Title: 27 yr old male, need medical malpractice legal advice.

Question:
So first off, I work in the medical field as an EMT for the biggest emergency 911 system ambulance service in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My question is for any lawyer that has worked on a medical malpractice case or a emergency room error type case. In August 2014 I began to have a constant stomach ache. I was diagnosed with peptic ulcers and given famotidine or pepcid. I took the medicine as prescribed and the constant pain continued so I went to an urgent care and they referred me to a gastroenterologist. I saw the gastroenterologist and they scheduled me for a colonoscopy and a endoscopy in January. This was in September. They gave me nothing for pain and instructed me to only eat soft bland foods. The pain continued to get worse, especially a few hours after I ate. I did what they instructed me to do and my pain continued to get worse. In December 2014 the pain became unbearable and I went to the Emergency room and they gave me a CT scan that showed only a slightly inflamed appendix. They gave me a prescription for 12 hydrocodone pills and told me to follow up with my primary care. Three days later, I saw my primary care doctor and she refused to give me more hydrocodone and put me on tramadol instead. I had a allergic reaction to the tramadol. The tramadol made it very hard for me to urinate, so I contacted her and she said there was nothing she could do and to go to the emergency room. This is happening in January 2015. I went to the emergency room and told them my symptoms which included extreme right lower abdominal pain. This is where I feel the malpractice happened. I was directed to a room and assigned a Physician Assistant and a nurse. My vital signs were poor, I was hypotensive (low blood pressure), low grade fever and borderline tachycardic ( fast heart rate). No ECG was performed. No physical exam was performed, the PA or nurse did not listen to bowel sounds. No CT scan was ordered. Not a single staff member except a hospital tech who came in a took five vials of blood placed their hands on me. I was asked to give a urine sample, which I gave. About 15 minutes later the PA entered the room and stated " boy, you're lucky that you know the charge nurse because you look like a drug seeker." My mother was in the room the entire time. I asked if I could have something for the pain and she said she would give me something. About 5 minutes later the nurse entered the room with a syringe about half full of clear liquid, I asked him what he was giving me, he said " just something for your pain." He connected the syringe to my INT which is basically a IV line that is not connected to any IV fluids. It is used as a intravenous medicine route. He connected the syringe to this device and I asked him again what he was giving me. He said I am giving you haloperidol or haldol for short. I said, I don't want that. That is not used to treat pain. He stated " I know, I thought it was weird too but the PA said it was good for abdominal pain and thats what she ordered for you." I said no and he didn't listen and gave me the medicine anyway. I was alert and orientated, not under the influence of alcohol. I was in every way able to make my own medical decisions. Haldol is a antipsychotic and commonly used on patients that are having a mental break down and acting aggressive. It is primary used to calm or knock out a patient that is a danger to their selves and the hospital staff. Haldol is also contraindicated when the patient has a low blood pressure and is taking other central nervous system depressants. I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder that I take Valium for and it is also not suppose to be given to patients who take stimulants like Adderall, I also take that medication and have been diagnosed with ADHD. I had taken both of those medicines that day and informed the staff of what medications I was currently taking. A few minutes later the nurse came back into the room, handed my mother a prescription for 12 oxycodone pills and advised that I follow up with my primary care. He removed my INT IV line and said that I was free to go. He took one last set of vitals signs and I had become even more hypotensive. I stated that I was having double vision and was extremely dizzy. He said not to worry and I was free to go. I could barely walk, not a single staff member offered me assistance or a wheel chair and my 51 year old mother had to basically hold me up until we got to the car. On the car ride home she stated that I was in and out of consciousness and continued to complain of the right lower abdominal pain. She took me back to the emergency room and they explained to her that what I was feeling was completely normal and to " let me sleep it off". I was not admitted or seen in the ER again that night. I requested a copy of my medical records the next week and in the medical records it states that I gave my informed consent to have that drug, it states that a complete physical exam was done. It states that they did not give me a CT scan because I claimed I had one done days prior at another hospital that I have never been a patient at. The medication was given at 0537 and I was discharged against my will at 0600 with unstable vital signs. I have researched the use of Haldol and not found a single instance were it was given to relieve abdominal pain and according to the Mayo Clinic, the number one side effect of haldol is abdominal pain. I feel my patient rights were violated and I was not treated to the standard of care. I have done some research on medical malpractice lawsuits and have found that they are very complex and often not successful. What I am asking is for an attorney to read my story and suggest if they think that a lawsuit would even be worth it. I would really appreciate it. I had to miss months of work and travel to the Cleveland Clinic just to get suitable care. The hospital here has completely stopped treating my pain and basically ignored me. I'm sorry for the novel. Thank you for your time.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 In MedMal you have to prove that the doc caused some harm and that his actions weren't a reasonable course of care given the circumstances.  Doc had to be way off base.  It's not enough that he screwed up.

Maybe the nurse lied to you about why you were getting zapped with haldol, but amphetamines + benzos with unexplainable pain who prefers opiates, and who knows how you were behaving if your BP was low and you were out of it...doesn't seem like she was completely off base.Answer #2: Dude. [**Seriously**](http://i.imgur.com/7evmKwM.jpg).


Title: I have no friends, I think my parents may be to blame

Question:
I have no friends, not even close acquaintances, I realized when I received no wishes, cards or gifts on my birthday in November and when I was not invited to one NYE party last week, I didn't receive even one text wishing me a Happy New Year and when I went to send Happy New Year to people I realized all the contacts in my phone were fake and created by me to make it appear as if I have friends if anyone ever looked at my contacts list.

I am twenty-four years old now and have not even hugged anyone in well over three years and I really don't think this is the way it should be, I also lack the social skills to make friends, I am ham-fisted in conversations and regularly make gauche statements. I've been trying to think why this is and have come to a conclusion, my parents neglected me and abused me with silence, I have no fond memories from my childhood, I received no encouragement or support and was left to flounder, I just assumed this was the way it was, you don't talk to people, you don't help people and so this is how I conducted myself with other people, I would go out of my way to not talk to people and make a point of not helping people. I am an empty emotional shell and want restitution from my parents for this crippling emotional damage.

Is there any legal precedent for a case such as this? What they have done to me is tantamount to torture, I have lost 24 years of my life and am completely ill-equipped to function in a way that would let me make up for lost time. My parents are still together although obviously estranged, they live in Falls Church while I live in a tiny apartment in South Boston, VA.

Answer:
 I'm going to make this short and sweet.

No.

I'm also going to lock this post, because I think the last thing you need in your life right now is to be mocked. The first thing you need, for the record, is cognitive behavior therapy. It's amazing and it WILL help you if you're willing to put in the work. Answer #2: Not illegal. Start going to counseling. Answer #3: Your legal recourse is to step outside, venture out into the world, and make some friends. That's it.


Title: [TX] My Job has a tip jar at the counter intended for the employees, but no one gets any of it.

Question:
I work at a restaurant and at the counter there is a tip jar with writing on it something like "our employees would enjoy tips for their hard work". We don't get much a day maybe 20, but once a day they take it all out including CC tips from the register. After that it goes up and never seen again. "I personally think it's being stolen from upper management." I remember hearing one time that they use some towards the store like for maintenance.

Is it legal for them to be taking tips intended for employees and using it for something else? What about CC tips where there is nowhere saying where it is going? If so, who can I talk to to make sure this gets fixed?

Answer: The FLSA [Fair Labor Standards Act](https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.htm) clearly spells out tipping. Tips belong to the employees. Answer #2: Talk to the [Texas Workforce Commission](http://www.twc.state.tx.us/). In particular, you might want to review their guide on [tip-pooling/tip-sharing](http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/efte/tip_pooling.html).


Title: My job has a really harsh police in place right now

Question:
2 long time (20+ years) employees were fired yesterday. They were probably the smartest coworkers I had. Anytime I was stumped, I would talk to them and get the problem fixed. Not only that, they worked hard and did a great job. We’re all bummed about this.

Now, there’s a new attendance policy at our place. It’s basically saying you can only be late/absent for work 12 times a year. Clocking in even a minute late counts as 1 point. I have 5 so far, and 3 of them are from last June when I had terrible mensural cramps. I would’ve called out for another day but I knew I’d get in trouble so I came to work feeling like crap. 2 of them are from clocking in 1 minute late.

What exactly can I do as an employee to fight this new policy? We are losing 2 more long term employees next week and we’ll be saturated with a bunch of young inexperienced workers. Because this is a policy and we all signed it, are we basically SOL?

Answer:
 You can make sure you don't accumulate 7 more demerit points. Or you can find another job where they won't treat you as poorly.Answer #2: This may come as a surprise, but you can legally be fired for being late. I know, it sucks! Answer #3: What can you do? Set your alarm back another 30 minutes and make sure that you're never late. It's perfectly reasonable for an employer to expect their employees be on time.

Answer #4: There is not much you can do to fight the policy beyond making your feelings known, and you could be fired for sharing your opinion.

You don't say where you're located, but in the majority of the USA you can be terminated for any reason or no reason at all, unless you have an employment contract or union agreement stating otherwise.

They could fire people for *not* being late if they wanted to, and it would be legal.


Title: [BC, Canada] Divorced spouse is not removed from employer's health insurance - is this bad?

Question:
My mother's ex mentioned to her that he got some dental work and prescriptions covered by her health insurance. They've been divorced for about two and a half years, but I guess he is still listed as a spouse under her employer's insurance plan.

She's fine with keeping him on, especially since he's recently lost his job and could really use the coverage. However, she is worried that this could have ramifications for her, e.g. being made to reimburse the costs if this is discovered or getting into trouble with HR at work. Should she be concerned, or is it alright to give it a pass until he finds a job and gains insurance with his own employer? For the record, she is a public sector employee, her insurance is provided by Pacific Blue Cross.

Answer:
 That depends entirely on the definition of an eligible spouse as specified in your mother's plan. Your mother would have been issued a benefits booklet from her workplace and it should have a section for eligible dependents/spouses.

Most health insurers in Canada have similar provisions regarding dependent eligibility in order to be consistent with CLHIA guidelines. Former spouses are generally eligible as long as there is no other spouse on the plan, however there is often a requirement that coverage of former spouses is only valid if mandated by a court order. In that case, your mother may be liable to pay back the plan if there is no court order telling her to keep her ex on her plan and they find out about this.

Source: work in the industry


Title: SF, CA landlord placed letter on my door stating they are coming in the morning to cap water to laundry in apt.

Question:
I came home today to a notice on my door that states the landlord is coming into my unit (and all units in the building) to cap the water to the laundry closets in each apartment in the morning. Washer/dryer is owned by myself and my roommate and we received permission to buy and install it in the apartment. Landlord pays water as stated in our lease.

Lease is the standard CA form and does not explicitly state that we can or cannot have a washer/dryer, just that we cannot alter the unit.

Is this legal? I understand that there is a serious drought, but my roommate and I are very water conscious and try our best to conserve as much as possible. We think that if there are fines for being over a water use limit, that they should be split between the entire building equally to encourage other tenants to conserve as well.

Any advice is appreciated!!

Answer:
 A front load washer uses a very small amount of water.  A few gallons a wash.  I realize multiplied by 25 units, but still.  One 20 minute shower likely equals a month of laundry.  Answer #2: Did you get permission to install and operate the laundry machines, in writing? And was the apartment presented with the hookups as a feature? The landlord can't suddenly deny you enjoyment of your apartment by removing amenities, unless he reduces your rent in compensation.

Edits: Link to sf law that says so: www.sfaa.org/0609wasserman.html . To clarify,  I agree with sweetrobna that the landlord can do it, but as thelordB points out, it is part of the apartment so you should receive lower rent in return.

EDIT 2: check with the San Fran rent board website. The have a help line

That being said, a lot of California apartment buildings have a shared water meter.  Offer to compromise if you don't want a battle; have a sub meter installed on your laundry hookup, and pay for that water; the rest of water use remains the landlord's bill. www.multifamilyutility.com/products-water-submeters.html

Congrats on being able to afford housing in SF ;)


Title: Is anyone investigating my attempted murder? How do I know? How long do these things usually take? [CAN]

Question:
Three years ago, I survived a murder attempt. It was a serious murder attempt, and there was, from my POV as the nearly-murdered person, clear, serious intent to kill me. There was no prior confrontation, and I have never been violent. It was absolutely not self-defence, or in any way provoked.

Social services became involved when I called an emergency line, because the person who attempted to murder me was my legal guardian and sole living relative, and I was a minor at the time. I gave a statement to the police a few hours later, I was physically injured from the attack, and I know they brought my parent in for questioning. I was placed in a foster home, I have not seen my parent since that day, but I'm very confused about the actual status of the investigation. I assume that there is one - I had medical records, and I was and am absolutely willing to testify in court. This person tried to take my *life* from me, and it seems only fair that there be some sort of punishment for that. I know I would feel much safer, knowing that the person who tried to murder me is imprisoned, not free and living in my own city. But wouldn't I have heard something by now? The police never contacted me again after my initial statement, which was less clear than I would have liked, because I was a bit shocked, and sort of crying while giving it. I haven't been told the investigation has been closed, but I haven't been given any further updates, and there hasn't been a trial. It's been years now. Is it normal for it to take this long for a trial to happen? Is there a way I can learn the status of the investigation? Someone attempted to murder me. I want justice.

**TL;DR:** Someone tried to kill me three years ago, and I haven't heard from the police since giving my initial testimony. Will they ever be charged and tried? What do I need to do to learn the status of the investigation?

Answer:
 I'd suggest you contact the police department in the location where this incident happened and ask them what is happening with the investigation. Answer #2: Have you tried contacting the non emergency police line? They might be able to point you in the right direction.Answer #3: Unfortunately police and prosecutors can drop the ball when it comes to their duties to victims.  They shouldn’t but it does happen.  It sucks.  But - give a call to the police station or the detectives who spoke to you.  It’s hard to say why you haven’t been kept in the loop.  You seem to indicate you were a minor when the case happened?  And some government agency then placed you into foster care?
I don’t live in your country so I don’t know the system there but maybe if you have a case worker in that agency, they would be someone who can put you in contact with the relevant police officer?


Title: [WA] Company owes employees money, making us sign an NDA to get it

Question:
[H](https://imgur.com/a/QOmBe6v)ey Reddit,

&#x200B;

My company, who is notorious among the employees for screwing their employees over, found out that they underpaid us. They have been, to the best of our knowledge, underpaying us by a much larger amount then they are suggesting in this "settlement," and are asking us to sign an NDA which also waives our right to sue them in the future for any reason.

&#x200B;

I've uploaded the document they wanted us to sign, redacting my name, the company information, and specific dollar amounts.

&#x200B;

The document: [https://imgur.com/a/QOmBe6v](https://imgur.com/a/QOmBe6v)

&#x200B;

I didn't sign this, and will refuse to sign anything like this for them due to fears that I might actually need to contact a labor lawyer over separate issues I've been having with them.

&#x200B;

What do you guys make of this?

&#x200B;

Thanks!

Answer:
 If you have outstanding wages that the company is not paying, and you are not happy with the offer the company has made, you can make a [wage complaint](https://secure.lni.wa.gov/wagecomplaint/#/) through L&I.

It's not clear that an NDA where the only consideration you receive is wages you are already owed is binding, and a blanket waiver purporting to bar all future lawsuits is laughable (it'd never hold up), but if you aren't happy with it, don't sign it. Even if it's unenforceable, your employer can use your agreement to make your life difficult for a while by _trying_ to enforce it.

(You also can't sign away other peoples' right to sue.)Answer #2: They cannot make you sign a NDA in order to collect wages already owed to you. If they are withholding wages owed to you, then you can file a wage claim, which ultimately would result in the company being forced to pay what you are owed if it can be proven you are owed these wages.

The company can however make you sign a NDA in consideration for continued employment. Answer #3: As best as I understand this is not a valid contract because of consideration, IE when you sign a contract you have to get something of value and you give something of value.  Giving you wages you are already legally owed doesn't qualify for consideration because you were already promised those funds.  If they want to pay your wages and have you sign an NDA then they have to pay on top of what you are already owed.


Title: Can my work force me to have a pest inspection?

Question:
Okay, so, first, right to work state Ohio so in interest of keeping my job I'm not going to fight them. I work at a call center and my home is not in any way relevant to my work. But there was a bed bug inspection at my work and I apparently was one of the desks that "tipped" the sniffer dogs. My work says I'm not allowed to come back to work until a. I have an inspection done and b. If necessary, extermination. Their giving me 3 paid days off, but after that if it hasn't happened I still can't come back. I can't afford to pay and be reimbursed for an inspection, so their seeing about covering for that but where very hesitant about confirming that they'd do the same for the extermination if need be.

Note, I have no bites but I understand bed bugs could be hiding somewhere else in my home, not just my bed, so I'm not opposed to the inspection and extermination in principal. But is it legal for them to try and force me to allow them access to my home, and for them to force me to purchase services to keep my job? I just simply can't afford to hire an exterminator and would need said job to do so, so it's a big catch 22 for me.

EDIT: good news. HR called me back. They'll cover my inspection cost AND extermination cost if necessary AND give me paid time off until I get clearance to come back. Still curious about the legal ramifications, but it's purely hypothetical at this point

Answer:
 You might have them and not know it:

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html

specifically:

> Because bed bug bites affect everyone differently, some people may have no reaction and will not develop bite marks or any other visible signs of being bitten.


Title: Answers on how to drop a 26 MPH speeding ticket?

Question: I got a speeding ticket for a 71 in a 45 and I may potentially lose my license over it. Any answers on how I can lower the point value (6 points) to somewhere around 3-4 or any other helpful legal suggestions. Thanks!

Answer: Hire a traffic attorney


If a woman tells a man her daughter is his kid, he signs the birth certificate, doesn't have any hand in raising the kid, then 20 years later it is discovered the mother lied and he is not the father, can he have his name removed from the certificate and marry the woman he thought was his daughter?


Title: My boyfriend's mother is keeping his money from him, how do we get his checks sent to him instead?

Question:
My boyfriend gets ssi because he is unable to work, and his mother receives his checks for him,
The issue is she doesn't give him all the money when he asks for it

He would like to get the checks sent directly to him, but the situation being that she must have done something to get his checks sent to her in the first place we don't know how to reverse the arrangement so he can have money for food without begging and getting a lecture every time.

I already told him to keep track of how much money she sends him next month, to see if he's getting all the money the government gives him, but I'm not sure if I am doing enough.

He lives in Washington his mother lives in Colorado, she got this because she thinks he doesn't know how to budget.
 We do not think she's the legal guardian.
 He has ssi due to autism but is able to take care of himself. He lives with roommates right now.

What else can we do and are we on the right track so far?

Edit: I am on mobile and am unable to figure out how to edit the title. Whoops sorry bot who told me to fix that.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 Why are an adult's checks being sent to another adult, presumably in her name, instead of to him?Answer #2: Has anyone used the phrase "Representative Payee"?   That's less involved than a Guardianship.  If that's what's going on, he can try to convince the SSA that he's able to manage his own money, or, failing that, to get you named as his Representative Payee.

https://www.ssa.gov/payee/faqbene.htm

https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/how-to/change-the-social-security-disability-payee

Please post a follow up and let us know how this turned out


Title: [OK] I [M22] was punched in the face last night while waiting in line for food.

Question:
Last night began with my roomate and I inviting about 10 people over to our apartment around 9pm to hang out, drink and play cards against humanity. I got slightly drunk and then around 11:15 I started drinking water so that I wouldn't be hungover the next day. Around 1 am everyone is gone and I am completely sober from drinking only water for the past 2 hours. My roomate says that he wants to go to the hotdog stand on the street with all of the bars, this is only 1 block away and less than a 5 minute walk. Me, my roomate,  and our female [F19] friend walk to the hotdog stand. We get there and there is a 30 person line. When we get there we see an aggressive, drunk male (6'2" 210lbs) pacing up and down the line trying to fight people, my roomate makes eye contact with him and he instant comes over and gets in my roomates face. The drunk male then proceeds to get into a fighting stance and throw light air punches at my roomate, at this point I intervene and tell the guy that we don't want any trouble, we're just trying to get a hotdog. At this point the male becomes extremely aggressive with me and tells me to fight him. I just continue to tell him that were just trying to get a hotdog while holding out my hand and telling him to back up and leave us alone. At this point the male punches me in the face, causing me to bleed profusely from my nose. His friends intervene and 1 of them starts trying to fight me too, but they pull the male that punched me away and walk down the street away from us. I try and control my bleeding while also calling the police and about 1 minute later officers show up and I point out the male that hit me. They pull him aside and talk to him, he denies everything, says you can look at his knuckles and see that he didn't punch anybody, and that he could be a random guy in the crowd that I pointed out, and that he had never seen me before. After argueing with the officer he then looks a me and says to the officer "what, does he want money or something" and then looks at me and says "how much money do you want". The officers eventually arrest him and ask me if I want to persue anything and I say yes and write a statement and my roomate writes a statement as well. The officers go to the hotdog stand and get a statement from the owner who saw everything happen. They said that they will issue a subpoena.

My question is, what do I do now? What are the next steps I should be taking?

TL;DR  I went to get a hotdog and got punched in the face and the guy got arrested.

Answer: You should seek medical attention. You can sue the guy who punched you for medical costs.


Title: Pride parade in Texas states that no water or water packs of any kind are allowed to be brought to the event. Is it legal to refuse people water unless they buy it locally at an outdoor event of this variety?

Question: Title says it all. As far as I know it's not legal to limit people's access to water in extreme heat conditions but I'm no lawyer so...

Answer: I have never seen a law saying that it is illegal. There are some regarding access to water at work. But not in private property.Answer #2: Are you sure there isn’t water available anywhere?  Most parks big enough for events still have some form of bathrooms & water fountains.


Title: I'm a career waiter at a nice place and I feel a wrongful termination coming, but I don't know what type of lawyer I should seek or good ways to go about it (New York, NY)

Question:
My managers have violated their own scheduling policy to hold me responsible for a shift I did not pick up (for which I provided proof). This corresponded with 2 days I called out sick with influenza (I provided video evidence of my temperature being taken & reading high) & they are using it to say I have called out for 3 days & must provide a doctor's note. I can't really do this as I'm almost completely well again & don't have health insurance or a GP I can see before my next shift at 2:30 tomorrow (Saturday; they demanded the note today, Fri at \~5pm). Because I've stood my ground on their policy violation regarding scheduling having worked a very demanding understaffed Christmas week I think they may try to terminate me. Also, sending the request for documentation at close of business the day before my next working day is a red flag to me.

I am looking to find out the type of lawyer that's best for a waiter in NYC - I assume there must be restaurant specialists with tipped employees having variable schedules being probably quite different from other employment contracts. My employer is a very large national corporation. Additionally, any tips on how to find a decent lawyer would be greatly appreciated. If they are pulling this on me after 2.5yrs of good work for them I won't want back in but I'll be wanting a severance of some kind, and am worried I might be up a creek due to the corporate arbitration agreement.

Thank you for your time & help.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 New York is an at-will employment state. They can fire you for almost any reason, or no reason at all. That's not wrongful termination.Answer #2: Not wrongful term. If you’re out 3 or more days they can request a doctors note. You don’t need a GP for that, just a walk in clinic.

A video of taking your temperature is near useless and largely irrelevant.Answer #3: That would not be wrongful termination.


Title: Oregon- Can a direct supervisor ask me to disclose my health issue to them and deny HR's number?

Question: I was required to provide my mental health issue to my boss and her boss directly and denied my direct HR's number after repeatedly asking to disclose it to them instead. Also asked to provide my doctors notes regarding my health issue directly to my supervisor for them to give to my HR to work on a work place accommodation regarding it. I work for a large corporation in oregon, do they have the right to ask me to provide them what my mental health issue directly rather than HR? Also, can they deny me direct contact with my HR? They will only let me talk to them in a conference call setting.

Answer:
 Tell them no.

They only need to know what sort of accommodation you need.  They do not need to know what your health issue is.


Title: Regarding child support in NYS (upstate NY)

Question: I currently pay child support to my son's mother. However, very soon, he'll be moving in with me full time. I don't need to collect support from her, but I'd like to stop payments to her. What's the process here and will I have any problems stopping these payments?

Answer: You will need to file for a modification of both support and custody.


Title: Massachusetts, Fired Today Because of Cancer

Question:
I worked for at small factory here in New Bedford since September. I'm 57 years old and when I first started I was upfront about my condition as I was recovering from bladder cancer. I was brand new to New Bedford at the time and had to line up a number of specialist doctors. The HR woman was understanding and I gave her lots of notice about every appointment and she was satisfied. In January, I was diagnosed with Melanoma and scheduled surgery. I made the necessary arrangements with Mrs. HR and took a week off with no problem. About six weeks ago I began a new regimen of pills that fall under the general category of "targeted gene therapy". Problem was though that this therapy comes with some potentially serious side effects. I hadn't suffered any of the side-effects until this past Friday when high fevers, nausea, body aches hit me hard. I've had 101 degree fevers since last Friday evening. I reported to the ER on Monday evening and since that time have been hoping every day i'd be able to go to work but the misery kept me out. I contacted them each day and have let Mrs. HR know how important having the job was for me. Today is my third missed day this week and the temp agency that I work for let me know i was terminated. I've looked around a bit and all I know is that Massachusetts seems to be an "at will" state.

Do I have any recourse?

Answer:
 You must be given "reasonable accommodations", which it seems the company was providing. However, with you getting too sick to work at all, and not being there long enough to qualify FMLA, it is not reasonable for the company to accommodate you being completely unable to work.

You can speak to an attorney or the Massachusetts DoL, but it is likely there is nothing you can do.


Title: Can an 18 year old (M) be in a long distance relationship with a 16 year old (F)?

Question: Ok, so a bit of back story here. I used to go to school with this girl back in seventh grade we had the same classes and all, at the time she was 14 and I was 16 and we became great friends. This girl was with me through a lot of shit and stayed by my side through it all. I ended up learning that she had a massive crush on me, but I never acted on it due to the age gap. After a while I ended up moving and leaving without saying goodbye and here we are now about two years later and I've just got back in touch with her. She's currently in Florida while I'm in Georgia and I'm starting to realize how much she really means to me. I was wondering if I could get in trouble for being in a long distance relationship with her. There's no sex involved due to the distance of course, nor will I be able to go and visit her anytime soon, and I'm well aware of the fact that nudes cannot be sent back and forth as I could get charged with CP, while yes I do like the girl I'm not trying to get locked up. So essentially it'll be nothing more than me and her talking on the phone and all, being sweet to each other and possibly sending gifts back and forth. Is there any laws that prohibit this?

Answer: Unless her parents say otherwise it’s legal to be friends with someone who is 16


Title: A man disappeared and was declared dead. His family got his life insurance, but he returns. Family is on the hook to return the money. [AZ]

Question:
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3646397

Link to article.

Does the family have a legal foothold to sue him for reimbursement?

Answer:
 They don't need to sue him because he was a party to the insurance company's lawsuit.  The end result here was actually very equitable.

The life insurance company only went after the family for the money that *hadn't already been spent* at the time the guy resurfaced.  The remaining balance was still segregated and identifiable because it had been placed into two trusts (one for each of his daughters).  There was a little less than a half million dollars left from the payout, and the daughters have settled that debt at this point.

The disappearing guy himself in on the hook for everything the insurance company *wasn't* able to collect from the daughters, including money that had already been spent -- close to $400k at least.Answer #2: I get that this was the early 90's and it's no picnic to be gay in the bible belt, but he had options that didn't involve abandoning his children. Now he pops back up, opens up all those wounds, and his family is on the hook for nearly a million dollars. Jesus, he should've just stayed "dead". I'd sure file a lawsuit against the guy. If not for the insurance money, lost child support or *something*. Answer #3: I mean, he was declared dead, and his family had no access to him, his income, etc. I'd think if insurance should go after anyone, it'd be him. His actions caused their loss, not the wife and kids.

And his daughter. Yikes. She has every right to be bitter, but the 90's were a different time for gay people.


Title: I sold my house and received a check for the escrow overage. The check is in my name and my ex-wife's. I haven't talked to her in over 6 years.

Question:
I hope this is the right place to post this as I am way out of my depth with this whole situation.

 I purchased a house in 2009 with my ex-wife. In 2012 we divorced. Long story short, she left me, would not respond to any calls, emails, etc. I filed for divorce, she didn't show up and everything was put in my name, including our house. After that my credit when down the toilet (for dumb reasons since I was trying to work through the whole situation and I stopped caring) and I couldn't refinance the house so that it would be in my name only. My credit has since vastly improved, but I just sold the house last month. The title company took the divorce decree and didn't have any issues. However, my mortgage company sent me a check for about $3,000 and it's in my name and my ex-wife's name. I took the divorce decree and the check and they said they would need her signature on the check in order to cash it.

&#x200B;

What are my options? I want to either cash or deposit the check. I don't want to communicate with her, nor do I know how to contact her.

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Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Deposit it at an ATM or via mobile banking. Sign only your name on it. If the bank rejects it you can request another one from your mortgage company. You are entitled to the money via your divorce decree. Just don’t sign her name at all, that would be forgery.

I deposit checks for my kids all the time this way because they’re too young to have bank accounts. Unless the account or check is flagged you should be fine.


Title: Child support limit for Deadbeat Parent

Question: I was curious as to what are the financial obligation of a Deadbeat parent who has to pay child support. I know that there are systems that force them to pay portions of the child support when they are applying for licenses, but I'm unaware if that's the full amount they owe as well as if it's not the full amount they owe once the child turns 18 do they still owe back pay of child support to the now adult child?

Answer: If child support is owed, it's owed.  If it's in arrears, it's still owed.  However, it's owed to the custodial parent, not the child.


Title: Competition is using very similar DBA/Fictitious Name. What do I do?

Question:
Yesterday I became aware that another LLC is doing business under a fictitious name very similar to mine. Their logo is also very similar.
This morning I called up the dept of business and they told me there is zero protection for a fictitious name. They only protect the names of corporations and LLCs. Someone could use our exact same DBA if they wanted.
What can I do here? I normally wouldn't really care but they are doing business in our same sphere. They are also pushing a VERY controversial treatment method that has the potential to damage my reputation because the names are so similar.

Thank you! Btw I'm located in Florida.

Answer: DBAs generally don't create any rights in or to the name.  This is likely only a trademark issue.  Common law trademark protection may be available, but you can generally only assert common law trademark rights against another company if (a) you began to use the name in commerce before the other company, and (b) you can show that the other company's use of the name has created a likelihood of consumer confusion.


Title: Employer making employees pay them for taking a day off?

Question:
Is it legal for an employer to take hours out of a paycheck of actual hours worked because an employee had to take a day off?

For example:

Scheduled hours for the week: 40, 4 10\-hour shifts

An employee calls in for a family emergency and misses a 10 hour day, but the employee works the rest of the 30 hours of the week.

The employer then makes the employees check for only 26 hours worked, as a punishment for using unpaid time off that they didn't "earn", even though the employee worked 30 hours total.

Answer: No, that is not legal. You must be paid for all of your time worked.


Title: [MD] My new tenants want to move out after 2 days

Question:
I own a condo and rented it out to a couple. The lease term is one year. They move in on Saturday. On Monday I receive an email saying their health is being jeopardized because the owner of the unit below smokes cigarettes. I called the Health department and they said there is nothing they can do about it, as it is not illegal to smoke in their own home (We are in MD)

My tenant talked to me today and said that this is detrimental to their health and they want to move out. There is nothing I can do about the behavior of the other people. What can I do?

Answer:
 Maryland has quite a few smoking-related ordinances, but none of them (so far as I can find) apply to private residences. Do follow up on what /u/frisian2 linked to however.

While I sympathize with your new tenants, I wonder if they inspected the unit prior to signing the lease.

If they already took possession of the unit (your post is a bit unclear) you can negotiate with them what you're willing to take to release them from it. If they balk, be prepared to sue them. They signed a lease to pay you 12 months of rent (plus whatever deposits, etc., you required). You agreed to provide them with a condo. You're holding up your end; legally they have to hold up their end. You can't just automatically collect 12 months of rent from them if they move out however, in Maryland you have to make a "good faith" effort to re-rent and mitigate your damages.

So one option is that you tell them "find someone else to take over your lease, but keep paying me until you do." Or, "you can leave and keep paying rent until I find another tenant which I will make a good faith effort to do." Answer #2: I have spoken to an attorney. Basically if they leave they are breaching the lease. He advised me to
1. Negotiate to keep any rent they pay me and the security deposit and try and mediate if they want to leave.
2. Sue them for 2-3 months rent (normal for the county we are in)

Also, we are to setup a meeting in a neutral place so everyone is comfortable.


Title: Mother moved to Ohio from California. She is seeking child support, what can I do to exercise my rights with my child?

Question: Me and the baby's mother split up about 7 months ago. We aren't married. Child was born and raise in California for about 1.5 years. The mother and the child moved to Ohio. She wants to file for child support (or is in the process). What should I do, assuming that I will be paying child support as to custody/visitation rights? In my mind, if I'm paying child support, I want Summer, Christmas, and Spring break to spend with my child + plane ticket fees.

Answer:
 Yeah. Child support and visitation aren't linked. So those are two separate issues. Not to mention you haven't bothered to get some sort of visitation in 7 months since they left.

You won't get all of those holidays. It'll probably be a rotating holiday schedule and some of summer if you're lucky. Not to mention you haven't bothered to apply for visitation for half of his or her life. As for fees and plane tickets, you will probably be responsible for those or else it'll be split.

Just curious, but you do sound like you're trying to penalize her for seeking support. Especially if you haven't filed for some sort of visitation in the time period she left.


Title: [TX/IL] Nissan wants their car back, I've been avoiding them for years.

Question:
Hey there, so basically I leased a car from Nissan in 2015 in IL, made a couple thousand dollars worth of payments on it, moved to Texas(without changing my address anywhere formally) eventually lost a job, stopped making payments, lost insurance, got in a minor wreck, and avoided collections calls for over a year before they stopped calling. Car is currently driveable, but has \~$1000 in damages on the front end. Currently still living in Texas.

Today just 20 minutes before posting this they finally got ahold of me. Basically they want to pick the car up, I answered and the lady on the other end asked me when they could come get it, I told her possibly this weekend, but that I need to "verify a few things" first, which meant coming to asklegal. Not sure if it is significant but she said "then I will tell Nissan that at this time you are unwilling to surrender the car, and we will be expecting a call back." I

 So obviously I still owe these guys a bunch of money, am I about to get sued the moment I give them my actual address? Should I get the car towed to a park or something and give them the location in order to avoid being served? Does avoiding being served actually prevent me from racking up some sort of fees that are going to be accruing regardless?

I don't care either way if they have the car, but I only have about $200 to my name right now, with a pretty limited income for the near future. I would prefer to continue putting off this whole thing until I have a more stable income, which will be around January.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 It is almost ALWAYS better to deal with issues than ignore them.  Continuing to ignore and avoid issues just makes the issues bigger.

&#x200B;

My guess is that they aren't the only ones you owe money to who might be lining up to sue you. Might want to check with r/personalfinance for assistance with getting your finances in order.Answer #2: At this point, this is more a matter of "grand theft auto" than it is "owing a couple thousand dollars" but if they decide to leave the cops out of it and you can't pay them what you owe them, they'll just get a judgement on you and thus garnish whatever pay they can for however long they need to.


Title: How do you know if you’re sober enough to drive?

Question:
Howdy y’all!

I very recently turned 21, so up until a few weeks ago, any alcohol in my system was illegal. Now that I’m 21, I obviously would like to go out. Most adults can go to a restaurant, have a drink, and drive home. Alcohol affects (effects?) everyone differently, so how do you know if you’re okay to drive? I absolutely do not want to endanger anyone else’s life, but calling an Uber because I had one beer seems excessive. How drunk is 0.08? If you generally feel okay, could you still blow >0.08? How long should you wait after finishing a drink to see if it “hits you?”

I live in RI, but I’m also frequently in CT and MA.

Answer:
 You realize 0.08 is not a legal limit right? You can be arrested for DUI below 0.08.Answer #2: It’s easy. If there is any question whatsoever, don’t drive.Answer #3: You *can* be arrested if you are stopped and blow under 0.08. It's just at 0.08, the police don't need any other signs of impaired driving.

LPT: if you have had anything to drink at all, do not drive. Period.Answer #4: If you're going out specifically to drink, then do not drive. Uber and Lyft exist; use them.

I get that we all sound like fun-killing adults, but it is seriously not worth it to gamble with the possibility of a DUI. Everyone thinks they're okay to drive, until they hit something.Answer #5: It varies from person to person but if you're going out to drink, have a designated driver. Never drink and drive.


Title: (TX)Can an apartment complex refuse to rent to us because I'm a stay at home mom?

Question:
My husband earns just over $50,000 a year and the apartments $1000.

Everything was going great until they got to the jobs section, they said my husbands salary would be more than enough then asked what I do. As soon as I said that I stay home with the baby they said that we couldn't rent there.

They said that if my husband was single or if I worked we would be able to rent there but they don't allow "non-working parents" since its "risky".

Answer:
 > They said that if my husband was single or if I worked we would be able to rent there but they don't allow "non-working parents" since its "risky".

I want to make this clear, because I sense some people will get confused.

It would be illegal to refuse to rent to you because you're a non-working **parent**.  It is perfectly fine to refuse to rent to you because you're **unemployed**.  The difference here, as /u/Napalmenator pointed out, is that "employment status" is not a protected class, while "familial status" is.

So long as they treat unemployed people the same, they're likely fine.  If they let unemployed single people in, but barred unemployed parents, there'd be an issue.


Title: Being forced to work off the clock

Question:
I apologize in advance for being naive but I just recently found out that working off the clock is illegal. What are my next steps?

I work a shitty minimum wage job in the food industry where I usually close. 90% of the time we are not done at the time we are supposed to clock out so we have to stay and finish cleaning. When I first started (over a year ago) I would stay clocked in past the time we were off until I was ready to walk out of the door. I got suspended for doing so and was told that I had to clock out on the dot and continue working. The longest time we've had to stay was two hours. Thanks in advance and I wish I had realized this a long time ago.

Sorry, I'm in California

Answer:
 Document all hours worked. Look for another job. When you've secured another job file a wage claim with the state for all the unpaid time.

Employees must be paid for all hours worked.

If you can't finish all your work in the scheduled time they can fire you for it even if it's an unreasonable expectation.Answer #2: Is this a large national chain?  In addition to reporting it to the state DoL, call the corporate ethics hotline and report it.

They're likely to come down hard on the management because this makes the chain look bad.


Title: [MO] Sister is going through nasty divorce, she paid big $ for a hot shot lawyer. That lawyer accepted her case and took her money then immediately left the firm and handed her case over to a newbie who has NEVER handled divorce before and is refusing to refund money, is this legal?

Question:
My sister is married to a druggie who has tried to commit suicide multiple times and has been caught filming their non-biological teenage (13-16 at the times of filming) daughter showering. We have evidence out the ass that he's guilty of it, we handed the tapes over to authorities who did NOTHING about it. No arrests, no questioning, no restraining orders. Official refuse to issue a RO because "he's not an immediate threat" even though he broke into the house (his name isn't on it) and set up cameras in the bathrooms AGAIN. He has tested positive for meth every single time the court has had him tested.

Basically my sister wants 1) a divorce, 2) a permanent RO, 3)him to pay child support for their bio children (3 kids).

He has been court ordered to pay the house rent + $900/m in child support. (He makes 60k+ a year, house rent was $1,200) It's been 2 years and several court visits, he has not paid once. Court is being lazy about enforcing him to pay anything even though they ordered it multiple times.

My sister is drowning in debt, lost her van, losing the house, can't afford utilities. Teenage daughter got a job to help support mom, but she barely makes enough for herself.

My sister got about $4000 in taxes back last April and hired a big time lawyer in our area known for divorce and family legal matters. She paid him $2500 in May for a divorce and to start a RO process. He got right on it and immeditely after filing the initial paperwork with the court he announced that he was retiring from his firm and handed my sister's case off to a new guy FRESH out of school or training. (Fresh out of something, I'm not sure what actually. But he has little experience as a lawyer out on his own and ZERO experience in divorce.)

That was in June, it is not December, almost January. My sister has spent an extra $1,250 calling him and making appointments to meet in person to discuss her case and he has yet do a single fucking thing. Nothing has been filed through court, no court dates, no advice, nothing. He hasn't done a thing and admitted that he doesn't know how and no one else at the firm does divorce. But he's refusing to refund her any of the $3,750 she has spend thus far.

Christmas Eve the repomen came and took her van. Her house goes into foreclosure sometime in January. She has NO car, will have NO house soon, and her income as a nurse isn't anywhere near enough to support a family of five.

Is this lawyer legally obliged to refund her even partial pay for his months and months wasted? We know already that he has absolutely no intention of doing anything with my sister's case anytime soon. If she stayed with him it'd take years for him to finally do something. Is she entitled to a full or partial refund?

TL;DR Sister hired an expensive lawyer and paid $2500 upfront. That lawyer initiated her case, but never made it to court. He then retired and handed her case off to a new guy with ZERO divorce experience and he's been dragging his feet and racking up an additional $1,250 in meeting fees without making an inch of progress in 8 months. Sister has waited so long for this lawyer that she's already lost her car and her house goes into foreclosure in January because lawyer isn't taking case to court so she can pursuit child support properly. Can she get a full or partial refund from this do-nothing lawyer?

Answer:
 Your sister needs to find another lawyer, who can handle dealing with a refund from the first firm and the divorce.

I admit I am not familiar with lawyer rates in Missouri, but if $3800 is enough for a retainer with a "hot shot" lawyer, it is truly a rarity.Answer #2: The $2,500 was a retainer for him to start working on the case. That $2,500 was exhausted when the guy performed 10-20 hours of work on the case (depending on hourly rate).

The $1, 250 paid for the next 5-10 hours of work.

She is free to get another lawyer and the firm must return any unused portion of the retainer, which may be $0.


Title: (ID) How do I make my cat a service animal so I can move into places with stringent pet restrictions?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Cats cannot be designated as service animals in the US. Only dogs (and sometimes miniature horses) can be given that designation.

https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htmAnswer #2: You need to have a legitimate need for an emotional support animal or service animal. Having him designated as one for the sole purpose of circumventing a landlord's restrictions on pets is considered fraud and a crime in several states.


Title: 18m in Alabama being investigated for giving somebody xanax

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Same answers as yesterday


Title: My girlfriends ex doesn't want to let my girlfriend keep her dog

Question:
(State CA)
So my girlfriend purchased her dog while she was with her ex.  She has paid for basically everything and has the receipts to prove it.  Where it gets a little tricky is that his name is on the dogs paperwork as the owner with his parents house as the address.  For some reason they couldn't use my girlfriends family address because they already have 4 dogs registered to that address.  My GF and her ex agreed that the dog was hers because she paid for it even though his name was on the paperwork.  When they broke up he told her he didn't want the dog and that she could keep because he was "giving" her the dog even though it wasn't his to begin with.  He ended up changing his mind a few weeks later, though.  Currently, the dog spends one week with us and one week with the ex.  But it's been going on too long and my GF and I are moving a good distance away and she wants the dog with us because it's a stable home and wants to stop having to see her ex.  My question is what can my GF do in order to keep her dog without having to just not give her back when her week is over?  I haven't found anything clear cut so any help will be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Dog Law specialist here.

If he's listed as the owner, she's in for a rough time; "we just put his name there to get around the Law" isn't going to help you much.


Title: [US, CA] New owners for apartment, trying to bully me into leaving or sign new lease. What are my rights?

Question:
I rent an apartment and have a one year lease, our building was sold recently. It was brought to my attention after that my lease contained a typo, the start and end date were the same. Next to this was also a month to month box that is not marked however. They say since it starts and ends the same day I'm month to month and are required to sign a new lease immediately.

Getting a lawyer and the previous owner involved (hes willing to testify that it is indeed a typo) have a letter sent out, that they need to honor it as a year lease as its intention was for a year not month to month. They -somewhat- back off, though shortly before give me a "notice to quit" letter(basically pre eviction if I'm not willing to cooperate), and showing up unannounced after hours to "talk" and get me to sign a new lease and application for the unit to "protect me and update everything and make it square." Saying they will not void the notice to quit until I sign a new lease AGAIN.

I refuse, and say they will see me in court if they're saying they will not honor  the lease, again they back down again.

Now they're asking me again to fill out a "application" because they do not have my information such as, job/salary-emergency contact-etc etc.

Things are calmer but these people(3 employees total but the manager was the worse) at the start were very unpleasant and very unprofessional, and I would say it was bullying/harassment in the hopes I'd just leave.

I would rather not sign anything as I feel they are trying to trap me or hope I mess up so they have some legal grounds to get me evicted. Their tone and lies and obvious manipulation tactics make me feel uneasy.

At this point I'm willing to pay my rent on time, and abide by all the terms in my year lease that they have acknowledged in writing. Am I obligated submit a new application? Do they need to back off and I need to stand firm with saying I'll take them to court? Or do I just submit a new application and whatever else they try to shove down my throat?

If its relevant, other tenants are also in legal battles with them for similar but not identical issues. We looked up the prices of our the empty units in the building, under the new owners see that they've went up maybe 50%. So we feel they're trying to get people out to raise the rent.

Answer:
 If you're under rent control, lawyer up and have your attorney send them a stern letter reminding them of your actual rights and demanding that they cease their requests for you to sign new agreements.

If you're not under rent control, but you'd like to continue your tenancy, consider working with them if the proposed new lease is reasonable.

Otherwise, don't sign anything, and expect notice to vacate to be given at the end of your lease. If your landlord significantly interferes with your tenancy - frivolous eviction filings, removes the doors, cuts the power, changes the locks, or excessively frequent visits with or without adequate notice - then talk to your lawyer about suing for a rent abatement.


Title: [FL] Do I have a case? False Advertising

Question: [removed]

Answer: On the bottom left it states "serving suggestion" that means it's not a picture of just the contents themselves, but a way to prepare them. Answer #2: I want to sue Dos Equis. I drink it all the time and I'm not very interesting at all.


Title: I t-boned someone, we both don't have licenses

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >What are my obligations here?

Your obligations are to pay him for the damage you caused to his vehicle.Answer #2: You are liable for the damages you caused.


Title: My ex stole my birth certificate, and refuses to give it back without a sweater he gave me.

Question:
As the title says, my ex gave me a sweater while we were together. It’s nice, but it’s ratty and worn. It’s getting me through how shitty he treated me (at least the sweater is still warm). He wants it back, and refuses to give back my birth certificate. I can’t guarantee that giving him the sweater, not that I want to, would lead to me getting it back. It costs 70$ to get a new birth certificate, which I can’t afford. So... what do I do?
Edit: Saskatchewan, Canada
Topic:
Canada

Answer: Call the police non emergency number, and ask them to retrieve it.  Hopefully, you have text messages of him saying he has it.


Title: Questions about guardianship of adult (MA)

Question:
Hi, am getting really confused researching on google. Please let me know if you could help clarify the following:

1) is guardianship of a mentally disabled (Down Syndrome) dependent *adult* automatically applied towards his/her parent or primary caregiver? If not, what are the steps towards establishing this? And on the flip side, what are the steps if a third party (in the immediate family) wants to break this guardianship?

2) What type of rights is the primary guardian entitled to? Is he/she exclusively in control of  his/her charge's government paperwork and identification? What about international citizenship?

Thanks.

Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer: Guardianship of an adult is not automatic.  A court appoints a guardian when the court deems it appropriate.  A court can be petitioned to revisit such a decision.


Title: I left an audio recording running in my home after my wife asked me to take the kids on some errands. Found out I am being cheated on. Am I able to use this recording in Minnesota in custody case?

Question: I left an audio recording running in my home after my wife asked me to take the kids on some errands. Found out I am being cheated on. Am I able to use this recording in Minnesota in custody case?

Answer:
 No. Minnesota is a one-party consent state, which means a person **in the conversation** must give consent to the recording being made. Additionally, your wife had a reasonable expectation of privacy in her own home.

The recording you made would not be admissible in court.Answer #2: It wouldn't do a thing for custody. Someone can cheat a million times and still be a good parent. But it might help in determining alimony. It's irrelevant since it's inadmissible. Sorry. Good luck.Answer #3: As /u/booradley2017 said it is both inadmissible and irrelevant. Unless infidelity is a clause in a pre nuptual agreement then it doesn't matter. Divorce or don't - your call.

That said, you could record your confrontation of your wife about her cheating in a one party state. If you really think it will make a difference. Just don't say that you recorded her sexual encounter. you can just say that "you know" she cheated, and if she admits it  - then good for you. But again it almost certainly won't matter.


Title: How many times can a cop ask to search your car?

Question:
Hi guys, so last night I was driving and got pulled over for no front license plate (it fell off in the car wash about a week ago) so the officer came up and was nice and we conversed well and all was going well and he went back to his police SUV to write the warning. After a couple minutes he started talking on his radio which gave me a bad feeling. He came back to my car and asked me to step out and took me to the back of my car. He told me I looked nervous and that I had scratch marks on my neck (I had a pimple on my neck and I kept messing with it on the whole ride beforehand) and asked if anything illegal was in my car. I told him no and let him pat me down. He then proceeded to ask if he could search my car and I politely said he could not. So I was back in my car and he kept asking and I kept saying no. This went on for about 15-20 mins and he asked many many times while looking throughout my whole car. He asked me why I was nervous and I told him I'm always nervous when I get pulled over (who's heart doesn't speed up??) so anyway, to not make this story go longer after many many many no's he finally let me go. I thought it was ridiculous the amount of times he asked to search my car and he wasted so much of my time asking. So I'm curious if there's a certain number of times police can ask to search your car or if they can just keep asking and wasting your time like this officer did? By the way, I'm 19 and am a college student. My car didn't smell of anything, I was driving the speed limit and not swerving or anything so he had absolutely no reason to suspect something was in my car or that I was, say, high or drunk.
LOCATION: Logan County, Illinois

EDIT: thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. I believe I will try to request the footage from the police SUV and upon reviewing it decide if I want to file a complaint or not.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 As many as they wish. Though after a period of time, and after reviewing all facts, it may be established that you were detained too long Answer #2: There was a recent Supreme Court case on this topic.  The officer can not detain you longer than to write the ticket.

* http://www.npr.org/2015/04/21/401282284/supreme-court-police-may-not-detain-traffic-violators-longer-than-necessary
Answer #3: Cheers for standing up for your rights. Now file an official complaint about the fact that he detained you longer than was legally required.


Title: [Arizona] Friend is charged with drug trafficking for prescribed pills.

Question:
Just found today my friend, who is an Iraq War veteran, was pulled over for a traffic violation and had his prescribed medication that he received from the VA for his PTSD on him. The office arrested him for drug trafficking, his car was impounded, and he had to post bond. He's being charged as a criminal and apparently there is already have a court date set.

I really want to help him out, but I'm not entirely sure. From what he has communicated to me, he's at a loss for the time being, but thinks that he'll have to go to court to fight this. That seems completely absurd to me, why couldn't he just show up to the arresting jurisdiction, and present his documentation that the medication was prescribed to him and be cleared of the charge?

I'm still in the process of getting more information, but would appreciate anything you guys can point me in the right direction first.

**UPDATE 1**: He was charged for having a full bottle of a properly prescribed medication related to PTSD, as stated before, he received it from the VA in Arizona, and he is a veteran of the United States.

Answer: This really doesn't sound right.  He was arrested for trafficking for having a single bottle of prescription meds with his name on the label?


Title: Divorced. Don't know what to do.. So stressed.

Question:
(CA)
I have been divorced for a little over a month now. I have some serious questions about some financial splits with my husband. We still own the house that I am living in with our three kids. I pay the mortgage with the child support that I receive every month. I am concerned that my husband is still building equity in the home, When and if we sell the house or I am able to come up with enough money to buy him out. Do I need something in writing stating that he can no longer gain equity in the house? I am so confused.

The other things are that he has a 401k that he is supposed to cash out and give me half, he has been dragging this out for over a year. What are my options to force him to pay me?

Lastly he owns 15% of a company and again was supposed to buy me out. I spoke to him a couple of days ago and now he is telling me that the owner of the company is going to file bankruptcy and he is even considering to do this aswell. I feel like he is doing everything in his power to screw me out of the money he owes me.

He also took me off of being his beneficiary on his life insurance. What am I supposed to do if something happens to him with supporting our children? Can he do this? I wish I could afford a lawyer, but I can barely survive on the child support and alimony to support my three children and myself. Thank you for any help, it is much appreciated.

Answer:
 >We still own the house .... building equity

>he has a 401k

>a company and again was supposed to buy me out

What you are going to need to do here is to go back to court and get an order to compel him to meet the terms of the divorce.

It may feel like you can't afford a lawyer at the moment but make some calls (start with the bar association if you don't know any divorce lawyers yourself) and explain your situation. Shop around and you may find one that will be willing to do this for you on contingency and get paid once you've gotten your money from your ex


Title: CA - Husband (39) got fired last week. Has proof of being harassed by supervisor who fired him and also working without pay. Considering a lawyer.

Question:
Husband (39) worked at office as a CAD drafter for 2 years.  He was fired last Wednesday for "poor performance" (he printed a document out in Color, should have been B/W)

We believe my husband was bullied/abused at work. For two years he put up with verbal abuse disguised as jokes, intimidation, bullying on social media, office pranks, being called gay.  On three different occasions he was asked to work without pay or lose his job. He thinks he has a case against his supervisor.   We have an appointment with a lawyer tomorrow, any advice is appreciated, we really don't know where to begin.  Here are just the most extreme things that happened.

Supervisor put a sticker on husbands car that said "I MASTURBATE" - Supervisor then takes picture and posts it to Facebook and Instagram with my husbands name tagged to it.

Supervisor prints out a picture of a cartoon Doctor giving somebody a rectal exam.  Puts my husbands name on the picture as the person receiving the rectal exam and name of another male coworker as the doctor.

Supervisor switches my husbands office chair with broken chair.  Hides a camera and records him sitting/falling off chair.  Shares video throughout the company and on Instagram.

Other coworkers join in on the bullying.  Supervisor has an "alliance" of two brothers also working in his dept.  They also join in on Facebook bullying. Leaving comments like "You're Ugly!"

Another coworker asks my husband if he owns any guns because he is afraid my husband will snap at work and "shoot up the place".

Other random things - Supervisor and his brothers kicking my husbands chair as they walk by. Also, something that happened with me that I found very odd...When my Uncle died I called my husband at work and his supervisor thinks it's funny to talk like a woman, so that I could think my husband was with another woman.  This is while I'm telling my husband that my uncle died.  Just bizarre.

My husband changed a lot working here.  He began to see a dr. and went on anxiety meds.  He even started taking testosterone.  He would come home angry.  He began joining the same things they did and even buying them tickets places, buying them lunch, signing up for those 5k runs that they were doing...the more they were dicks with him, the more he became obsessed with pleasing them.

I'm beginning to get more personal with this, and I really just want to stick with the facts. My husband really the only one who can describe what it was like there, but hopefully you can get an idea. If you have more questions, please ask.  Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Answer:
 Bullying isn't illegal. If your husband worked without pay, he can file a wage claim. That's about the extent of the recourse available to him given the information you've provided here. It doesn't appear there was anything unlawful about the termination.Answer #2: [Here's the EEOC page](http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/harassment.cfm) on illegal workplace harassment.  It's only illegal under Federal law if your husband was harassed "based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information."

California law - [here's one link](https://oag.ca.gov/publications/womansrights/ch1) - is broader than Federal law on the protected categories.

The above doesn't sound like it qualifies, but if it does, you can contact the EEOC or an employment attorney.


Title: Broke my leg, wasn't given proper care for two months. should I sue doctor?

Question:
Hello Reddit!  Before I start the story I need to add a little background:

First of all, this story was written by my mother and not me, I am a seventeen year old who just happened to watch my mother go through absolute misery and wanted to share the post here to find some help for her, as she desperately needs it.

Second of all, there is this hiking spot called the White Cliffs of Conoy that looks over the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.  It's a beautiful hike but I don't recommend it unless you're extremely careful and don't try to go down to the beach below or get too close to the edge like a stupid person.  The hike in is two miles.

Now without further adieu, the story.
So, I went on a hike with my three children and an international student we were hosting for two weeks. My sweet nine year old slid down the white gravel hill, running into me. I heard and felt my leg snap and pop. She and I somehow managed to get up the hill, and with some help from my kids,  I walked 2.5 miles out to the parking lot. *(It was a long hike of agony for me).*  When we got home, I took my shoe off *(with difficulty because it was so tight)*, and my foot was swollen and black and blue already. My husband quickly took me to the ER and the results were...no fracture.  I hesitated with that assessment as I did hear a snap.

I spent the next week resting and icing my foot a lot, but the pain did not cease.  I found an ankle air cast in the bathroom closet so I was wearing that as I felt that I needed support. The swelling DID go down and doctors said it was NOT broken. So the following weekend, we did a ton of stuff with our student.  By the middle of the second week, I felt that there was something moving inside my ankle/lower leg and went to see my primary doctor. She ordered an MRI and reordered it again two days later, However Insurance denied as "not needed" plus they don't listen to primaries too much.  I was referred to an orthopedist.

I went to my first orthopedist and waited almost an hour to even be called back to him, and After waiting, the doctor spent about a total of about five minutes with me.  He looked at my foot...didn't even touch and feel my foot or leg. He just stared at the 2nd x-ray and gave me a cam boot and told me to see him again in two weeks.  I went back in two weeks without my foot/leg feeling any better and I told him so.  He said, and I quote "But the swelling is down and it's not black and blue anymore, so it's better now."  Again, he was in there for less than 5 minutes with the instructions to continue wearing cam boot for another *month.*

Again, over the next few weeks, my ankle was feeling worse and worse and cam boot was causing so much grief and pain for me. I was barely sleeping with it on and sometimes, I was up crying, unable to sleep from all the pain.  I tossed and turned and with the boot on, and of course, my hip was out of place. I made an appt for my chiropractor. He fixed me up, and then did something behind my knee to help but it hurt like anything.  the chiropractor said he thinks leg is broken.

So, I wrote a note to my primary doctor in the meantime. I told her that my foot was feeling awful, I wasn't getting sleep b/c of wearing that stupid boot to bed for the last 6 weeks, and that the chiropractor thought my leg was broken.  I also told her how the orthopedist wanted me to start Physical Therapy, which could permanently damage my foot if it was broken.

Now how in the blazes can he order PT, when he hasn't done any tests at all.  NO MRI.   NO CAT SCAN.   NOTHING!!!!  But I still went as he ordered. My first visit to PT and the therapist was twisting my foot/ankle every which way, and I went home in more pain.  I went back Monday for next therapy and told the therapist to please just be careful, so she worked more on just massaging muscles instead.

I did get an MRI over that weekend, and after that second therapy session, the orthopedist office called to tell me my leg was broken.  So for the previous SEVEN weeks I was walking in a cam boot on a broken leg when I should have been NON WEIGHT BEARING.   I get the instructions to keep wearing cam boot for another 2 weeks and use crutches.  And, of course, I had to call and cancel all the PT appointments.

I ended up writing a note to my Primary Care doctor again, telling her that I felt I did not receive the kind of care I felt I should have at the orthopedist and explained all my reasons and to refer me to someone else.

The care I got from my second orthopedist was phenomenal.   My first visit, he squeezed my foot from toes up to knee.  I was ready to punch him as it hurt so bad.  He ordered more x rays and scanned all the pics from the MRI.   and by the end of my FIRST visit with the SECOND opinion,  I had a scheduled surgery date of a week before Thanksgiving.  Injury occurred August 31st.

Now my question is whether or not, I can sue first orthopedist for medical malpractice, and what steps should I go through to do that.

**Thanks for listening!**

**TLDR: Broke leg during hike.  x-ray at ER showed no fracture but I heard bone snap.  First orthopedist didn't order any tests, like MRI or CAT, and had me wear a boot for 7 weeks.  Finally, begged with primary and MRI was finally ordered which did show a fractured tibia.  Ended up with another orthopedist as second opinion and surgery was scheduled during that first visit.  Should I sue first orthopedist for medical malpractice?**

Answer: Medical malpractice is beyond the scope of this sub. Med mal cases require an experts opinion on the standard of care and if it was breached. If you want to pursue a case, gather up your medical records and consult with an attorney who handles med mal cases.


Title: Is it legal to write a written apology to a police officer in Washington State?

Question:
I have tried to google this with no avail, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I have a friend at work who was recently arrested and released on bail for harassment (got in a fight with a friend while drunk, and the only witnesses were the dude and his wife), and while being arrested shouted some pretty obscene words at the police officer. On top of his friend pressing charges, he is now facing harassment of a police officer as well. According to my friend, he did not touch the victim at all, yet at the same time, my friend had physical bruises on his face and rib cage.
So my question is can he write a letter to the officer and apologize? Will this help him in any way? Or is that considered obstruction? He knows he is pretty screwed on the harassment of his friend, so I know there is no helping him there.
Note:
He makes just enough money that he is not able to qualify for a court appointed attorney, and can’t afford to pay for one either. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Answer:
 Is it **legal** to hand the police a written criminal confession.  Yes.

Is it a **good idea**.  Good lord no.


Title: Friend caught with pocket knife at school and is being charged. All I want to know is how much trouble/time he’s facing.

Question:
Background: He’s 15. United States, state of Virginia. He didn’t use the knife in any threatening manner, just had possession and got caught with it.

For a criminal record he has gotten one simple assault charge at the age of 12, but he went through pre-trial diversion and with that only did 6 months probation. Do any of you guys got an idea of what he’s facing?

Answer:
 Depending on the specifics of the blade and such, he could catch a Code of Virginia § 18.2-308.1 charge.

Class 1 Misdemeanor.  -- up to 1 yr. in jail, $2500 fine


Title: Child support

Question: Child support in Washington state. I was paying support for 2 kids. The temporary order was just that temporary it had no foresight into my oldest aging out or graduating high school. My soon to be ex wife tried to change support in April due to my new job and wanted more money. The judge opted not to change anything then because I was supposed to have trial in July. The trial didn't happened solely because she failed to give her discoveries in time to review them. Two boxes of accounts on Friday after 2pm and trial scheduled for Tuesday morning. I went thru the paper work that weekend and found their was 7 additional accounts listed in the transactions of deposits and withdraws. It is believed that she is hiding money in these accounts. It's been now 60 days since the formal request and two weeks since the request for additional accounts and my trial rescheduled to November. I have read that in most cases when paying support for more than 1 child if the order doesn't specify it is understood that you stop paying support for child if they age out and only request to change the temporary order to prevent confusion.

Answer: Child support should stop when the child hits 18. Should being the operative word. It doesn't always work out that way if you have to pay the support to the court or your wages are garnished. You need to get back into court to deal with this issue. You can have a hearing just on the child support so it doesn't keep getting pushed off to a point after the child turns 18. If you just pay the support to her, you need an order recalculating your support for one child when the other child reaches the age of majority. If you're paying through the court or through wage garnishment, you might want to call up the clerk's office and talk to whoever handles the payments to see if they'll stop. My gut reaction is that they're probably going to tell you they won't stop without an order of the court, but the clerk's office might handle getting the order if they're handling the support. Answer #2: This is a great question to ask your lawyer (I asume that you've got one because this sounds like a total mess of a situation).


Title: So my mother might kill my dog.

Answer:
 TLDR:

OP is moving to a new house that won't allow dogs so OP's older dog staying with his/her mom. OP's mom has had a dog die under semi-suspicious circumstances.

OP wants to draft some boarding contract with the mother. I see no discernible questions, just the desire for discussion (not exactly sure about what- the likelihood the mom will do this? What OP can do in the event of the dog's death? Is the contract enforceable?).Answer #2: What are you planning if mom says 'I wont sign that contract, and if that is necessary, then I wont house your dog.'?  What is the contingency?

>And then I will sue her dry for emotional damages.

Good luck with that, unless it results in a lot of necessary therapy and other medical care that is a very tough hill to climb.

>There is nowhere else for her to go

And this place you are signing a lease for is your only leasing option?  I know you are 'locked in' to the deal now, but if all the alternatives aren't good, then why wasn't there more of a search in the housing side to find a dog-friendly property?  It might have been a little higher rent, but it would probably still be cheaper than boarding and afford you the security of consciousness that you appear to be so worried about.


Title: Question about....child pornography.

Question:
So my cousin was recently arrested for possession of (and maybe distribution) of child pornography in Texas. We are reeling. He states that he downloaded 45 minutes of legal adult porn and in that download was two minutes of underage, teenage girls. He's out on bond. Is this possible? Is it really that easy to be arrested for childporn? Is it at all possible that this is a mistake? My gut tells me, no, it's not. People watch (legal, adult) porn all the time and don't get arrested. Also, the stuff that they put on the internet to catch people, is it like CHILD children? Or like, teens? We all want to believe he's not a pedophile....but.....are we just being naive?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 It's possible sure, but very unlikely. Technically speaking he could've been arrested for that, but they usually aren't searching for people downloading legitimate adult vids that accidentally stumble across a bad file one time.

Regardless, it wouldn't be a "mistake". I can almost guarantee you that you're not getting the full story.Answer #2: > Also, the stuff that they put on the internet to catch people, is it like CHILD children?

Under 18.

If a porn actress is filmed at 17 years, 11 months, and 29 days it is legally child porn.

That said I really doubt that anyone was monitoring a 45 minute video that just happened to contain a few minutes of under 18s.Answer #3: He's so full of s***t you can smell it on his breath.

The cops don't use bait videos with mostly legal porn and just a bit of CP, their goal isn't to arrest random people for CP, their goal is to catch pedophiles before they molest a kid.

Answer #4: He's lying to you.

There's a lot more to the story than he's saying.


Title: Bad Landlord and Parking Space.

Question:
I have lived in this apartment for 5 years (San Diego, CA). Was told when i moved in I would get the next parking space once a 1-bedroom dweller moved out. Well, they never move and have all been here for 15 years or more and will never move. So I made a stink about it last time there was turnover leaving an open parking space. I got a photocopied letter from the manager saying I would get the next parking space except if #7 moved out. Of course, the next unit to move out was #7, but finally, #1 moved out a month ago. Now that manager who wrote the note no longer works here, and the owner is not honoring my written note. I hear that they have already promised the space to the the new incoming tenants of #1. And this was without even telling me they were planning this. Do I have any recourse?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Does your lease say anything about parking spots?

I'm not a California attorney, and I don't know California law, but I bet that your only legal recourse would be the ability to break your lease, if you even have a legal recourse


Title: Mattress token, police won't accept me filing charges. What do I do?

Question:
Yesterday I served my wife with no-contact papers.

A couple of hours later, her mother shows up while I am in my backyard, she rushes into the house while I am repeatedly saying "don't go into my house" followed by "get out of my house."

She rebuts with a "nope, call the cops" and makes a beeline to the back of the house and takes the mattress. I'm on the phone with the cops as she is doing this. (She's sliding it, in case anyone doubts my mother in law's actions.)

She flips it into her truck and takes off. The officer arrives and basically says they will put a note in my address call history and to call back if she shows up again.

Today I went to the police station and said that I (again) would like to press charges. The same officer was brought up to talk to me and said that she would serve a criminal trespass warning.

I want the mother in law arrested for this. I'm not ok with someone taking something from my house and just getting away with it.

How can I pursue criminal justice/action against her?

Edit: This is in Southern GA.

Answer:
 Well one thing you need to know is that you have no decision in regards to the filing of charges, only the DA gets to do that. I wish TV would stop giving people the idea they can do it.

Yes she was trespassing. But if the cops aren't really concerned you don't have any recourse. You could sue her in small claims thought. Answer #2: Change the locks and keep them locked. Take her to small claims court. Replace your mattress with a Tempurpedic. Those things are about as heavy as a small car, no way anyone will be able to take it. You'll be laughing about this in a few years. It *is* pretty funny. Sorry.Answer #3: OP if you haven't already, I would also suggest maybe investing in a cheap surveillance camera for your back and front doors in case her mother decides to return for the bed frame or some sheets.

That will also provide you with some solid evidence of trespassing, etc.


Title: (wisconsin) mom used the college savings that they set aside for me on her master's degree.

Question:
Do I have any recourse? The account was in my name but is it even legally mine? This set me back financially big time because my parents didn't help pay anything for my schooling. It took me ten years to finish my degree between work and all the other things life throws at you.

Please don't think I'm entitled. I took the loans out in my name, went through private lenders because my dad refused to provide their taxes when I applied to FAFSA, and worked countless graveyard shifts despite 8am pit classes.

Answer:
 What type of account?Answer #2: If it is a 529 then the money does not need to be used on the beneficiary. Your mother can use it. What may be important is who contributed the money? If it was only your parents, then it’s their money to use as they please. If other relatives or you yourself contributed, and the money was designated for you, you might have some legal recourse, although I’m not sure.  Answer #3: What kind of account was this (an account solely in your name, a Uniform Gift to Minors Act or UGMA account, an account jointly owned with your mom, etc.) and when did it happen? Answer #4: Most people don't get their parents to pay anything for college.  They don't have to.

But if your parents refused to provide their tax returns then I would never speak to them again.  Go volunteer at an old folks home to find new parents.


Title: Need advice from employment lawyer

Question: Two people have the same job title, duties and responsibilities.  However, lets call her type a has more assignments and work duties required of her while type b doesn't get hardly any assignments and a lot less work required for him.  Would this be grounds for discrimination in the work environment. Don't care about keeping the job and risk losing employment status. I'm trying to see if this a valid discrimination situation! louisiana

Answer:
 Not unless you can specifically prove that A is being discriminated against because of race, gender, etc.  Not just that she is one of those things, but that animus caused by one of those things is the reason for the discrimination.

If A is just better at her job and her bosses rely on her more, that's not illegal discrimination.


Title: [Florida] Former customer [in CA] upset about prices paid in past transactions.

Question:
I have a small retail-goods business in Florida, and a customer in California has become upset with prices he paid for dozens of products, individually ordered and delivered over a three year period, ending late 2017.  He now believes he paid too much, and wants refunds or to return products.  I will not provide refunds/returns for products outside of our clearly stated (on every invoice) return policy, let alone products from 2014.

He contacted the Florida Attorney General, which sent their requests for information.  After my response and supporting documentation was received, the AG sent notification that the case was closed and no further actions would be taken.

Now, this former customer is calling every day and telling my manager that he wants to discuss this further with me before he takes more action.  He tells us the letter from the FL Attorney General offers recourse if he wants to pursue this further.  I ceased all communication with this individual from the moment we received the first letter from the AG.

So if the Florida Attorney General has determined that no wrongdoing has been committed, what kind of recourse does this former customer have?  What exposure does my company have?  All my permits, licensing, taxes, etc are in order.

Answer:
 None. So long as he paid the agreed-upon price at the time, he has no obvious recourse unless you run afoul of specific legislation, such as anti-gouging laws, or unless you were in a position of trust and abused it. If he thinks he paid too much, too bad.

That doesn't mean he can't sue, though. If he does, get an attorney and respond to the suit.


Title: Weezer only covered Toto's "Africa" after a fan-initiated social media campaign. It's their first number one single in a decade. Could that fan sue to gain earnings?

Question:
Specifically, the fan has been identified by name as a 14 year old resident from Cleveland. So it's known who she is.

The band only covered the song after this back and forth, and it ended up being their first number one single in a decade, including a limited edition 7 inch vinyl pressing and multiple online digital sales and Youtube views.

I am sure that made the band at least a cool million. Could that person sue for being the sole reason they pursued that idea in the first place?

Answer: No.


Title: My sister got physically assaulted but was told it was up to the DA to press charges

Question:
[CA] Like the title states, my sister was involved in an altercation with her ex husband’s new gf. She met up with this girl at a public convenience store to drop my nephew off with her. Due to animosity with current court proceedings and new gf’s jealously, new gf decided to take the opportunity to blindside my sister, corner her in between her car door, and beat her up while my nephew and my niece watch. The assault resulted in a black eye, a bald spot due to hair being pulled out, and a huge lump in her leg as my sister got her door slammed on her as she tried to escape.

My sister called the police as soon as the assault was over. A police report was filed. She then went to get a restraining order against her ex husband and new gf, they only granted her a temporary restraining order until the next court date. That was all. She also decided to press charges against the gf, but was told it was up to the DA whether charges would actually be pressed.

How can my sister get this girl the consequences she deserves? Am I or she missing something? What paperwork does she need to file in order for this girl to understand you cannot just assault people and get away with it

Answer: The DA basically looks over the case and sees if there's enough evidence for a complaint to be filed. Given what happened, she should be fine.


Title: Ex-roommate and ex-landlord demanding I return mattress of old tenant of whom I took over a lease for

Question:
I live in Tennessee in Davidson county. In January I took over a year long lease for a tenant who left while still in lease. My lease is up in October. When I moved in the old tenant had left a Brand new Tempurpedic mattress which I used for the last 10 months. 1 month in my new roommate picked his heroine habit back up and the next 9 months were filled with his junkie friends passing out on my
couch, cops coming to my door, him shutting on the floor, stealing my clothes and belongings etc. Upon move out my ex roommate lied to me and told me that the old tenant was going to come pick up the mattress one day after I moved out. I called bullshit on this because he was a pathological liar and manipulator. So long story short I took the mattress to my new apartment across town. Now my old landlord is saying that he rightfully owns the bed and that I legally have to give it back. If I would have had a bed when I moved in that I preferred over the temurpedic bed it would have been thrown away and no one would have cared. When I moved in the landlord said nothing about the bed and my roommate didn’t show any interest in the bed until he found out it was a good bed. So my question is do I have to give the bed back? I know I do not have any ownership over the bed but doles my landlord?

Answer:
 I would point out to your landlord that “selling” a secondhand mattress in the state of TN is a Class C misdemeanor with a $50 fine on the first offense. And if he plans to “sell” it to someone after you return it the second offense is Class B with a $500 fine. third + is Class A $2500.

“Sold” or “sale” in TN regs includes amoung other things: Lend, Lease, Deliver, Give away, Rent, Consign, Possess with intent to sell, Dispose of in any other commercial manner.

Tell him you have no interest in committing a crime by delivering a used mattress to him.  I am not sure what he plans to do with it but it would probably be a crime as well.


Title: Can you legally "Refuse" unopened spam mail?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: By marking all your spam "refused," you're just making more work for USPS. The company doesn't care if you send it back and it won't stop them from sending anything else to you. Just throw it away.