled up and he handed me our mail which had chocolate frosting (presumably from his donut) smeared on our mail. I was so shocked I just said "Seriously, dude?!" He mumbled and rolled his window up.

I got in the house and called my husband. He was furious. He left work and took our chocolate coated mail to the post office where he was informed that I must have done it because postmen aren't allowed to eat while delivering mail (?).

We had no where else to go, we need mail delivered. Assuming it would be a one time thing I convinced my husband to let it go.

A few weeks later my husband went out to get the mail after hearing our call (the car horn) and the Mailman jokingly showed him he was eating an unfrosted donut.

Which brings us to yesterday where I noticed he was no longer driving his SUV but rather a sedan again. We didn't get any mail yesterday and I'm assuming we won't get any today and that on Monday we'll get a postcard about our mailbox height...

Seriously.

So here we are with the Mailman from hell. What can we do? This feels like harassment since literally no one else in the street is having this problem. I promise you we have tried to be civil for him, we don't even allow our dogs outside anymore for the hour he usually delivers mail. We also live fifteen minutes away from our post office so every time our mail isn't delivered we have to find time to go in to town.

Is there anything we can do?

Answer:
 Take a picture of him eating donuts while delivering the mail, as that is clearly a violation of policy.  With evidence his supervisor is less likely to be able to ignore it.

You may want to encourage your neighbors to complain about the noise.Answer #2: >Is there anything we can do?

File a formal written complaint with the postmaster.  But cut it down to just a couple of paragraphs.  Maybe use bullet points.

Or try to make nice with your postman.  Maybe bring him some donuts...


Title: Fired at FL job, employer asking to sign a termination certification agreement after the fact - do I have to?

Question:
I was working for an employer in Florida and was unexpectedly fired.  They have yet to pay me out for my final travel expenses and final paycheck.  I still have company hardware (laptop, phones, etc.) which I was planning on giving back when I'm paid out.

They sent me a termination certification/contract to sign that limits me from working for any company that they've ever done business with (including companies like HP or Apple because they bought their computers from them).  This is a problem as our industry is not a very big one and they've done business with a lot of my potential employers.

My question - do I actually have to sign this certification/contract amendment?  What happens if I don't?  Can they hold out on paying me my last paycheck and travel reimbursement?

Answer:
 Florida has no Dept of Labor you can complain to so you would have to file a complaint with either the US Dept of Labor or sue them. But you absolutely do not have to sign. File for unemployment if you haven't done so already.Answer #2: Florida might have some wonky rules.

Generally speaking, no you do not have to sign. They are required to compensate you for your travel expenses if it was agreed prior to termination and pay you you final paycheck (the time of that depends on FL law). You are also required to return company hardware.

Answer #3: No you don't have to sign.  No they can't withhold pay they already owe you.  Give them back their property and demand your pay.  Tell them to take a long walk off a short pier with the non-compete.Answer #4: You have to return the equipment. You can't hold it hostage.Answer #5: This is the second time in less than a month that an OP has had their former employer try to push a ridiculous NDA/noncompete on the OP after the employment is over.  Is this some sort of bizarre and stupid tactic that supposed to accomplish something for the business?Answer #6: The worst part about these Assholes... some would actually fall for this and sign it to get their money quicker, without giving it a second thought.  Until they get sued for breach of non-compete.

Definitely don't sign anything. If they refuse to pay you go straight to DOL.

Also, does anyone know.. is it okay to hold your employers equipment until they pay you?


Title: A guy is offering me $500 for an address

Question:
So late, around 9pm, last night, and man approached me and my friends and told us that he would give us $500 (each) if we gave him the phone number and address of someone. I know who this guy is (the one who talked to us)  through mutual friends and he doesn’t seem sketchy. All he said was that he wanted the address and number and that we could leave a not saying when and where to meet.

My question is, is me giving this guy the address and phone number illegal in any way? I live in Ontario, Canada by te way.

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, it should be legal, but it sounds sketchy as hell. Why can't he just look it up on the Internet. And why pay both of you if he could ask only 1 of you and get it from you or your friend.

What is he going to do with the address. Is the person  at the address in any danger if you give it to the guy.  Ask yourself these questions if you decide to comply.Answer #2: Giving someone an address isn't illegal, it is regularly available information that anyone can get given a few minutes on the internet. I would be more concerned about giving out a phone number. While not illegal per se, there are things that could go wrong.


Title: Forest Labs (Lexapro) was sued for marketing to patients under 18, I was prescribed it at 14 or 15. I’m now physically addicted 15 years later- can I pursue legal action?

Question: Forest Labs (Lexapro) has been sued for a number of offenses, several of which I personally qualify for. Is it worth my time to look into it further?

Answer: This is a complicated question regarding statutes of limitations and standing. I recommend calling your local bar association and asking for a referral. Many attorneys give an initial consultation  for a very small fee, and the information they give you will be far more accurate than this sub's.Answer #2: Marketing and prescribing are not the same thing...Answer #3: How do you define "physically addicted?" Has your psychiatrist ever tried to take you off the medication by gradually lowering the dose over time?


Title: Can my parents force access to my personal use laptop?

Question: So I turned 18 a few months ago. I live in Pennsylvania. I use a laptop that my parents bought for me years ago. Some of the content on there is paid for with my own money. No one uses this laptoo except for me. They are currently trying to force me to give them the password. I'm refusing out of a desire for my own privacy. Do I have any legal recourse if they try/succeed at forcing entry?

Answer:
 Yes, you can hide the laptop or otherwise refuse or prevent them from accessing it.

And they can choose to stop paying for your rent, food, tuition, insurance, utilities, internet, cell phone, and everything else.

So choose your battles carefully.


Title: [US-SC] Sexual crime

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You need an attorney.  Contact your state bar association, legal aid, and other such institutions.

There is help out there for you.

/r/SuicideWatch

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255


Title: Redditor attacking all my posts in business forums, do I have any legal standing

Question:
I work with startups and I have a redditor who, every time I make a post on forums like r/cofounder and r/entrepreneur keeps attacking me in the comments and telling people not to work with me. He has no reason to do so.

For example, my most recent post was about 2 startups I advise that we're looking for developers. His comments undoubtedly resulted in people not wanting to work with the companies I advise and as a result will have real effects on their probability of success and therefore their bottom line in terms of revenues and profits.

So everyone knows, I have never worked with this redditor or had any dealings with him, he simply stalks my profile and posts crap when I'm trying to get some work done.

Would be great if I could get it to stop, it's not just affecting my businesses but also many other businesses I work with.

[Im located in Ireland but businesses I work with are all around the world]

Answer: Is he telling people false things about you, or just expressing an opinion?


Title: What shows up on background checks for teachers?

Question:
I currently have a Bachelor's of Fine Arts and am considering going back to school to get my Master's in Art Education so that I can become an art teacher.

However, in 2008, I was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  I live in Virginia, and it is a Class 1 Misdemeanor.  I was riding in a car with a 17 year old driver who was breaking curfew.  It went to court, and was never dismissed, but "nulled," meaning I still had to do fingerprinting, etc.  I was never convicted.

Considering that for me personally, it was for something so trivial, but the contributing charge itself covers a wide variety of more serious crimes (i.e. sexual activity with minors, etc.), I'm wondering if it would be a complete waste of time to even go back to school for teaching as this could potentially be something that would show up on background checks for the school divisions and for the teaching license, and also something that could prevent me from being hired.

Do charges show up on background checks?  Or just convictions?  Would this show up if I had it expunged from my record?

Thanks!

Answer:
 > Do charges show up on background checks?

They can, yes.  There's no standard for a 'background check' - each employer looks for different things and each contractor finds different things.  But charges definitely stay on your record, unless expunged.  I'd be surprised if your state licensing people didn't see it.

> Would this show up if I had it expunged from my record?

It may.  In many cases, there are exceptions to expungement for certain occupations - teaching is sometimes one of them.

Realistically, you'd have a chance to explain this charge before it got to that stage, and you likely should.  It's a minor thing, unless you hide it.  Your state licensing board may be able to give you an early read as to whether you're permanently disqualified.


Title: [GA][CA][NV]Sale and transport of an antique firearm

Question:
I put multiple states since my family is moving and I'm not sure where/when the gun will be transferred.

My parents are moving from Georgia to Nevada soon, and have an antique revolver than has been in the family for generations (based on the serial, we're pretty confident it's from 1908, if that matters. It has not been formally appraised). I live in California. They've basically said if I can figure out the legal hoops necessary for the transport/sale, it's mine. I know laws regarding gun sales between family members are generally looser, as are laws regarding antique firearms. But which state laws do we follow? Both NV and GA are much more lenient than CA. I'm also wondering about the legal hoops of transporting it across state lines. Can they mail it to me from GA? Or should they bring it to NV and then give it to me in person? Does the fact that it's a gift, and not a sale, change anything? I have no idea if there's any paperwork (licensing, etc) on the gun.

FWIW, I do have a valid CA handgun license. Thanks!

Answer:
 Oh God, you want us to answer for three states' gun laws (one of them being California no less) plus the federal government? Add in interstate travel and then family transfers for more fun.  This is an evil law school exam question.

Seriously, though I can at least say that this is a "curio & relic" so that *may* make things easier because they aren't as strictly regulated.

Go to your local gun store because they can probably help you the best with this issue.  Obviously, the simplest way would be to meet your parents in Nevada and have them hand you the gun where you keep it locked away in your house. But talk to a couple of gun store first.


Title: Traffic Citation Not Entered into Court's System After 60 Days.

Question:
My fiance and I each recieved a ticket from a University of Minnesota (In Minneapolis, Hennipen County, Minnesota) police officer in the month of August (From 1 traffic stop).

 It has now been over 60 days and the tickets have not been entered in the court's systems. I have been checking multiple times in person in the past 2 months and there is absolutely no record of either citation. We fully planned on contesting both tickets.

 Part of me wants to just let it go and hope it never gets entered so we have 0 chance on getting those on our records/ having to pay fines and so we do not have to take time off of work for court.
I know the alternative is to keep on checking week to week for it to get entered. I just don't want to poke the bear in case it fell through the cracks.

What should I do? Is there some sort of statute of limitations in Hennipen County/Minnesota or in other jurisdictions for tickets being entered into the system? Should I just bring it to the PDs attention and get the ball rolling?
Thanks everyone!
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Have you called the city clerks office?  The last thing you want is it going to collections.


Title: I got caught downloading over school wifi!

Question:
I'm currently going to school in a university, and I got caught downloading porn. A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do, and I guess I'm a dumbass for not using a VPN or anything like that. I was notified through a forwarded email from my uni which told me basically to pay $300 or get sued.
The catch is that the email was from a company called CEG TEK International, and a quick Google search shows that it's just a troll company trying to extort money from people. The common advice was just to ignore the email.
The second catch is that when I first received the email, I panicked and immediately visited the company's website and entered all of my personal info (full name, email). The one thing that I did not enter was a valid credit card.
Any (valuable) help would be appreciated.

Tell me, am I screwed?

Answer:
 >when I first received the email, I panicked and immediately visited the company's website and entered all of my personal info (full name, email)

Why the fuck did you do that.  Now they know who you are and you basically confirmed that you did what they said you did.  Stay and get sued I guess.


Title: Was assaulted twice inside of my apartment building, want to leave for my own safety but they won't let me move out without 60 days notice and a $3000 termination fee. [TX]

Question:
There's a group of degenerates that hangs around my building. Long story short, I was brutally beaten by 8 people in the hallway of my buidling - kicked in the head repeatedly while on the ground, etc. and got a broken nose and a bunch of facial scars and they took cash out of my pockets. 6 weeks later it happened again in the elevator. Police are investigating it.

I told my apartment manager I want to move ASAP and I will let her know when I have made new arrangements and I hope given the circumstances that are forcing me out that she understands an early termination fee wouldn't be appropriate. She said no, I have to give 60 says notice and I have to pay the $3k fee if I'm going to leave.

I am shocked and boiling in anger. I hate my building and I hate coming home from work and walking through the hallways all tense. Do I have any right to move out sooner than 2 months, and any right to not have to pay them to do so?

Answer: You being attacked is not your landlords fault, and they do not have to let you break your lease without penalty.


Title: An App Stole Sound Bites from My YouTube Videos Without Permission

Question: It was brought to my attention that a casino type app uses sound bites of my voice from my YouTube videos. Is there anything I can do about this? Do I send a cease and desist? Do I have ownership over the sound bites given that they're taken from my published YouTube videos? What would you guys do?

Answer:
 >  Is there anything I can do about this?

Yes. Make a copyright claim with the app store.

For the iOS App Store, you can do this at:

https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/appstorenotices/

For the Google Play Store, you can do this at:

https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905


Title: Bizarre!! Customer wants a refund after 6 years! Small claims court for $1,200. Suggestions?

Question:
Hey, really weird situation. This is in NYC if that matters. My mom is a dress designer and a customer is suing her for a dress she made his 12 year old daughter 6 years ago! The dress cost $1,200 and he wants a full refund after 6 years. One of his claims is that the dress was used before. All my moms dresses are one of a kind made (no duplicates) and her receipts say sales are final no refund. The dress was not used before if that matters. Is there some kind of statute of limitations on these things? The small court hearing is in one month from now and I was wondering what we should do. Should we take this seriously? Is a lawyer worth it or will the judge laugh this guy out of the court?

Thanks for any help/advice.

Answer: The SoL on written contracts in NY is 6 years which is what I believe this would fall under.Answer #2: I don't have legal advice beyond what's been posted here already, but what exactly is his claim? He took six years to realize he wasn't satisfied with the dress? I'm not even trying to be a smartass, I'm genuinely curious what the issue is that this person would want to pursue it in court. Post an update when it's over if you can, I'm interested to see how this turns out.


Title: [OH] Direct tv wont come out and finish installing my dish without charging me.

Question: So a few months ago i had a direct tv dish put in my front yard. The guy for whatever reason could not finish the job so he put the satellite on cinder blocks as a temporary place to put it. He said someone would come out and finish the job. Now Direct tv wont do anything without charging me $50 for finishing what they where supposed to do the first time. My question is, who is supposed to be in charge of making sure things are up to code? because the dish is not securely put in the ground. It also looks dumb having a dish sitting on concrete blocks in my front yard.

Answer:
 Direct TV did the same thing to us, they put it on the side of the house 4 feet up, I told them to move it, he said he would be back but never came. During fall clean up I slammed my head into the dish moving it. Direct TV told me it was my fault, not the installers, the job was finished, they would come out and fix the dish but it was going to be 125$.

Long story short I canceled the service. Direct TV sucks and they never fixed the problem they created.


Title: Can I ask my doctor to remove (at least partially) my SSN from the file? I am in WA.

Question: So, I got to see my eye doctor the other day. I was surprised by the fact that they put my full SSN on the file and printed it out. I wonder how they save it. When I expressed my displeasure, I got a look that I don't know what I am talking about and a smile "We have a secure system." If big corporations like LinkedIn, Sony are not secure what do they have that makes it an ultra secure system? Anyway, I suggested that they could show my last 4 digits but I don't think they took it seriously. I wonder is there anything I do? I mean even if I don't use their service anymore, I don't think they would take my SSN off the file. To think about it, even my paycheck and other banking system do not print my full SSN.

Answer: They will not remove your SSN. It's for legal purposes, insurance, and identification between medical providers. If they get a record audit or get sued, they have to have your SSN to provide to the government to prove your identity. I don't want to mention this but I will- your SSN is probably on every single medical record file in every facility you've ever gone to. It gets sent via fax machine and email, it gets put in the mail, it goes into online systems. You cannot keep it private.


Title: [VA] Received a speeding ticket but was not asked to sign it to agree to appear in court.

Question: I received a speeding ticket but after looking over my copy I realized I was never asked to sign the ticket to agree to appear in court. Is it possible to get out of the ticket based on this?

Answer:
 > Is it possible to get out of the ticket based on this?

No.  They don't need to get your permission to charge you with violating the law.

Answer #2: NoAnswer #3: No.


Title: [MA] Is it legal to put a flag on a car?

Question: Exactly what it says on the tin. I want to put a flag up on my car, but I'm having trouble sorting out the legalese. If it's allowed, are there limits to where it can go? How long can the pole be? How big can the flag be? Does it matter if it's a USA flag, state flag, foreign flag, etc.?

Answer: yes. no restrictions as long as it doesnt impede traffic


Title: Scammed on localbitcoins.com. Have scammer's real name; any recourse? (CA, USA:WI, USA)

Question:
On 3/5/16 I initiated a trade in response to an advertisement on Localbitcoins.com. The trade was to sell $3,200 worth of bitcoins via cash in the mail. The buyer had well over 100 confirmed trades with perfect feedback. He talked me into releasing the coins early, and due to his history I agreed. (This means he gets the bitcoins instantly instead of waiting for an escrow process. Obviously this was very foolish on my part.) He provided me with a tracking number. The tracking number never tracked, and the user was banned the next day. I have the user's full name as Localbitcoins has verified their identity, phone number, ip address, and email, although I only have access to his name. I understand localbitcoins would provide more information to police.

Three days later the tracking number he gave me showed action, but it was for a delivery to a different city.

Is it worth filing a police report? Is it worth pursuing the matter through through civil action? I reside in California, and he resides in Wisconsin.

Here is a copy of our discussion with names, address, and tracking redacted:

>Communication (total 15 messages)

>March 6, 2016, 11:13 a.m.
ME: Hey, that tracking isn't working yet. Is everything okay?

>March 5, 2016, 12:18 p.m.
HIM : No prob, any time.

>March 5, 2016, 12:17 p.m.
ME: Ok, thank you.

>March 5, 2016, 12:16 p.m.
HIM : Tracking # will be EK#########US
Check on it in a couple hours, they take an hour to update uo here.

>March 5, 2016, 12:16 p.m.
HIM : Tracking # will be EK#########US
Check on it in a couple hours, they take an hour to update uo here.

>March 5, 2016, 12:15 p.m.
ME: its done.

>March 5, 2016, 12:15 p.m.
HIM : Ill need release before i get it ready.

>March 5, 2016, 12:14 p.m.
ME: awesome. thanks

>March 5, 2016, 12:13 p.m.
HIM : Ok, ill mark paid and get it ready.
Will have a tracking # ready in 45 mins when i drop it off.

>March 5, 2016, 12:12 p.m.
ME: Ok, lets do it.

>March 5, 2016, 12:12 p.m.
HIM : And by "Lost" i really meant stolen by a USPS employee.

>March 5, 2016, 12:11 p.m.
HIM : Ive sent out 1,000+ packages in my entire lifetime. Stealth is prime.
Ive had 4/1,000 deemed "Lost in Transit" and 2 were in CA, other 2 were in GA.

>March 5, 2016, 12:07 p.m.
ME: Hi! What is up with shipping to CA that requires the early release?

>March 5, 2016, 12:05 p.m.
HIM : No problem getting this out today, they close in 1 hour.
$20 gets deducted from the trade amount for Priority Express Shipping.
Finally, all packages with a CA or GA destination must be released before i drop the package off at the post office.
Lmk if i should get it ready to go, or cancel.
Peace.

>March 5, 2016, 11:52 a.m.
ME: (My address provided here)
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Most likely it was a hijacked account so who knows what you were dealing with.That he wanted to skip the escrow process is further evidence of this.  You are probably never going to see those bitcoins again.Answer #2: You can sue him I guess?

Really though, you don't see the irony here? You decided to financially transact in ways specifically designed to elude intervention by governmental authorities, and now you want the government to intervene?Answer #3: Your recourse is to sue him in small claims court. You can file a police report, but they may not give a shit about this, especially since it's a shady bitcoin trade.

Let me guess, this is B** S*** Bitcoins?

Answer #4: If you go to the police you could find yourself in a heap of other trouble.

$3,200 worth of Bitcoin is the kind of amount where you need more than "the buyer's name". You probably assisted in a drug purchase, or money laundering.Answer #5: The free market will sort it out.


Title: Girlfriend's ex found out and is telling the story about us being caught having sex in a car.

Question: So first off, we were caught having sex in my car after a parks closing hours. The police felt bad for us and let us go after we were embarrassed. Since then we have been trying to put it behind us and forget about it. However, her abusive ex who is always trying to talk to her told her today that he knows and is blackmailing her. Now I'm not overly scared of people in our small community knowing, but she very much is. Her ex works at the fire department and the only way I can think he found out is the police told him himself. Is there anything I can do to end this?

Answer:
 >Location: Park

Oh no. That's not what they mean by location....Answer #2: Blackmail is illegal, but sharing accurate facts is generally not.

If someone contacts you and threatens to blackmail you then you have 3 options

1) call the police and let them investigate as blackmail is illegal.  The blackmailer may release the blackmail information

2) block and ignore the person.  The blackmailer may release the blackmail information

3) do what the person is blackmailing you to do and become their bitch for life.  Once you comply with blackmail you have told them that they have something valuable on them.  Silence cannot be purchased, only rented, they will come back at some later point in time.

I don’t know what option I would pick if I were in your spot but I know which one I wouldn’t.Answer #3: I don't understand why you think that's a big deal people know about it. Since you didn't get charged with anything it's just a fun story.  Whoopdeedoo you got caught in the the backseat of a car. Sometimes when you draw attention to something, more people end up knowing about it.


Title: (VA) My husband only gets his court-ordered child support payments 1-2 times per year with no repercussions for his ex-wife. She refuses to work and lives off her husband and government benefits. Is there anything we can do to get these funds from them?

Question:
The judge keeps threatening to give her jail time when we go back to court, but then when they actually issue a warrant, she makes one regular payment and avoids going to jail.  So this whole process takes about 4-6 months- which means my husband gets 2 regular payments a year while his ex-wife’s arrears just keeps growing.

The judge has told her multiple times that she must get a job.  She (barely) lives off her husband and government benefits.  She refuses to work or even file past tax returns because she knows the child support funds would be withheld.  She is planning to do this routine until my stepson turns 18.  She has completely cut off contact with him.

I’m way past trying to trash his ex.  We just really need the extra funds to cover the increasing expenses of a growing boy.  Is there any possible way out of these legal shenanigans?  Has she found the perfect loophole in the system?

Answer:
 > She is planning to do this routine until my stepson turns 18

And she would still owe. 18 just means no future payments owed, she still owes all the back.

Consult with an attorney, the judge may not be aware of these shenanigans. That said, if shes truly broke, can't get blood from a beet. Answer #2: Apply for food stamps, AFDC etc. The only time courts take child support enforcement seriously is if the state has to provide the support that is lacking. Answer #3: NAL -

Not knowing what sort of 'government benefits' she's getting clouds things.  That said, if it's SSI, the payments can not be garnished to pay the arrears.  However, if it is SSDI, the payments CAN be garnished - [https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/faq/child-support-disability-benefits](https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/faq/child-support-disability-benefits) \- If they are VA benefits, they can most certainly be garnished - [https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-divorce-alimony-child-support-affect-veterans-va-benefits.html](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-divorce-alimony-child-support-affect-veterans-va-benefits.html) \- speak to your lawyer on how best to approach this.Answer #4: This is all based on GA, so it may be wrong.

Is collections handled by Child Support Services?

If so, Call Child Support Services to see if they will suspend her license when she gets behind.

If not, then you have to file for contempt.

* Make a timeline of all the times she has been told to get a job or go to jail.
* Get the court transcripts (if they exist).  Include on the timeline all the payments she has made.
* Calculate how much she owes for CS.
* See if your state adds interest.
* Get the court hearing "taken down" by a court reporter.
* ask the judge to jail her and set the "purge amount" at the outstanding balance.

Note: I'm a lawyer, but NOT your lawyer.  Talk to a VA lawyer for real advice.


Title: [California] what rights do we have for denying construction workers access to our rented condo?

Question:
In the past our landlords repair team has proven untrustworthy (things went missing when they were left alone -money and a dive computer) and we don't want them left alone in our home without us there. Our landlord has repeatedly failed to give us the required 24 hr notice.
She has repeatedly ignored requests to fix things, and we have had serious problems ranging from mold to water leaking out of our ceiling fan, and broken appliances (dishwasher) (for over 18 months) and she has only started to fix things since we gave her 45 days notice that we are moving out. Prior to our giving notice we had been informing her of the problems and that they needed to be fixed for several months.

Answer:
 What city are you in?

[California Civil Code 1954](http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=civ&group=01001-02000&file=1940-1954.1) governs landlord entry into a rental unit, which would also apply to landlord's agents.

The landlord's agents would generally have to be allowed access to make necessary repairs, provided you are given 24 hours advance written notice. What exactly qualifies as a necessary repair is another question, but likely only includes things necessary to bring the unit up to code or to a basic standard of habitability. If the landlord just wants to repaint a wall, for example, you can likely tell them to get bent. The access must occur during normal business hours.

If you refuse your landlord access, their only legal recourse would be to begin eviction proceedings. This is a long and costly process and it's unlikely to be in the landlord's interest to pursue this if you're going to be out in 45 days anyway. If they do file an eviction though, it may affect your ability to get rentals in the future. If you refuse access and your landlord's agents attempt to enter anyway, it's simple trespassing and the police should be involved.

You could try writing your landlord a letter or email stating that you refuse access for all non-necessary repairs, referring them to the relevant statute, and reminding them that to the extent such access violations amount to harassment they may be liable for statutory damages of up to $2,000 per incident. It worked for me to deter my property management company from arbitrary "routine maintenance inspections."

Edit: in any case, the landlord is liable for any damage or theft by their agents. if you have other grievances at the point you've moved out (or the theft was substantial), it may be worth pursuing in small claims court.


Title: I sold a car 10 years ago and the new owner never transferred the title into their name...

Question:
I sold my green 1992 Mitsubishi Mirage 10 years ago in California and moved out of state the following weekend. I mailed in the release of liability form from my new home in Arkansas and never thought about it again until today. I recently moved back to California and today I received a parking violation in the mail for a different vehicle (parking violation stated a silver Nissan). I searched the plate number online and found that it belongs to my old Mitsubishi. I called the police dept. where the violation was issued and they informed me that the car has been continuously registered in my name since 2007 (I sold the car in June 2006) and that the dmv never received my release of liability. Luckily the parking violation was the only violation she could find record of since 2007. I was 18 when I sold the car and I do not have a bill of sale nor do I remember who I sold the car to. Do I have any legal recourse in this situation? If they've been registering the car in my name does that mean they've been carrying insurance in my name also? Can I repossess the car if I can find it? Can I press charges for identity theft? Would this be considered a breach of contract since they failed to transfer the vehicle into their name?

At this point I don't even know if it's the same car or if they are just using my plates. The only lead I have to the vehicle is the address where the violation was incurred which I googled and found is a residential address.

Any help or advice in this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: I sold a car a few users ago and they have yet to transfer it to their name. I assume they just scrapped the car for parts, but I'd love to have this question answered in case something does happen in the future.


Title: Just got an OWI, need advice

Question:
I was placed under arrest on 10/11/14 for a OWI charge that occurred in MI. This is my first offense. I was pulled over right after exiting a Taco bell drive thru. The officer told me I was being pulled over because I crossed the center divider on a curvey road that was veering toward the left. I had two passengers in the car. The two passengers in the car were pulled away separately after I was arrested and they were told by another officer that Taco bell had called the police because we were loud at the drive thru while ordering. The passengers also told me that I was driving carefully and I in fact did not cross that center divider. However the road was dark and was a sharp curve toward the left, I think even a sober person would slightly cross the center divider even a little bit.

At the scene, the officer did a few exams which included walking a line heel to toe, stating the Abc's with my head tilted backward, and following the pen light. I'm pretty sure I did not fumble on any of the exams except the pen light which tests for nystagmus. He then asked me to take the breathalyzer, which I verbally stated I plead the 5th and I don't want to take it. He forced me to take it and said I do not have a choice and that I have to take it. Since he made it seem that way I ended up taking the test and blew a .13. He placed me under arrest.

At the station I was allowed to call a friend who is an Attorney. I was inquiring whether I should opt to take a blood test vs an official breathalyzer. If I took the blood test the officer would have to get a warrant and that would buy me some time and my friend was advising me to lean toward that. However, as I was talking, the officer who placed me under arrest bullied me into taking the breathalyzer and told me I need to and at that point I have no choice I have to take breathalyzer now and I don't have anymore time. My friend overheard the officer and stated he can be witness to this fact that the officer is bullying me into taking the breathalyzer. He told me to just comply and to be cooperative, which I did. I proceeded to take the test and blew a .14. The numbers are not in my favor and I am completely aware of that. I also asked the officer which part of the field sobriety test besides the breathalyzer did I fail, he stated "it doesn't matter I was planning on arresting you anyway"

I was followed by the cops for 1/4 of mile less than 1 minute in which he pulled me over. I have hired a lawyer who is going to get the video of how I was driving to see if there was actual probable cause in pulling me over. The lawyer is going to see if there is a slight chance of getting the case thrown out since taco bell called the cops on me which does not give them probable cause to pull me over if I was driving fine. Most likely the case won't be thrown out since the BAC was high. My lawyer said he may get the charges dropped to driving while impaired.

I'm a medical student and I have an extensive Academic history and volunteer work. I have to apply for residency in 1 and half years time and my question is what is your guys opinion on how this may turn out and how will this affect me when applying for residencies if the charge sticks as an OWI or if the charges gets dropped to driving while impaired? Any advice is much appreciated.

Also please spare the whole you are an idiot for drinking and driving, I know I fucked up, I hate myself for it, and I'm well aware that I put the lives of others possibly in danger and I know I will never ever do this again until the day I die.

Answer:
 They don't need probable cause to pull you over, they need reasonable suspicion.

Some studies put a positive presence of HGN indicates a 77% chance of the driver being above a .10 so that would definitely give him probable cause for an arrest.

The PBT (the roadside breath test you took) is not admissible in court anyway so not really anything there.

>the officer who placed me under arrest bullied me into taking the breathalyzer and told me I need to and at that point I have no choice I have to take breathalyzer now and I don't have anymore time

Yeah, he is allowed to do that because of the implied consent laws.  You could have refused, but you didn't.

Not seeing anything in your story that gives you any defense really.


Title: Apartment was supposed to have a balcony but doesn’t, can I get my rent reduced?

Question:
I recently moved into an apartment that was supposed to have a balcony. Model unit had one, leasing agent said I would have one, lease has an addendum including details about the balcony I am supposed to have. But as title states, I do not have the balcony.

Is this grounds for a rent abatement or some other form of compensation for the missing feature?

Answer: If your lease states that you should have a balcony, the landlord owes you a balcony or the value of a balcony. Is there a difference in rent prices between the two floorplans? That might be a good place to start with negotiations.


Title: [MD] Self Defense Questions

Question:
I live in Baltimore City and need some advice or understanding. I currently carry a pocket knife and pepper spray for my safety. I read that as long as the knife isn’t a switchblade and my pepper spray is not used to harm people I can carry it. I’ve heard self defense laws are very strict in MD. My neighborhood is crazy at times. Ive been surrounded my groups of people about to rob me. Luckily someone is always watching in the neighborhood so they’ve never acted. My fear is the one time someone isn’t watching I or someone else gets attacked. Police show up people often around here but it doesn’t stop those people. My question is , by law, when would it be justified for me to use my pepper spray or knife to defend myself?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 A knife is a terrible, terrible, terrible self defense weapon that you should not consider using.

You can defend yourself when a reasonable person would and you can use as much force as necessary to defend yourself, but no more.

Pepper spray and sneakers.


Title: [Ohio] I got put on a diversion program, did not follow any of the steps, but they have not contacted me.

Question:
While I was at school in Ohio, I got caught smoking weed. I got caught with a few grams and a bong, so I got charged with possession and paraphernalia. I went to a school in rural Ohio in a small county, and I got placed into a diversion program under the county jurisdiction. Basically, the program dictated that I undergo a drug and alcohol assessment and call my diversion officer once a month for six months. This happened in early May.

I know this is incredibly stupid, but I did not follow up with the diversion officer nor did I undergo the assessment. However, I recently graduated school, and returned to my home in Illinois. I  was to find a place here to do the testing and send the results to Ohio.

Despite me not following the steps of the program, the diversion officer has NOT contacted me. I know they have my contact information, and if I did not comply with diversion, I would face misdemeanor charges. I expected to get a call saying I was going to get fail the program, but nothing has happened.

Basically, I don't know what to do. Should I contact the officer and see if it is possible to work things out? Or should I avoid contacting then because then they would be forced to kick me off diversion due to my noncompliance? Is it possible that I have just slipped through the cracks of the system? I haven't smoked since, so I would pass a drug test if they would let me back on diversion. I really don't know what the best course of action is.

Thank you for anyone who responds to this post.

Answer: My guess is that they won't call, they will just violate you/kick you out, and probably issue a warrant for your arrestAnswer #2: You should contact the diversion officer and tell him you were being irresponsible and taking bad advice but now you're ready to ger your life in order. Play it up like you have had an epiphany...


Title: [US]Is it legal for a business to call someone after they left a negative review?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Is it legal for a business to call someone after they left a negative review?

Yes. Hell, it's generally good business practice to reach out to dissatisfied customers to see if you can make things right.

>Is this common for small business owners?

I have no data showing whether it is common or uncommon, but it is certainly reasonable.

>Do I have any obligation to change the review?

Probably not. Did you lie in the review? If so, there's a chance that could cause you issues.

>What if an employee (the one I had an unpleasant experience with or not) approaches me and asks me to change or delete the rating?

Then either do it, or don't. I'd reiterate why you left the negative review, and enter into a negotiation about what they can do to make your experience better.

This isn't really a legal question.

E: changed my yes to a no, because I somehow read the initial question as "Is it illegal" rather than "Is it legal"


Title: Language discrimination- Canada

Question:
Hello,

I work in Canada and work for an Canadian manufacturing company. We have a national customer with a regional office in Quebec. The Quebec regional office has asked for a bilingual account representative. While 70% of this customers business has come from the English speaking regions I’m concerned I’ll lose my position as I’m not bilingual. This was not a requirement when I took the position 5 years ago and only recently became an issue due to a recent restructure on my customers end.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

Answer:
 This is a valid request from your customer, and if you cannot satisfy it, your employer may well seek to replace you with a representative who can. There's not much you can do about that, short of learning French - which I recommend, but which I also recognize is a major commitment.

However, this change likely would not be grounds to terminate you for cause. If your employer lets you go because of this, you'd likely be entitled to whatever severance and notice period your union agreement, employment agreement, and provincial laws provide for.

You might be able to get ahead of this by proactively working with your employer to figure out how to address the third of your client's needs that come from Francophones, or by helping your employer find another client you can represent.


Title: [TEXAS] Just signed my lease agreement for a townhome and noticed that the rent is $1000 cheaper than what was agreed on

Question:
My roommate and I are moving into a townhome soon. We used a real estate agent to find this place and she has been pretty much the middle-man of communication between us and the property owners.

When we were talking about rent for the home, we agreed on a 1 year lease for $2500 a month. This was communicated through text message to our agent who communicated this to the landlords. We have not had any direct communication with them.

When we got the lease we sort of glazed over it and everything looked fine and signed. The landlords have signed too. We just put in our security deposit of $2500 (security deposit is typically the same as a full month’s rent). However, I was glazing over the lease again and noticed that the full month’s rent was mistakenly set to $1500 for a full months rent by the landlords.

So now my friend and I are not really sure what to do. We know we agreed on $2500/month indirectly through our agent, and we don’t want to have a bad relationship with our landlord, but at the same time if we can get away with getting a $1000 discount on our rent, we’re gonna try to take it.

Once everything is signed, is the leasing agency legally obligated to take $1500 as a full month’s rent?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 No, this is [Scriveners Error](https://definitions.uslegal.com/d/doctrine-of-scriveners-error/).

Basically a minor error that arises from a simple mistake like a typo is allowed to be corrected if there’s evidence it is an error. Those messages agreeing to 2500 would be evidence.

You could try it but you’d almost certainly lose, and you’d probably have soured the relation with a landlord you just signed on with. Doesn’t seem with it with a near 0% chance of success.Answer #2: NAL but you might try searching this sub for “scrivener’s error”. It sounds like both you and the landlord had an understanding of $2500/month. If it were to go in front of a judge, they would likely find that the lower amount was written in error and should be amended to the originally agreed upon amount.


Title: [MN] Recently fired for allegations of theft and have questions regarding deductions on my final paycheck.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > 40 dollars in 'fraudulent expenditures" and $400 in loan payback

They can't deduct except for agreed upon charges. That said, if you falsely reported hours during that pay period they can definitely correct them, as well as deduct any advances you received on your pay (ie, if you got paid for two unearned sick days they can take those hours out of your last check). What expenditures are they talking about?

As for the cause thing, still try to file for unemployment. They will argue that you were terminated for cause, and you can present any evidence (including a personal statement) that refutes that. The paper is only one piece of evidence they can present. If you didn't steal/fraudulently claim hours, than you have a pretty decent case even with signing.

Meanwhile, file a DoL complaint over the short check. They will have to explain to the state why she made those deductions.


Title: Registered for an online course. Thought it was free. Never completed it. Now they're asking for money.

Question:
I was recommended by a friend to register for an online course that was offered by a university in the Netherlands. As naive as I was, I went for it. Like most online courses we take, I didn't maintain working for it and lost interest about 2 months in.  A few months later, I was sent an invoice for 600 Euros. I don't remember agreeing anywhere that I would pay for this course, and assumed that it was free.

The vague pdf registration form that I filled out and emailed for the course had no mention of any amount or obligation to pay. It did have a checkbox that I ticked with these typoed words verbatim:

"I declare to be familiar with the course and cancellation policies I declare to be familiar with the course and cancellation policies of xxx University."

They have copies of my resume and passport. Do they have legal grounds to ask for the 600 EU?

Location when signed: California, USA
Location of online course: Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Answer:
 And, what were the course and cancelation policies?

It's true that you should not sign documents you don't read.  Even electronically.

It's also true that they're unlikely to come after you in the US for $700.


Title: I took a shit in my ex-girlfriend's bed. Can I get in legal trouble for this?

Question:
Ok so this happened yesterday and I've been freaking out about it since.

State: Illinois

My girlfriend and I broke up a few days ago. I had a key to her place, and she told me that I should go to her place, and drop off her stuff and pick mine up, and then leave the key at her house.

I'm going to be honest, I was pretty upset about the whole situation and angry, and the day that I went to go drop the stuff off and pick up my things, I had been drinking a lot, so I was pretty drunk when I got there. (I took a bus by the way, so no drunk driving here).

Long story short, for whatever reason, something compelled me to get revenge on her on by taking a shit in her bed. I honestly don't know why, I've never thought like that before or done anything like that, but for some reason, in my drunk state I took a shit in her bed just before heading out.

I got back home, passed out and woke up, and it instantly hit me how bad I had fucked up. I would have gone back and cleaned it up, but I left the key in her place and locked the door on the way out, so I have no way of getting back in.

I've been really worried that I might be able to get into some sort of legal trouble over this. So I guess thats why I'm here. What kind of charges could I face for this?

Answer: Vandalism, destruction of private property, maybe harassment. You have both civil and criminal liability here, and she's probably got enough to get a TRO on you for this.


Title: No Paramour Question

Question:
I live in South Carolina and we recently went and had our temporary court hearing. The judge decided that I would get every other weekend and 3 more days every two weeks. So he called it the 8/6 rule. Either way one of the rules was that we can not have them around any paramours. And I am assuming that means her children as well.

So this past weekend we went to a birthday party and that paramours child showed up with a babysitter. So I got my stuff together and took my children and we left the party. But we didn't leave before someone got one picture of my girl standing in the doorway. That is the only picture that shows her in it because we left.

Since we left the party is that considered violating the court order. She is saying I violated it and will see me in court but I left the party like I thought I should have. I couldn't forsee that girl showing up so it isn't my fault.

Have I truly violated it? And do I still get my weekend this weekend?

Edit: To clear up some confusion because I wasn't detailed enough. I am the father and it was my weekend. The paramour is my girlfriend and she was not at the party. But her child showed up. I have not receive the official court orders yet that specifically say her children cant be around them but I guess I was asking assuming that it does. Does the court orders usually specify the paramour and her children? I have never been through this so it may sound like a dumb question but I truly dont know.

Answer:
 > Either way one of the rules was that we can not have them around any paramours.

A paramour is the "illicit sex partner of a married person." Is this the legal language used in South Carolina even after people are divorced? I am genuinely curious.

> And I am assuming that means her children as well.

Why do you assume that? Does the court order say that? (And who is the paramour? A male or a female? Are you the father or someone else? The post is confusing. Are you the father and your girlfriend's daughter showed up and so you fled the party?)

> Since we left the party is that considered violating the court order.

Okay now I'm more confused. How can *leaving* a party be violating the court order? Did the court order say you had to go to the party and stay for XX minutes? I am going to assume it did not because that would be silly. I can't see how leaving a party would violate a custody order, so someone enlighten me if I'm missing something.

> She is saying I violated it and will see me in court but I left the party like I thought I should have.

Who is she? Your ex I assume? Your ex-wife is saying you violated the court order because you were at a party and your girlfriend's daughter showed up with a babysitter?

If that's the case I do not think you have anything to worry about but please clarify anything I've misinterpreted.


Title: [VA] Can I sign away my rights to report a crime?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >My question is, even if I sign something just to pacify his request

I don't think many people are going to advise you to go down this road, but in case you do, I would not put anything about this in writing. Destroying evidence of tax evasion and SSA fraud could certainly come back to bite you in the ass.


Title: Staffing agency fired me after I made a harassment report despite the work site having a clear anti-retaliation policy

Question:
I was employed for about two months this spring by a staffing agency who hired three other employees besides myself to work identical positions. One week into the job, the staffing agency appointed one of the four of us to be the shift supervisor. This staff member harassed me repeatedly, calling me insulting names, shouting at me, and otherwise contributing to a hostile environment, and would frequently make complaints to supervisors that i was not performing my job adequately, even though I always did exacrly what I was asked and was never late to work. I complained to the same supervisor she complained to about this harrassment, and also notified the staffing agency that this harrassment was occurring. The work site (different from the staffing agency that hired us) has a strict policy against retaliation against employees who file a harassment complaint, a policy that we were all notified of upon hiring, but I was fired anyway on May 26th, a little over two months after hiring, by the staffing agency who cited my abusive shift supervisor's complaints about my performance. I haven't done anything since May about it because I figure since I was an employee of the staffing agency and not the work site itself, the non-retaliation policy does not apply to me, but I thought I'd ask anyway: Do I have any legal recourse against the staffing agency for firing me? I don't have high hopes, but it's worth a shot I guess.

Location: Alaska

Answer:
 > This staff member harassed me repeatedly, calling me insulting names, shouting at me, and otherwise contributing to a hostile environment

"Hostile work environment" gets thrown around a lot, but it has a specific legal meaning. Your situation isn't one.

Was there anything that actually qualifies as *illegal* harassment occurring, or was he/she just being mean to you?


Title: What should I do

Question:
This morning my wife and I argued like. We have talk and agreed to a divorce. So this morning I decided I'm moving out the house so she  she started punching me on the face chest arms and I pushed her of me she gets mad and hits a mirror blood poring out of her arm. I called 911 and police get there. Next thing she gets arrested for domestic violence. Is there something I should do or worry about?

Carrollton Texas

Answer:
 Call a divorce attorney, the police report of her arrest is good ammo.Answer #2: There are things that *she* needs to do now.

There are things you can help her with if you want to.

But there is nothing that you need to do beyond what's already been done.

What do you WANT to do now?


Title: Do biological parents get visitation post-adoption after involuntary termination of parental rights in California?

Question:
Hi! I posted this on r/FamilyLaw as well, but that community doesn't look super active. Let me know if this question isn't appropriate here though!

My first cousin (dad's side) had her 4 year old child removed by CPS last month and she was temporarily placed with my mom while my cousin attends parenting and AA classes. I think she will have hearings at the 6 month mark and 1 year mark to determine if she can get custody back (but I'm doubtful because she's very irresponsible).

CPS asked if anyone in our family would consider adopting the child if my cousin's parental rights were involuntarily terminated by the court. My husband and I are interested in adopting her, but we want nothing to do with my cousin or my cousin's mom (my aunt and the child's grandmother) and we think that would be best for the child as well. We didn't have a relationship with them before this either. However, CPS told us in California since we are family, if we adopted her it would have to be an open adoption and my cousin would retain visitation rights. Is that true? It seems crazy to me that someone who lost their parental rights would still have a right to visitation post-adoption just because we are technically family.

Answer:
 Can the adoption be open? Certainly. It is family. Closing it is useless.

You need to ask them to explain 'visitation rights' because generally parents can send cards for the child and that is the limit of the rights.

But CPS can put whatever rules they want on it, and you can decline and the child can be adopted by someone else


Title: [Texas] [Long]In the process of trying to get custody of my son from my abusive ex-wife

Question:
Right now me and my wife are going through a divorce and I am trying to win custody of our son. During our 4 year marriage my wife was very abusive physically, mentally, and emotionally. She was very narcissistic, and a gas lighter.

Right now I have a lot of evidence that shows how abusive she is, and two CPS workers that are going to testify that they strongly believe that our son should not be with her and that he is not safe with her. These two CPS workers got involved with us about a year ago because of a domestic issue that my wife caused. They worked with us for several months and kept advising me to get a divorce and to take my son with me, but i was still trying to work on things with my wife. Like I said she was a gas lighter and i kept coming back to her, they were actually the ones that showed me what she was doing to me.

After several months of being separated we are getting a divorce and I am trying to get Custody of our son. He has been living with her during our separation and thinks she should get custody just because she is the mother. Right now she has a new boyfriend who she started sleeping with during our separation, and he has been staying over on nights that my son is there. I do not know this guy, and she just met him two months ago. There are court orders in the divorce petition that say she is not to have anyone of the opposite sex that isn't family sleep over, but her boyfriend has practically been living there for the past month.

Over the past month myself and my family have been noticing some concerning behavior from my son. For one whenever he comes over he always seems to be starving for attention. He doesn't want you to pay attention to anything else but him, and starts to scream and cry whenever you pick up your phone and says "No put the phone down, put the phone down." He has started to have really bad nightmares as well when he sleeps. Whenever he does something he knows he can get in trouble for, he starts crying really hard, will go run and hide in a corner or under chair and starts screaming "don't touch me, don't touch me!" And I have to console him that i'm not going to hurt him to get him to stop crying. Whenever I have him and i have to take him back to his mother he starts crying again and says "I don't wanna see my mommy, I don't wanna see my mommy!" It kills me every time. The other day we were looking at photos and there was a picture of my cousin crying when he was younger. When my son saw this he pointed at the picture and said "He's crying for his daddy, he cries at night in his bed." That's a very specific answer to give for someone who just turned 3, and it almost made me cry on the spot. Now his daycare came to me with their own concerns this past Wednesday, they say he seems apprehensive when his mom picks him up and steps back when he sees her compared to the running into my arms when i pick him up. He's having nightmares during nap-time, and when they try to help him fall asleep he grabs his arms or his shoulders and screams "Don't touch me, don't touch me!" They say it's like someones been pinning him down to go to sleep and he's traumatized by it. Now his mother and I have been separated since mid December and all this behavior only started a month ago. I decided to get CPS involved again and they said it sounds like their is some type of abuse going on in the home and they opened a new case. They advised me not to give my son back to her because I have him this weekend. I also called my lawyer and told him everything and he said to take CPSs advice and not give him to her and he is going to put in a Temporary Restraining Order between her and my son until the custody hearing so she can't take him from me or take him from his daycare.

Now I was looking for advice to see if there is anything else i should be gathering during this time, or what I should expect when it comes time for the custody hearing?

TL;DR Trying to get my son away from his abusive mother and looking for advice on what things i should be giving my lawyer, and what to expect from a custody hearing?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: * Follow the advice of your attorney scrupulously.


Title: Left my apartment for a month. Mold has grown on everything.

Question:
Georgia, USA. Here's a short summary of the situation.

I live in a college apartment (student housing). In the fall, the humidity in the house was unbearable. I noticed mold on some personal items. I contacted my RA and he instructed me to clean the mold off, keep the AC on 69, and to run vent fans whenever possible.

Several weeks later, I noticed more mold. I contacted him again and maintenance brought a dehumidifier. The humidity at the time was 60%+ and would increase to 70% during rainy days. With the dehumidifier, the apartment became livable for several months.

Due to personal issues, I was in and out of the apartment during spring. In March or April (the rainiest part of the year), the college removed the dehumidifier for yearly maintenance. I visited for a day a month ago and remember complaining about how dank it smelled but in my inexperience, I just thought the carpet was dirty. I couldn't sleep due to the humidity and smell.

I didn't return for a month, since I could comfortably live with family and had no idea there would be a continued problem. When I returned, white mold had grown on all of my furniture (including hardwood), the carpet, my clothes, my bedding, inside guitar cases, even cups in the dishwasher. I estimate that there is nearly 20ft^2 of visible, raised mold throughout the apartment.

What should I expect?

Answer:
 You need to do one thing. Document the number of times when you have left the house, returned after X weeks, noticed the mold, cleaned it to the best of your ability, when you bought the dehumidifier, how often you generally used it, and when you left/returned again.

You didn't leave the water running, you did as the RA requested, you bought something to help the situation. You did more than your due diligence. You should not be held responsible, especially if they see what you did and if you use the words "I did my due diligence, what more could I, a college student, have done to solve this issue?"

You should expect to have a lot of construction crews causing a lot of dust over everything, you might need to move to another place for a while, etc. You should not be forced to pay anything for this because you did not cause the problem and you did more than what you were requested to do, daily, to mitigate the issue that shouldn't even be happening in a well-cared-for, well constructed complex.


Title: Pressing Charges for the Selling of Online Information

Question: [US] Could I potentially press charges against Facebook for selling my personal information to third parties?

Answer:
 No. You don't get to press charges.

Do you mean sue? You can sue for anything. Are you likely to win? No.


Title: Drone crash caused household damage to neighbor

Question:
My brother was operating his GoPro drone in my back yard. He was not recording. Somewhere between 25 - 50 feet in the air, the drone became unresponsive and lost the gps signal. It claimed to be hovering in place, but took off and ended up almost a half mile away, screaming into a neighbors front door, breaking the glass, bending the iron and sending debris, the camera, and rotor INTO her house.

GoPro validated the flight log (apparently they're all logged) to match to my brother's story. It's designed to hover and land safely when gps signal is lost. They'll be able to see that he attempted to halt and land it.

Is there any chance in hell that property damage caused by a malfunctioning drone would be covered by his insurance with GoPro? Of course we're going to take care of

Answer:
 Depending on how much money is involved, this could be a strict products liability issue.   If the damages were caused by a defect in the product that caused it to go completely Skynet, it ought to be GoPro's responsibility.  And since the cause of action accrues to a third-party bystander, the terms of the contract with GoPro might be moot.

The thing is, it would be the homeowner who would file that suit, and it's probably not something small claims could handle. It would  require discovery and possibly expert testimony.Answer #2: Read his insurance policy. X-post to r/insurance and have the policy on hand to answer questions.


Title: Neighbor shot dog

Question: My boyfriend and I visited my parents over the holiday. While there his dog went to the neighbors yard and he shot her 4 times. This is a rural area so my understanding is that she was on his property so there is nothing we can do but I’m hoping you know something I don’t! She was 20lbs and running around his chicken coop. She loves them- she often runs around my parents but she’s not aggressive or tries to hurt them. They were in the coop so she couldn’t even get to them. The neighbor claims he yelled at her once but then shot her four times. It paralyzed her so we had to put her down. Any guidance is appreciated!

Answer:
 This is going to vary depending on your location.  But in some cases, when dogs are disturbing livestock, it's perfectly legal to shoot and kill them.

More than likely, the fault on all of this lies more with your boyfriend for not keeping control of his dog.


Title: Seattle. girlfriend has hit a man on highway that tried to suicide. as of known it is unknown whether he's alive or not (the windshield is all broken). What happens if he dies?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 She should contact her embassy and be ready to hire a lawyer. She shouldn't talk to the cops anymore without a lawyer present. I think that's especially true since she likely isn't too familiar with our justice system.

She should also contact her insurance ASAP to get the damage taken care of.

It's impossible to know the most likely outcome without a *lot* more information. It could range from nothing to vehicular homicide. I just can't tell you, I'm sorry.

Last but certainly not least: encourage her to seek counseling. When people commit suicide by jumping in front of trains or semis, we send the people behind the control to therapy. This is a big burden to carry, and she shouldn't do it alone.


Title: When I was at work today, two cops came to my house and rang over and over until my teen daughter, who was home alone, opened the door.

Question:
They said someone called them because our car, which was in our driveway, doesn't have plates yet. We bought it used two weeks ago from an online dealer and it came without plates, but the DMV paper work has been submitted. We have the temporary info on a paper showing in the front window.

The cops also asked for my daughter by name, but did not have it correct (they had it close but not exact, like are you Janine Smith versus Janelle Smith?)  They asked her if she was out late partying, which was completely bizarre since she was and always is home by 6 pm, since she is a nerdy home body. (Her sister, also a teen, is out a lot, but last night was was home at 10).

I am puzzled. My next door neighbor is a retired cop, who has had a few minor disputes with my husband over the last 20+ years for various small things like parking in front of his house (a no no) and disagreement over replacing the fence.  I have no idea who would have called the cops on us, but everyone in my family independently said they first suspected our ex-cop neighbor, who is aloof with us.

Once the discussion was over, the cops told her sternly to get those plates on her car, and they turned around and left. She called me at work all shaken up.

Is there anything i should be looking into on this to see if there is a larger issue going on, or do I just let this go? Thank you / worried mom (we are in California)

Answer:
 Teach your daughter, if she's underage, that if/when she gets uncomfortable with the way cops are treating her to say that she's under 18 and wants to speak with her parents before talking to them any more. Note that your conversations with your daughter are not privileged, and if police can record/hear them they could be admissible. If they don't let her reach out to you, teach her to ask for a lawyer. If she's over 18, have her say that she'd like to speak with a lawyer.

If crimes have actually been committed, don't talk to the police, just ask for a lawyer.

Get plates on the car.

EDIT: clarified what parents should do, possible lack of privilege for parental conversations.Answer #2: Sounds like your ex-cop neighbour might've used the car with no plates to call in some buddies to pay you a visit (not a euphemism) and may have mentioned late night noise or other stuff to them in the same conversation.

A one-off visit is nothing to worry about; if it keeps up then you might want to consider going down to the station and talking to their sergeant, but at this point no point in needlessly aggravating the cops.Answer #3: This might be a stupid question, especially considering I'm a driver, but; is it not legal to own a car without plates, as long as it's on private property and not operated/driven until it does?


Title: Fire department charge

Question:
This happened years ago to my brother, and just randomly popped into my head.

He was driving his old car on the highway, and it overheats so he pulls off to the shoulder. The engine literally started on fire but he ended up having a fire extinguisher in the car and put it out and called a tow truck. As he was about to leave with the tow a fire truck pulled up saying someone called them. My brother talked to them for a few minutes then left with the tow no issues.

Few weeks later he gets an $800 bill from the fire dept just for being called out. He ended up paying to stop from going to collections but just wondering if this was something normal.

Answer:
 Isn’t this why we pay taxes?Answer #2: My wife had an emergency and we wound up calling 911 for ambulance, which brought also a fire truck and around 5 guys total.

They sent a bill for $900 along with a note asking for our medical insurance, and that they wouldn’t be trying to collect anything from us.

I went from angry to confused to happy pretty fast.


Title: Dying mother & squatters, please help

Question:
If I leave any crucial information out, please feel free to ask me more about it, just a lot going on.

So my family has a house in Oregon. My parents divorced and my sisters, I, and my father moved to Texas and got a new house, my father let my mother stay in the house and is still paying it off.

My mother is a heavy alcoholic, her organs are actually failing and she's not doing well at all and lived with a boyfriend we'll call bob at the house. He's a super hippy semi-squatter, but he would bring her to doctors appointments, helped her get social security and while the house is really gross, It's not being completely destroyed and in general helps her here and there because none of her family (which all live an hour away) are able to, everyone has tried to help her get help and make her stop, but she won't. Well, my mother's also very abusive and mean, eventually she called the cops on bob and got some kind of thing where he couldn't go to the house or something.

Apparently since then two known "professional" squatters have moved in and started receiving mail at the house, claiming my father is letting them live there (he's not) and that they're paying my mom rent. They're also alcoholics and are making my mom worse, she was on a liver transplant list and probably won't be able to be anymore.  I told my father about all this hearing it from bob and he has no clue what to do, I have no clue what to do, nobody has any clue what to do. Everyone in our family works and most of us just recently got new jobs and can't take time off to go to Oregon and fix all this.

What are the options we have? What do we do? If my mom passes away what will happen? I have no clue what I'm supposed to do, please help.

Answer: They aren't squatters they are tenants. You would have to follow the established process to remove them and be prepared to go to court to evict them if they don't leave.


Title: I have to go to court soon please help

Question:
Before you judge me just think it could've happened  to anyone.. and I didn't look for trouble it just happened.
It was around 12 and i had lunch brake, i went to a restaurant and on my way a guy bumped really hard into me. so i asked him politely did you do this on purpose? he said no then i said ok and i turned around to leave but he stoped me and was angry asf and ready to hit me.
I had a pepper spray in my pocket and i sprayd him hi punched me( no damage) and then i ran away.
Then i met a friend and went back to the place to pick my order and leave. but the guy was still there and i totally lost it.. adrenaline took over and i ran straight to him and kick him in the chest with force.
He felt on the ground i kicked him again then i left.
I know i did a big mistake and i regret it. people saw me but i don't know how many or if any witness will show up on court.
My friend is one of the witnesses.
soo.. his leg is broken and clains that i broke his leg in 3 different places. but i did not hit his leg and also did not mean to do something like that. i have no ideea how it happened ..
he wants me to pay over 2000$ for surgery and also pay him to leave me alone more money but my friend saw him in the club. what the hell is going on?
i did kick him but not in the leg and i didn't cause it.
i will go to court soon what can i do?
whats your advice people
thanks alot

21 white / eastern europe / no prior incidents

Answer:
 First let me just say, no. This could not just happen to anyone. For example it could not happen to me because I wouldn't escalate a bump by picking a fight, pepper spraying someone and then coming back for round 2 in which I attack them completely unprovoked.

Get a criminal defence lawyer. At this point the cost of his medical bills (which you will end up paying) is the least of your concerns. And immediately after getting the lawyer find an anger management class and a therapist.Answer #2: You need a lawyer and a proffesional to deal with your anger management issues.

Seriously, you are completely in teh wrong here and your mentallity that this could have happened to anybody is fucked up.Answer #3: You sprayed first, ran away, then came back and attacked him again without provocation.

You are screwed. Focus on reducing your sentence, not on being declared innocent. Get help for your anger management issues. Don't speak in terms of "could have happened to anyone" or "it just happened" in court, it'll make it look like you don't understand the severity.

If you can pay to make this go away, consider yourself very lucky.


Title: I never got a birth certificate or SSN, where do I start? [Alabama, USA]

Question: This story may seem a little far-fetched, but bear with me. I'm 19 years old, and live in Alabama. I was born in Wisconsin in 1997 to an unknown father and an illegal immigrant mother. My mother told me that I was born at home. She had planned on moving back to Mexico with me after I was born, and never sought a birth certificate or SSN for me. Thankfully, that never happened and I grew up a normal life in the USA. I went to Elementary School (have records and everything), was baptized (have documentation of that too). I then went to middle school and graduated from high school in Wisconsin (I have documentation of this too). All this time, I never tried getting a job or really participated in the economy, so not having an SSN didn't really effect me. I wasn't able to get a drivers license (obviously), and didn't know what to do, so I decided to wait until I turned 18 to start sorting my situation out. I'm 19, and really need to get my situation settled now. I have no idea *at all* what to do and my situation is dire. I think I'm really screwed and I'm terrified about the situation I'm in. I would greatly appreciate any guidance.

Answer:
 This could be a big problem for proving your citizenship. Have you pressed your mom on the unknown father, because it would be much easier if your father was a citizen. Was anyone with your mother during the birth?

You are probably going to need a real lawyer to sort this out.


Title: Guy came up with a clever way to get his camera ticket dismissed.

Question:
So basically this guy was able to have his ticket dismissed by submitting a letter saying that the "gov't" did not meet its burden of proof because they couldn't prove that he was the individual actually driving his car when it was photographed. I was wondering if this argument would work in all cases like this; are there any loop-holes that maybe this prosecutor might not have recognized to still convict this guy? Just interested in what people have to say on the matter. Situation took place in VA, but wondering if this would apply to other states as well.
[Link to article](http://themindunleashed.org/2013/12/beat-photo-enforced-speeding-ticket-red-light-ticket.html)

Answer:
 > I was wondering if this argument would work in all cases like this

Nope.

It may work sometimes, but not all the time; for one, many of these cameras have clear shots of the driver.

Additionally, you should **not** read from this an admission by the government that they can't meet their burden; only that they chose not to.


Title: I'm in Alabama, the mother of my unborn child is gonna try to keep me away from him completely. Can I have a paternity test done as soon as he's born or something to keep her from not putting my name on his birth certificate?

Question: I'd also like to know if I can immediately file for temporary custody until we go to court so I can fight for full custody?

Answer:
 SHe doesnt have to put your name on the birth cert. You can file for paternity and custody and then have your name on the birth cert after the paternity is determined

You are not going to get full or much custody of a newborn child without a really good reasonAnswer #2: You can absolutely get a paternity test done and file initially for visitation and then maybe shared custody. But unless she is a completely unfit mom you're not getting custody of a newborn no way.Answer #3: You want to register [here](http://dhr.alabama.gov/services/Adoption/Putative_Father_Registry.aspx).  You will also probably want to retain a family law lawyer to help you navigate this.


Title: TX law. Does my landlord have the right to request a copy of Immigration status for my wife? I am a US citizen she has a valid green card ( they have an old copy that has expired, my wife renewed) I dont think its right. Thank you.

Question:
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing


Title: Failure to diagnose and police called!

Question:
I went to a health clinic for many years and had complained of back pain many times. Eventually I had a Pilonidal cyst and received Norcos for the pain. This is the second time I had this and second time I would have to go to surgery for it.
After avoiding going to the doctors for a while due to lack of care I was forced to go back for this problem.
My back was feeling much better leading up to the surgery. But after it hurt quite a bit more. Prior to going into the doctors I was not doing much because of the pain I thought was from the cyst. Once it was removed and I was trying to become active again my back was in much pain.  They prescribed 5 mg oxycodone and up until the jackson pratt was gone and the incision was removed they were very friendly.
Then the doctor stopped responding and never seeing me. I wrote to the physician and never heard back. Finally I went in after not hearing form my doctor after 10 days plus and said I needed a refill. I got no response. I went home and drafted another letter informing her as well as the supervisor of my improvement while on pain meds and request for further exploration.
I don't know if they ever got the letters, but that day I was told to speak to the patient adviser. She insisted that I had no problem and that I was only trying to score drugs. I replied by saying I do not care what they give me and I want to speak to my doctor.
The whole conversation was recorded. I started recording about a month prior to this due to failure to communicate.
I never once raised my voice or insulted anyone. Only asked to speak to the doctor and that I knew something was wrong.
The adviser left and I was told to wait for the doctor to get done with a patient.
While waiting outside. I was met with two people. One was the Clinic operations officer. She said she called the police and that I was discharged. The doctor didn't think I had a reason to be treated.
I left and as leaving two police cruisers passed me.
I spent the next few days trying to figure out where to go. I went to the ER and they told me to go to my primary. They don't treat chronic conditions. I explained I had none and they said it was bs.
Finally I got an appointment at kaiser after a week or so.  They did an xray and found I have a degenerative condition of my back. Causing my disks and spine to be too close together and out of place. This was causing the pain.  Still I was not done because I could not get into kaiser because of closed membership. Now nearly 2 months later I have been accepted into kaiser after considerable effort on my part.  I have missed my psychiatry appointments, been on and off meds that give withdraws. Been called a liar and druggie with no history of abuse. Had the police called on me for insisting that something was wrong and then proven correct by xray and independent testing.
I have suffered depression due to circumstances and been told I could have been in a better position had the other facility treated me prior to now.
I personally don't think any company or industry should be able to tell someone they won't help you while calling the police and threatening you with arrest when you are asking for something everyone else gets without suffering these injustices. I thought you were entitiled to medical care in the united states regardless of circumstances. I got turned away at my primary provider and the ER due to them not believing me. ER couldn't understand why primary wouldn't help. So I had no help for many months. All my appointments at other facility and progress went down the drain forcing me to find new care. That was not easy either. Kaiser wouldn't let me in until I spoke to the right person who decided to offer me mercy.

In the end I was royally screwed over and have many hours of audio showcasing my mistreatment. I'm just thankful I didn't give up and sleep as I did the last time I searched for help. Now I want to show them that you can't treat people they way they did.

How should I approach this? Thank you for your help.

Answer: In the US the only obligation any medical facility has to treat you for is for life threatening conditions. This is not one.


Title: VA- My mother had $800,000 stolen from her before she passed away.

Question: My mother became friends with two people late in life.  No one knew much about them and we didnt pay much attention to them.  After my mother passed away and an estate was opened, it became clear that over half a million dollars had been drained from her investment accounts.  The two individuals forged a significant number of documents which let them have access to her funds.  They were both criminally charged and sentenced to 25 years in prison.  Do I have any shot at a successful suit against the investment company??

Answer:
 That's an amount of money talking to a real attorney about rather than internet strangers.

Yes it's possible to recoup stolen money.


Title: Former employer is refusing to pay me

Question: Im 16 in Houston Texas. and I worked at Subway for a while, I quit because I was working to many hours completley alone and it was starting to affect my school work. Also there was a lot of problems at the store including some serious health code violations. I quit about a month ago and I still havent gotten paid the 400 something dollars I am owed. When I was working my supervisor said I had to bring a Void Check, A copy of a photo ID, and my Social Security number. I brought in a Void Check, myphoto ID and wrote down my Social Security number. My manager said I have to come and fill out some more papers to get paid, and I asked what those were and shes completley ignored me. Neither my supervisor or the Area Manager will respond to my texts or calls. My manager only works while Im at school, and she knows this so shes not there for me to fill out whatever paper work shes talking about. This is really frustrating, there are adults who are acting like children and I just want to get the money I worked my ass off for

Answer: [File a wage claim with the TWC](https://twc.texas.gov/jobseekers/how-submit-wage-claim-under-texas-payday-law).


Title: Fined For Operating Without a Food License b/c the Owner Did Not Pay For Said Food Permit

Question:
So I worked for a few months last year for this health food company in the DFW area. During my shift an inspector comes in and tells me that the fee for the  operating permit at this particular store has not been renewed in close to a year---this is in July of  2016.

The inspector gives me the paperwork saying that I will be responsible for getting it to my the owner.

Without a second thought I sign and just think that the non-payment must be an simple oversight on the owner's part. Taking the paperwork I sign it and make sure to give it manager when he comes in. The owner is reminded/notified twice by me later on that same week when he comes in. I am sure to remind him of this payment that he needs to make (which is already several months behind!).

Fast forward to today and I get pulled over. Officer tells me I have a warrant out for my arrest (which I have no idea about).

Now I have no idea that there was a court summons for me and that now there is a misdemeanor on my record for "Operating a Food Establishment Without a Permit."

What legal recourse do I have against the owner of this health food store that I worked for last summer for five weeks? If I pay my fine and try to clear my record, if I have to settle this on my own can I go after the owner for any legal fees that I have to pay?

(As an aside I would like to prevent the store owner from screwing over his other employees. The particular health food chain has several locations in the DFW area... so I do not think I am the only former employee this has happened to.)

(I cannot add my location to the Question Header above: I am in Dallas, TX).

Answer:
 It's time to lawyer up, especially since you have a warrant and a misdemeanor on record.Answer #2: Do you know exactly which section of the Texas Health & Safety Code you have been charged with violating ?   It's probably [Section 437.005 or 437.0055.](http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/HS/htm/HS.437.htm)

It's likely that by signing the papers you were acknowledging that you were the "operator" and therefore responsible for the license.

The charge is on your record right now, and the bench warrant.  You haven't been convicted, because you've never had a hearing or a trial.

Step one is to get the warrant "quashed", and get a hearing scheduled.   That's where your attorney will move for dismissal and provide evidence that you were an employee, not the operator.

Could you pursue the actual owner for your legal costs ?  Maybe.

You need a criminal defense attorney for this.   It's not a lot different than any other "you got the wrong guy" defense, with the added benefit of being true.


Title: Walmart sold us not regulated medical supplies and they don't care.

Question:
My pregnant wife and I recently bought diabetic test strips through the Walmart Marketplace website. The seller that Walmart promotes is selling unregulated, diabetic supplies not legal to sell in the US. We received the test strips that looked completely different (similar in color but had other languages on it) than what we ordered and the seller blacked out the warning with a sharpie that these should not be sold in the US.  Walmart refuses to take any accountability or remove this seller from their site even though it has been reported by several people. These strips show a 30 point difference in blood sugar levels. To a diabetic that could be life threatening. As in my wife and unborn child could have been put on medication she may or may not have needed. I mean what do I do? Shared it on facebook, a little traction. Messaged walmart, they take no blame. This happened in Northern California yesterday.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 If you did not purchase the item from walmart and through a third party, your actions are likely limited towards the seller.

To be clear, you showed Walmart your evidence?  It is likely they would or already have banned the seller.


Title: Can a short-term rental tenant refuse entry of police? (TN)

Question: I am renting a cabin next weekend in TN from a typical property management company. If for some reason the police show up at our door, can we legally refuse entry without a warrant? I wasn't sure if different laws apply for a short-term rental. Of course I don't plan on doing anything illegal or anything that would cause a noise complaint, I just want to be sure of my rights before I go. Thank you!

Answer: You can refuse entry in the sense that you can not give permission and actively object but you should not actively resist entry. Right or not, if you fight the police, you will have a bad day.


Title: (TX) My husband's ex gives us a hard time when it's his turn to pick her up.

Question:
Step-daughter "Amanda" is 12 years old. We were kind of doing our own schedule with my husband's ex, but lately she has been moody and doesn't let us see her.. She is vindictive and doesn't even let anybody see Amanda unless it's on her terms. This includes her own mom and sister. We finally got fed up with it and filed a report against her when she didn't let us see her on our weekend.

The cop we spoke to said for us to follow the court order and to go back to them during our next court-ordered visit so he could escort us to enforce the court order.

My question is, what can happen when we show up with a cop? Can she be arrested for not following a court order if she still refuses to let us take Ananda for the weekend or would the cop just be used for intimidation?

Answer:
 He will tell her to follow the court order and if she refuses he will give you a report.

In the end, only taking her back to court for contempt will work.  The report the police give you helps with that.