Title: The Lawn Mower & the Fancy Restaurant

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice! I have a question for you today!

A while back I started renting a house in my home town that is right next door to a REALLY fancy restaurant. I'm talking, suits & dresses type of restaurant. Their building is a historic building in town, and is in the middle of a residential area. I have a corner lot right next door, and have to mow the yard when it needs to be mowed. The restaurant's parking lot is too small for the amount of visitors they get so I have a TON of people who park on the street on either sides of my house. This really doesn't bother me, as my driveway/garage are big enough to accommodate a ton of people. This does, however pose an interesting question about once a week, when it comes time for me to mow my lawn.

If I look outside right now, I see all brand new vehicles, some of them with really expensive names.

My time during the week, when the restaurant is less busy, is VERY limited as I'm taking classes, and when I'm not taking classes I have my daughter. I've been sitting here all day trying to find a somewhat decent time when there are "less" vehicles around my house to go out and quickly mow, but I'm not sure if they're doing some sort of promotion or event, but they've been busier than they normally are.

The question is - Since my area has very Mature trees, and there are branches and acorns and such on the ground. Am i legally liable if I go out and mow my lawn, and an acorn or a branch gets thrown at one of these really fancy vehicles? I take great effort to point my chute in the opposite direction of any parked cars, but there are scenarios where this isn't possible, and scenarios where an acorn will shoot out the opposite end of the deck.

*edit* I live in Minnesota.

Answer:
 None of the specific circumstances regarding your situation make any legal difference.

In essence, your question is "if I accidentally cause damage to a car while mowing, am I responsible for that damage?"

The answer is yes.

Your renter's insurance policy may provide some coverage here- you should check on that.Answer #2: Put a grass catch bag on your lawn mower and you won't have anything to worry about.Answer #3: Have you ever approached the restaurant owner and told him you are unable to mow your lawn "safely" due to all the cars parking in front of your rental house? Perhaps he can put, "No Parking in Street on Wednesdays (example) and hand them to his regular patrons.Answer #4: Get a push mower. Think of it as a cheaper alternative to a gym membership!


Title: What are the legalities of offering bikini or nude house keeping services?

Answer:
 That's going to depend on location. Answer #2: Username checks out.

Your risk of being arrested for prostitution is somewhat less if you keep the bikini on.


Title: [CA] I was sold an illegal knife from an online retailer, caught and arrested. What action can I take against the retailer?

Question:
That's basically it in the title. I purchased a dagger (illegal in California, unknowingly by me at the time) from an online retailer. I was caught carrying it and was very confused as to why I was being arrested until the police officer explained what I was being charged with.

In my opinion it was very irresponsible of the online retailer to send this knife where it was illegal and I will be filing a lawsuit against them for all of my legal costs, my bail bond fee, etc. I cannot afford a lawyer so I'm looking for tips. Thanks!

Edit: Serious replies only please, I will report any trolls to the administrators of the subreddit.

Edit 2: Retailer is located in Pensylvania

Edit 3: Since the trolls are out in full force: I was charged with violating California PC 16470

Answer:
 None. You can't take any action. It is not the retailer's responsibility to check on those laws.  You are responsible. Period. Answer #2: According to this site, you violated the law not by owning the knife, but by carrying it illegally. If you had open carried the knife in a sheath hanging at your waist, that would not have broken the law.

http://www.shouselaw.com/dirk-dagger.html

It looks like the retailer sold you something that is legal to own. It's not until you chose to carry it concealed that you broke the law. So the retailer shares zero blame for your actions.Answer #3: OP I wanted to like you because I loved ATHF but you're being a complete dick. Like a Master Shake level dick.

You're hung up on this "well they shouldn't have shopped it to me so I'm not responsible for possessing it" which is a complete fiction. Yes, maybe they broke the law shipping it to CA, and maybe they could be charged with something, but that has nothing to do with your alleged crime in possessing it. You are still responsible for your actions, period.


Title: [AL] Do-it-yourself speed control

Question:
Hi, all,

I live in an apartment complex on a residential street in Alabama that has a speeding problem. Most people drive a safe speed, but many drive way too fast on our road, and I'm worried someone will get hurt.

My friends and I think we could petition the city to have a speed bump installed to slow down traffic, but the process to have such a device installed seems to be pretty long and burdensome.

We think our other option would be to simply go out one day and install a speed bump ourselves. We think that if we look sufficiently professional about it and do a good job, that the city would never even notice that they had not commissioned it.

How stupid is the latter idea?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > We think our other option would be to simply go out one day and install a speed bump ourselves. We think that if we look sufficiently professional about it and do a good job, that the city would never even notice that they had not commissioned it.

Jesus no. Unless you like being liable for all of your neighbors car repair bills. Every street in America has speeding issues. Yours is no different. Report it to the police and hope they beef up speed enforcement on your street. Beyond that you have very little chance without something happening that requires govt action (kid getting hit, etc). Answer #2: The city has broad protection from simple negligence claims.

You aren't the city.

You could get found out, and the guy who broke his car's  axle, or the kid who went ass-end-over-teakettle on his tricycle could sue you into the stone age.


Title: Statute of Limitations around paternity (Indiana)

Question: So about 5 years ago, my wife was having an affair with a friend of ours and everything came out. Action was taken and addressed and it ended. We then found out that we were pregnant and that we were going to have a baby girl. We never contested anything and she will be 5 this year. Just recently, my wife received an email threatening to be summoned to court over paternity. Paternity was established upon birth, and we have been raising our daughter all this time. He knew that we had a baby (we now have 3) and he's just not reaching out. What kind of case does he have? I know that he cannot force anyone to get the test but I have heard that refusal makes it worse. I've also read that the statute of limitations is 2 years from birth (with exceptions). Does anyone have any advice on this?

Answer: What exactly is he trying to do? Establish paternity? You're right about the statute of limitations for the most part. You'd be presumed the father at this point unless paternity tests would be taken, but I believe you don't have to consent to do that.


Title: Search warrant obtained from garbage contraband lacked connection to address... Motion to suppress?

Question:
wisconsin It started with a Crime Stoppers anonymous tip, followed with garbage pulls by the police. Contraband found in separate black bag, other bags that contained indicia of residency (mail with address) were white bags. There were no items that suggested the address inside bag with contraband.

I'm not questioning privacy rights, however, anyone could have placed the bag inside garbage can. bag with Contraband lacked Nexus to the residence therefore not supplying sufficient probable cause to obtain a search warrant.

 this is just a personal marijuana use criminal case nothing major. however another drug charge can affect my career and my family's future!!! please provide any insight if you feel this is a valid reason to file motion to suppress.

My very expensive lawyer doesnt seem too interested and I am beginning to second guess him...

Edit*** there was no other surveillance, no controlled buys, nobody watching garbage can to verify no tampering and I was person who put black bag there

Answer: Just because a possibility exists that some unknown mystery person could have put their garbage in your garbage can doesn't mean the search of your garbage did not provide probable cause for a search warrant. It's called 'probable cause', not '100% guaranteed proof'.


Title: Advice on what to expect from pain and suffering

Question:
Hi! I’m Jeremy and on 12/12/2018 I was involved in an auto accident that I was not at fault for. The lady who hit me admitted full guilt on her written statement. It totaled my vehicle I had only had for a week, I was left with lacerations and burns on my face and neck, busted lips and nose, a swollen, gashed, and bruised knee that required an X-Ray, and what could be long lasting physical and emotional distress stemming from the incident.
     Her insurance company was on point in offering me great value for my car, even more than what I paid for it, which was great! I guess I’m just really wondering what I should demand/expect from the pain and suffering and what my next steps should be. The state is West Virginia, and I have yet to receive the actual medical bills from my hospital visit. I received a letter today requesting insurance information. I can keep everyone updated, but any advice from legal pro’s or people that have been in a similar situation is highly appreciated!

Answer: Get a lawyer and bring them up to speed. And let them advise you on your next steps.Answer #2: There will be no way to tell after 4 days. Many suits are filed months or over a year later.


Title: Birth control failure

Question: I live in Texas and in late September I found out that I was pregnant even though I had been taking my birth control (Gildess FE 1/20) as prescribed. I went to my lady doctor for an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy and that's when I found out I was exactly 7 weeks pregnant. A few days later I had an abortion because it's not time for me to be a mother yet. This past weekend I went to my pharmacy to get a flu shot and the tech there told me that my birth control had recently been recalled. I asked her why but she said that she didn't know. So I researched it and found out that it had been recalled on September 28th, 2016 because some of it "showed a reduction in the level of ethinyl estradiol. Low levels of ethinyl estradiol in birth control can lead to an increased probability of pregnancy and breakthrough bleeding." So I guess what I'm wanting with this subreddit is for someone to be able to tell me what to do. Should I call a lawyer to report my failed birth control? If so, what type of lawyer? How would a lawsuit work for this? Could I get them to reimburse me for the cost of the abortion? How can i prevent this from happening to other women? And also, I was never contacted my my pharmacy about the recall. I only found out about the recall because I went in for my flu shot. My pharmacy is CVS btw if that makes any difference.

Answer:
 Birth control isn't 100% effective.  This one just happened to be much less effective than the manufacturer thought so it was recalled.

Pregnancy is the risk you take when you have sex.

Since its been recalled it wont be prescribed anymore, not sure what the proper channels for recall notification are.

There's really not much you can do here.


Title: [WYOMING] Suspected apartment safety and health hazard. Can I break my lease?

Question:
Hello!

I recently moved to a small town in Wyoming. This is a college town so during the semester available housing is extremely uncommon, I settled on the first thing I found. This is a renovated motel turned into studio apartments from the 19.

When I moved into my apartment on October 9th the landlord texted me the next day asking me to see if my heater works. I did not, so I let him know. He alerted me that someone would come by during the weekend to fix it. No one came by. It is now November 23rd and another resident who was hired by the landlord came by to check on the heater, then left without fixing it. Temperatures reach close to 0 degrees at night and as part of our lease we are not permitted to have additional space heaters. According to state law any outstanding issues must be fixed within 35 days of notice, and clearly he was aware it was broken before I even moved in.

Along with this, there is a rat infestation and I have rats coming in and out of my kitchenette through an unsealed hole in my wall where a 2x2 square was cut out to install a sink. I now can no longer store any food under my cabinets as they get eaten or covered in rat shit.

To add to this, when I initially moved in half of my bathroom wall was covered in mold. I took the time to clean it and immediately after I fell ill, I AM STILL SICK. My father in law works in the medical industry and believes I have come down with a mold poisoning or mold induced illness. Unfortunately, in order to test for mold poisoning medically, they would need to know specifically what kind of mold they are testing for, so at the moment I can't "legally" prove this.

This part is slightly more technical. I believe there are two electrical circuits in my apartment and one of them is currently out. I noticed immediately when I moved in that if I turned on my desk lamp or if I tried to use the microwave my bathroom light would rapidly flicker on and off. I have unplugged and tested every circuit and have narrowed it down to two outlets that share the bathroom circuit. Nothing is plugged into them at this time but when I went to go turn on my bathroom light today the fuse blew and the bulb busted. I obviously tried to replace the bulb just to be sure but it is definitely burnt and nothing works in any of the outlets now.

Landlord is currently advertising the open units and is offering free snow removal as part of the deal (it snows year round here) but outlined in our lease it is tenant responsibility to shovel all snow and salt any ice present or we are charged $75. I am not certain this is accurate, my husband has lived in Wyoming longer than me, but he has said it is within the Wyoming law that landlords are responsible for snow and ice removal.

When I try to contact my landlord he does not answer his phone, when I text him and ask to have a call with him nor meet him he says he will get back to me... and then never does.

How to move forward from here? Do I have any legal or reasonable grounds to break my lease?

I will be moving out regardless but $1300 for a student like me is basically life or death and I'd really appreciate my deposit back even if it means small claims court or getting Housing Authority involved.

&#x200B;
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 I would give you advice, but seeing as you live in the area where I'm licensed to practice, I'm treading dangerous water ethically if I start down that path. Wyoming does have a lot of services to help you, though.

The option that is easiest on your end is to go to Wyoming Free Legal Answers: [https://wyoming.freelegalanswers.org](https://wyoming.freelegalanswers.org) . You ask questions and attorneys respond. The difficulty with this solution is that it might take you a while for an attorney to respond to your inquiry.

Legal aid Wyoming also has some resources that can help you: [http://www.lawyoming.org](http://www.lawyoming.org) .

You might find some help at Equal Justice Wyoming as well: [https://www.legalhelpwy.org](https://www.legalhelpwy.org) .

I went to the University of Wyoming Law School. As a last resort, you might turn there for help. (\*EDIT: It's by the Arena-Auditorium).  They don't have a clinic or anything that deals with your particular problem, but they do offer free legal advice workshops from time to time. You could also go to the library and ask for some help finding the applicable law in the statute books there. The librarians are awesome and the kids that work there are law students.

With that in mind, here is the website to find any applicable statutes that might exist: [https://www.wyoleg.gov/StateStatutes/StatutesDownload](https://www.wyoleg.gov/StateStatutes/StatutesDownload) . Without giving you any advice, I feel like I can tell you that laws related to tenants and landlords begin at 1-21-1201.

Hopefully this helps.Answer #2: Where in Wyoming r u?  There was a post on here the other day from someone in Wyoming who was in a similar situation and won back his deposit in small claims court


Title: If I say im still in state even though Im taking online courses and switched drivers liscense to another state for instate tuition there to the SNAP food stamp agency. Will I be punished? If so whats the punishment? I heard I can still collect until next march before the residency list gets updated

Question: ...On their end, So I Would like to renew my food stamps this july now for 1 year and then maybe march tell them to cut me off. I dont know. Any thoughts?

Answer: [Fraud](https://www.fns.usda.gov/fraud/what-snap-fraud) is illegal.


Title: Homemade backbrace update

Answer: So the father swears up and down he'll never put his daughter in a brace but does it again anyway.  Even after the daughter wound up in physical therapy.  Even after a number of people probably told him it was a horrible idea and abusive.  This doesn't feel like stupidity on the part of the father anymore.  If feels like malicious intent.  Answer #2: Jeeez, it was bad enough to dislocate her shoulder? What did they do, stuff her into it? Answer #3: I am actually furious.


Title: Won in Small Claims, defendant is now filing to vacate judgement? (Indiana)

Question:
In April 2019 our neighbors two pitbulls broke through the fence between our yards and severely injured our dog. The total vet bill was $2500 for the surgery to save her legs. Animal control was involved and the neighbors were cited by the City, to which they pleaded guilty (charge - Loose animal causing injury to other animal).  We took the neighbors to Small Claims and they didnt show up in court, so we were awarded the full amount plus court costs as default.

We just got a notice today that the neighbor has filed a motion to vacate the judgement and a hearing has been set for 3 weeks from now. I was under the impression that this was only possible if the defendant was never served and didnt know about the court date, however we had the court serve them, so they dont have that excuse.

Do I need to appear at the motion to vacate? Will it be like a typical small claims trial? Will I be required to bring all of the evidence etc with me again? Most of the information I have found online is regarding filing a motion to vacate, there isnt much from the plaintiff point of view.

Answer:
 >Do I need to appear at the motion to vacate?

You should, yes, in case the judge has questions about service.

>Will it be like a typical small claims trial?

It just depends on the judge.  They might deny the motion.   If the motion is granted, they might offer the option of scheduling for a future date or hearing the case immediately.  I don't know your state's particular statute, but if it allows a motion to vacate to be granted for "good cause" that would include things like a medical emergency, traffic accident, etc.

>Will I be required to bring all of the evidence etc with me again?

Better safe than sorry, so, I would.Answer #2: You need to appear if you want to argue against their motion. I'd bring your evidence again, just to be safe.Answer #3: Definitely go to the hearing and bring everything scrap of paper you have. The small claim rules (Rule 10) allow the Judge to vacate the judgment “upon good cause shown” which is vague enough to be pretty much total discretion.

Most likely the issue is service. It does not matter who attempted service, there still has to be actual notice. Look at the case chronology and check to see if it was copy service or mailing without return receipt which means someone left a copy at or mailed a copy to an address. Neither proves actual notice. But don’t just look at the service itself, any sign that the other party knew the case was going on will work (such as a communication with you or the Court regarding the case).


Title: What can i do to fight a ticket i don't deserve (X-Post from /r/Protectandserve)

Question:
Hi,

I live in NYC. I was recently issued a ticket for using a portable electronic device. The problem is i don't think i actually did anything illegal. The law clearly states the the vehicle has to be in motion and It also defines "use". I wasn't moving and i wasn't using the device as the law describes. In fact it wasn't even working at that moment!

It happened yesterday at about 5:40 ish.

I just left a T-mobile store. I was getting information on how to get a warranty replacement for my cell phone which has started malfunctioning. After i left the store maybe 2 block away there was a red light. I came to a full stop at the light and picked up my dead phone to plug it in (The micro usb port is broken). So im still fiddling with the phone and i look up the light is still red but theres a cop car next to me with him peering through my window. He then points for me to pull over. And just to make things better as im pulling over the phone turns on.

During the stop he claims to have seen me facing down. And that maybe true i tend to change radio stations (On the car) a lot and i always have the air conditioner on full power until it gets cool again. But i certainly didn't have the phone in my hands while the vehicle was in motion. I absolutely hate when people text and drive and i will not do it.

I told him about the issue with my phone and how it is malfunctioning. When he mentioned my head being down i made no comment.

The mayor of NYC has been "Cracking down" on texting and drive and has increased the amount of points you can get from getting a 1225-C and 1225-D to 5 points. Being under 25 and having a license for under a year i fear that this will greatly effect my insurance and possibly my employability in the future. Money is a issue, paying the ticket will cause a big strain. Especially since i have to pay for my tuition soon.

NYC traffic violation hearing are notoriously non-receptive and this truly sounds like im just trying to skirt a ticket. I've been ticketed before and I've payed (Entered a Do not enter so i can ask the cop a question. He played a long asked me for my license and gave me a ticket. I did pass the donot enter sign so i payed it because i was wrong.) but i didn't do anything wrong here and i don't feel like i deserve it.

Please Help

Thank you
-Stuffstuff1

Edit:Missed some words

Edit2: I was not driving a commercial vehicle
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: The time to argue a ticket is not on the side of the road with an officer.  It's in a courtroom in front of the judge.


Title: Police can't find my traffic ticket, yet the fine keeps going up

Question:
In California. I got pulled over for the tail light being out. Was handed a ticket and given a court date.

I fixed my tail light, went to court and paid the fine ($25) by check. They collected my check and I was free to go.

One month later, they mailed me my check and I was told they could not find my ticket in the system. Everything was documented.

I was later summoned to go to court again, when I showed up they cleared me again and said they could not locate the ticket.

Today, I got a notice that I owe $197 now.

I had to go to court twice, miss work and am really unsure what to do at this point.

Answer:
 Is there a number you can call to speak with a clerk? Explain the situation and see if they can send you confirmation in writing that it is cleared up. It sounds like somebody who works there doesn’t know how to use the system correctly and has forgotten to check a box somewhere on their system. Answer #2: Contact a traffic attorney.Answer #3: If you have some time up then you should absolutely stop by the clerk's office in the court in question. They won't notice that there's a problem until you tell them and if fees sit unpaid then it'll start triggering automatic problems like license suspensions or warrants for your arrest sooner or later.

If that doesn't work or if you don't have time off coming up then you should contact a traffic attorney instead. They often have fixed rate fees to handle tickets, so I don't expect it to be too expensive. But the longer this goes on the harder it will be to fix.


Title: My first traffic stop has left me charged with a few felonies, including 'Impersonating an officer' (CT)

Question:
I just recently moved to a new town in the middle of nowhere after having lived around cities my whole life. It's a beautiful place, nice change of scenery, couldn't complain. However, I'm very quickly learning that the police around here are not so much in the "there's bigger fish to fry" mindset that cops in a city where dismembered limbs occasionally turn up are.

So, my car is a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. I bought the car about a year ago because it was cheap, reliable, and has plenty of space, which is good because I enjoy backpacking, and not many vehicles short of a crew pickup can haul 5 guys and their gear comfortably for two hours. Anyway, I had bought it from another guy who had bought it from an auction in VT. It used to be a state police car up there (the rust certainly confirms that), and was originally painted forest green like all the other VT State Police cars. The last owner, to help avoid confusion, plastidipped the entire car which made it a horrible peely-gray color that looks like someone had tried to spray paint it with dollar store matte spray paint. In addition to this, I painted my pushbar silver and added some fog lights to differentiate even further. I didn't want to just take it off because it left holes, and I'm 18 so naturally my friends and I all think it looks cool.

I was stopped while leaving town to get on the highway, and head back down to my old hometown to visit with friends, being that it's Christmas Break. The cop had followed me from the gas station, and I didn't break any other traffic violations to my knowledge. Upon being stopped I reached into my center console to grab my registration and insurance, which I'm now finding out wasn't a good idea. The officer knocked on my passenger side window, and I rolled it down. He seemed a bit uneasy and the first thing he said was "Are you a police officer?". I was confused, and gave him a bit of a sideways glance, but answered no. He then asked for my license and registration, and as I began to get it out of the envelope he asked if there were any weapons in the vehicle. I wasn't really sure if there was or not because like I said, I go backpacking a lot, and at all times keep at least a shovel, hatchet, and machete in my car, as well as plenty of other tools/knives/etc. So, I paused for a bit to think, followed by a bit of an "uhhhhhh" before answering "maybe?".

This had stopped me as I was handing over my registration and insurance, so he asked for it again. I reached over for it again, fumbling around a bit, and I was told to put my hands on the steering wheel. I did as he said, and he asked me again if there were any weapons in the vehicle, I told him again that I wasn't entirely sure, and he asked me to step out of the vehicle.

Once I got out, he asked if it would be okay to detain me for his own safety and I told him that wasn't a problem, and that I understood why he was doing so. He asked if I would be comfortable with him searching my car. I told him no, not really. I had just finished several weeks of moving, and there was still a lot of stuff in my car that I wasn't looking forward to organising again.

At this point I realised that at least another cruiser had pulled up behind the first officer's. He asked me a few basic questions, where  I was from, where I was going, et cetera and brought to my attention the specific reason that he'd pulled me over. My girlfriend had given me a bumper sticker (about a year ago) that read in white letters 'UNMARKED POLICE CAR'. He explained that he believed that this fit the criteria for 'impersonating a police officer' so he stopped me.

Another officer came over, and started talking to me. Nothing important really, almost just regular smalltalk, except that I was handcuffed. It was actually kind of pleasant, he seemed like a nice guy, asked how I liked the area, school, etc. Then the first officer came back from the front of my car holding a knife that he found in the center console. I usually carried it for backpacking and general excursions into the woods because it was over 4" and was a fixed blade, which is just uncomfortable to carry around in most cases anyway. I stood around for 5-10 more minutes while they continued to search further. They turned up a half a bottle of alcohol, and less than a gram of marijuana. I was then escorted to the first officer's cruiser (I got to ride shotgun! woo!) where I was placed under arrest. At some point prior, and again now, I was read my rights.

As I was sitting there, admiring the much nicer looking crown vic's interior, I noticed them open up my trunk. First they went for my backpacking bag, finding nothing significant (undoing my sleeping bag though :( that thing's a pain to put back). Then they started pulling things out of a box that was left over from moving. It was basically just scrap, I like to tinker, so it was things like a DVD player case, some old motherboards, electric motors, and unfortunately for me, bb gun parts. I'm certain that none of them are functional, else they wouldn't be in my box of scrap, but they pulled out two or three guns that looked more or less intact and told me that I was in possession of facsimile firearms. They also brought a piece of barrel that I had cut off to make repairs, acknowledging that this section of barrel had an orange tip (It was far more than just the orange tip, it was almost all of the barrel assembly).

Anyway, I was brought back to the state trooper barracks, and processed. I have had no past incidents with the police in any manner, I had never even received so much as a parking ticket. Regardless, I'm now being charged with 1. Impersonating a police officer 2. Possession of alcohol by a minor 3. Possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana 4. Possession of a weapon in a vehicle 5. Sale and possession of facsimile firearms.

I'm really more confused about how I got into this mess than anything else, but I really don't have too much money to spare for a lawyer, but three of those offences are Class D Felonies. I really don't want to go to prison obviously, and I certainly would like to avoid any serious fines because again, I don't have that much money and I don't want to burden my family with something that's my responsibility.

Any advice about what I should do next, the severity of my situation, and what mistakes I made that I should have avoided (other than having marijuana and alcohol, I *am* in college after all, not that that's going to do me well as an excuse).

Thanks in advance, and wish me luck :(
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer:
 For god's sake get off Reddit and get a lawyer *today*. Don't talk to the police any more, let your lawyer handle it.Answer #2: The only question I can answer is the one where you asked what mistake you made that you could avoid in the future.

I wouldn't drive around an ex-police car with a bumper sticker that says "unmarked police car."

Good luck. Answer #3: you talk to the police to much. The answer when they ask you is "no I don't have any weapons" they are talking about guns. This cop is an extreme asshole for trying to get you for impersonating an officer, but you WERE acting weird. The sad state of affairs is that you can't really talk to police.Answer #4: You need a lawyer at this point. If you need help finding one, contact your state bar association. A lawyer will be best able to walk you through this.Answer #5: You said you're in school, no? Your school may have a legal aid type service for students, especially if there's a law school associated with it. Worth asking about. Otherwise yeah, start looking around. And you may have to bring your parents in on this one- with the right judge, right lawyer, right tie, haircut, and demeanor this might be a "holy shit, that was close" moment. Or it might be a "my whole life changed right there" experience. Pay what you need to so that it's the first.


Title: Suspicious cat death

Question:
Hello, and I'm sorry if this is the wrong subreddit for this inquiry. I appreciate any re-directs if it is.

My sister's beloved cat was killed in a very suspicious way last night in a rural county in California. She found his body under her car this morning, dead. There was no blood or any organs anywhere to be found, and the cat doesn't appear to have any internal injuries. His nails, however, are filed completely down. There are also weird, (to my eye) skinny tire marks in their driveway that weren't there before. My sister took pictures of the tire marks.

Is this something she could take to the police? Should she wait for a vet inspection to see if this was of natural causes (he was young but had controlled diabetes)? From what I understand, cats are considered property in California.

Thank you!

Answer:
 How are his nails filed down? Neatly like a person did it, or kind of jagged and rough-looking, possibly split? If it's the second, that's a very common sign that the cat was hit by a car.

What do you base the 'no internal injuries' on?Answer #2: Without proof of (a) another identifiable person involved and (b) actual purposeful destruction of the property, there isn't any action for the police to take.


Title: [KS] My friend says she was raped. The police turned us away. What now?

Question:
This situation is pretty fucked up and I have rewritten this post a thousand times but I keep getting emotional. So I feel like highlights are my best bet.

-the weekend after thanksgiving my friend went on a 3rd date with a guy she met on okcupid.
-he invited her to his place for a home cooked meal.
-she had a great evening until it got late and she wanted to go home. He tried to argue that she shouldn't leave and said "this is the 3rd date! I pulled out all the stops!" and then after blocking her from leaving and arguing he restrained and raped her.

I only found out about this on Sunday. She was convinced it was her fault, she knew better, blah blah blah.

Yesterday I convinced her to go with me to the police station to report the incident. We spoke with an officer who, after hearing everything, asked me to step away. I could see but not hear them talking. My friend was visibly breaking down and began bawling. The officer abruptly left.

I asked her what he said. Apparently he asked her what she expected him to do when she never went to the hospital and didn't even know the guys last name (just an internet profile and where he lived).

She refused to let me take her to a clinic for STD tests or anything, she is so vulnerable and in denial right now. That cop made everything fucking worse.

Is there a next step we can take that won't drive her deeper into a self-deprecating depression?! She needs help and he needs to be held accountable.

As a side note she took an Uber to his place the night in question and afterwards she took an uber home. She also has that Google map location thing on her phone that shows where you have been.

Is there anyway we can use that to catch him in a lie/show the cops/a DA? ANYTHING?

I am certain if the next step we take does not show results she will drop this, continue to blame herself, and not be the same for a long time.

Answer: Report the rape to another cop at the precinct you went to the first time. Answer #2: If she doesn't want to pursue it with the police, doesn't want to go to a clinic, and believes that it was all her fault, then there isn't much you can do from a legal perspective.  You're a great friend, but without the victim's cooperation, the case isn't going to go anywhere, so you might as well stop pressuring her.  Answer #3: Stop pressuring her, she's been through enough.  If she decides later that she wants to pursue it she can call the police again and hopefully not another jackass.


Title: when are my parents not liable for my actions?

Question:
I live in Austin,Texas and am 15 years old. i will soon be moving out of my house to live with a friend and his parents for private reasons. My parents are okay with this but there only concern is if I do something Idiotic (break the law) will they be held responsible for my actions even though i'm not living in there home.

  thanks

Answer:
 Your parents would be committing a criminal act if they don't insure you are being cared for properly.

Otherwise,
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/FA/2/B/41/41.001


Title: can she keep my son from me?

Question: GF kicked me out of an apt. we both lived in (CA). She won't tell me why I had to leave, she just said she can't trust me, & she's concerned for our son's safety. Apparently I'm an unfit parent, but I was almost certain a court has to decide that. She will not let me be alone with our child, even if I beg, therefore she hovers & inspects every fiber of my existence. Also, when I ask to take my son to birthday parties, to hang with his cousins, or see his Grandma, she cites breastfeeding & unilaterally determines that he can't go much to the dismay of myself & my family members. I'm just really hurt & lost. Has anyone ever dealt with this kind of situation? Is there anything I can do to see my son more?

Answer:
 >Is there anything I can do to see my son more?

It sounds like a mess of a situation. Unfortunately when things get to this point and your partner isn't willing to work with you, your only realistic option is to go see a family lawyer and petition the court for your visitation rights.

There would also be the question about whether or not your GF actually had the right to kick you out of the apt you were sharing - but if you aren't asking about that as well can I assume that you've sorted somewhere else to stay? If you are still on the lease at the apt though you will need to get yourself taken off it as soon as possible.Answer #2: Without a custody order, unfortunately the answer is yes.

Go and lawyer up.

Realistically, if she is still breastfeeding the child is young - you won't get overnights or extended periods of time. But you will still get some form of visitation with the child. This will change over time and increase as the child stops breastfeeding.


Title: I think they're trying to create an easement without telling me.

Question:
I am in the middle of trying to purchase land out of state. I think the land owner is trying to create an easement for his friend who owns land around the subject property. I was sent one contract which I signed, but then the seller refused to sign and wanted his attorney to add a section about some irregularities in the fence. I was told that because of the terrain the fences were built a little over on the subject property and a little over on the neighbors property so it was pretty much a wash. They said they were just putting it in the contract so it was clear that I knew that the fence lines were not on the property line in certain sections. After talking with them I understood why they did it and it made sense to me. I figured I still own the land, the fence just isn't on the property line. But when I look at the new contract specifically section 2. A. below. It seems like they are creating an easement. Part B seems fine, but A seems wrong. This is in a very rural farm area where my family is from, the neighbor who is referred to in section 2. A., just uses to cut from one of his fields into another. I have no problem letting him continue doing so for now, but I want to have a say who comes and goes. I don't want to create a legal right for him or any one he sells the land to, to come and go as they pleases. The attorney who wrote the contract, who specifically states in the contract, I should seek my own legal counsel said thats its not a big deal and & it doesn't create an easement. I just don't trust him or the banker I am dealing with they keep trying to play this small town "main street"  down home simple folk hackey routine and I don't like it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. My question is does this create an easement or change my property lines?

"specifically including Seller’s mineral estate in the subject property and free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, except easements and restrictions of record, if any, and subject to the oil or gas leases of record.

	2.	There are two property boundary matters that apply to this property.

A.	In the Southeast Corner (SE/c) of the subject property there is an unwritten consensual easement approximately 16.5 feet in width that allows access from the Northeast Quarter (NE/4) to the East Half of the Southwest Quarter (E/2 SW/4) in the same section as the subject property.  Purchaser shall take subject to this easement.

B.	There exists a hedge row along the North boundary of the subject property.  The fence that once existed on the North boundary was replaced by new fence and instead of removing the hedge row to construct the new fence it was agreed that the owner of the subject property would construct one-half of the fence approximately thirty-five feet South of the North property line along the East one-half thereof and the owner of the 	(removed address)
would construct one-half of the fence approximately thirty-five feet North of the North property line of the subject property along the West one-half thereof."

Answer: They’re not trying to create an easement without telling you. It sounds like they’re creating an easement by specifically telling you.


Title: General

Question:
 How are unpaid interns legal?
Question:Isn't it a form of slave labor therefore unconstitutional.

Also sorry if this is the wrong subreddit.

Answer: I don't think you understand how slavery worked. Answer #2: Most states have rules about internships that require, for example, that interns be compensated with school credit and/or that they not do anything that would typically be done by a normal paid employee for the benefit of the company.


Title: [BC, Canada] Childhood family counselor was charged and imprisoned for grooming and sexually assaulting a client using 'alternative sex therapy'. He behaved the same with us

Question:
Hey everyone. This might be the wrong sub for this but I'm not sure where else to start.  Apologize in advance for the wall of text and any confusion, I'm over my head here and it was tough to keep my own opinions and feelings out of this.
Ok.

This psychologist was charged with sexually assaulting a client over a three month period during his seven months of counselling her in 2010. He was given two years in prison July 2014. We were patients of his between 2000 and 2007 and I was a minor throughout.

During the initial investigation they suspected he had victimized multiple clients and were asking people to come forward. I didn't hear of any of this until a few months ago.

Would it be beneficial for the investigation or possible future investigations if I spoke up now? I'm not looking to press charges myself and I don't know if my situation would qualify with no sexual contact.

Is it social workers and psychologists that deal with victims during investigations like this or police/government?

I would like to get mine and my mothers records sent to another psychologist. When I tried to track them down I found out he was never registered with the college of psychiatrists. Couldn't find any information on where his would be stored after his office closed or if he's even required to when unregistered. Would all of his patient files be seized and stored in case of further investigation?

He was a registered social worker until he gave up his licensing in 2008 during a different complaint against him. I doubt there would be a cross over with patient records but I have no idea how social service colleges interact.

 I've got a poorly written novel that I'm going to add here in case the details are important.  If it's inappropriate for here I'll delete it.

**TL;DR,** *the bastard manipulated my mother into leaving my dad, turned her into a man hating recluse along the way and treated my 'anorexia' by lifting up my clothes*

 My mom recognized within the first few paragraphs that the 'therapy' he used on this woman(let's call her Ann) was identical to his treatment with her, both seeking help for anxiety and social dysfunction. She denies that there was physical contact but that's not something she would (or should) share with me if it had.
My therapy with him was sometimes sexually focused in similar ways with less direct language and focused on self-esteem issues.

All three of us were told to masturbate for homework.

He requested Ann and her husband participate in couples sex therapy. When her husband refused he told her that he was not understanding or to be trusted and he was no longer a safe person to discuss their alternative therapy.
He started touch therapy by placing a hand underneath her shirt on her stomach and groomed her in stages progressing to penetration and other invasive acts, calling her a quitter if she asked him to stop

We initially had a family session, then my parents had a single session together. After that he told my father that he refused to work with him. I don't know if he told him during the session or even in person. He started telling my mother the next session that their relationship was negative for her, that he was entirely to blame for her psychological issues. My mother had an extremely traumatic and abusive up bringing. Death of a 3 year old sibling from neglect and suicide of a 19 year old sister. She's the only member of her family without severe alcoholism and this was her first time seeking counseling. My parents divorced late 2007 and she developed extreme hostility towards men in general. When I'm dating someone she is demeaning and manipulative to me and there hasn't be a single situation where it's even lessened let alone stopped. She's an intelligent, funny and gifted woman. She hasn't had a friend in years, is severely isolated and spends her time reading the news. She's focused on abortion rights and derails almost every conversation to bring it up but only superfically, anything more stresses her out and she gets angry.

My experience with him was strange.Our sessions turned into a social break for him to talk about his education and time in the army. He started booking my appointments during the evening between 8 and 10. The times we talked about me were typically focused dating and sex,self-esteem and his concern for my weight and possible 'anorexia' .Every appointment he would ask me to lift up my pant legs or my shirt to bare my stomach, then tell me I was to skinny. Sometime ask me to turn in a circle. A couple time he touched me but it never went past that. We would sift through hot-or-not after I mentioned it one session asking me to rate girls and telling me not to compare myself. I stopped my appointments when I got into a relationship that he disapproved of greatly despite me becoming more stable. I started to become aware of how inappropriate the relationship was but didn't how damaging the effects were on my relationship with my mother.

The entire time I was treated by him our appointments were like this.

Answer:
 >Would it be beneficial for the investigation or possible future investigations if I spoke up now?

Yes. The better-informed the government is about the extent of his misbehaviour, the better-situated they will be to make appropriate decisions about his release conditions.


Title: My dad has left my mom, who has no income, and is living with another woman.

Question:
My dad moved out of our rent to own house last month. There are four of us, my mom,  brother (18), sister (20), and me (25).

Out of us, I am the only one who works besides dad and managed to secure a job less than two months ago after graduating college.

I live in Ohio, and the job only pays 12 an hour. I cannot reasonably  support my entire family. My mom has health issues, my brother has autism and my sister is currently trying to find some sort of job.

My dad has begun to take more money out of the bank every week, to support himself living with another woman. My mom and dad are not yet divorced, and have gone through none of the motions for divorce yet.

I am very concerned about what we should be doing. My dad makes an okay amount of money, but my family somehow lives from paycheck to paycheck.  We own two dogs, that my family (brother especially) are attached to that are too big for any apartments near me to accept.

Legally, what can we do? Is there any programs I should be aware of, the way my dad talks it sounds like he plans on stepping out as much as possible. Is he able to do that?

He also has said he's cutting his hours, leaving salary to work less, which means for the time being I'm going to have to step up and pay most of the bills while we still live in our house. This job was supposed to be for saving for a car of my own.

Answer:
 > Legally, what can we do?

Your mom needs to file for divorce ASAP.  If your dad continues spending all of your money unchecked, it won't matter what happens in the divorce.


Title: [MN] Ex boyfriend pulled out of business. All the loans are in my name

Question:
Hello. r/relationships suggested I go here.

&#x200B;

I'll keep it brief. My ex boyfriend and I are both professional chefs and were planning on starting a restaurant together. He has really bad credit, so when we took out the loan we put it in my name. About six months ago, he revealed out of nowhere that he had been unhappy for a very long time and he had fallen in love with someone else. He bailed on the business, leaving me with a massive loan I couldn't pay back on my own, and started a restaurant with this new girl who comes from a wealthy family and put up the capital to start the business.

Do I have any legal options or am I just fucked?

Furthermore, he has left his cat at my apartment, as he moved in with New Girl and her building doesn't take pets. He told me he would get the cat back when they moved, but it's been six months and nothing has happened. I have threatened to take the cat to a shelter, and he has threatened to sue me if I do. Can he do that?

Thanks!

Answer: Lawyer...tomorrow morning. This is far beyond the scope of this sub.


Title: [CA] USPS won't return postage marked RTS.

Question:
In my old home in New Jersey, I would occasionally write "RTS" for "Return to Sender" on junk mail. I would put it back in the box and I would never see it again.

When I arrived at my new apartment here in San Diego last week, I got a whole bunch of mail that wasn't mine piled up in my mailbox so I wrote RTS on it, put it back in the box and expected nothing. But much of it did come back. At one point the delivery carrier circled the "Current Resident" on one of the junk mail advertisers. I underlined the RTS, wrote refused on it and it came back to me the next day. On Saturday, I wrote "3rd refusal" on it and it still came back to me today.

I checked the [post office rules about recipient services](http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/508.htm) and it says nothing about forcing recipients to accept mail we don't want.

This morning I spent an hour on the phone with ASK-USPS. The customer service agent understood completely and advised me to file a complaint, which I did. She said the postmaster would take care of it, but this afternoon I went to the post office to speak directly to the postmaster. He told me outright that mail marked "Current Resident" must be delivered to the addressee. He could not cite any rules or anything. I told him that if it were anybody else besides the post office knowingly sending me unwanted correspondence four times and counting, I would be going to the police. His last words to me were, "See you in court."

WTF?

I'm waiting on hold for another customer service agent now to report what he said.

Answer:
 You're abusing the Return To Sender function. It is to return mail that wasn't delivered to the intended recipient. YOU are the intended recipient.

Stop being a dick and making extra work for USPS. Instead, go on the Direct Marketing Association's website and opt out. This will wipe out 90% of your junk mail. https://www.dmachoice.org/Answer #2: Ummm.... so you are upset you are getting mail being sent to "current resident" and are making a huge fuss with the post office instead of throwing it away?

Why?

Do you want your postal delivery person to hate you?  Because this is how you get them to hate you.


Title: Is it a big deal to not show up to traffic court in Virginia?

Question: Hey r/legaladvice. I got a speeding ticket recently and have missed the deadline to prepay. I was going over 80, which in Virginia should reckless driving, but the Cop let me off with just a normal speeding ticket. I wasn't planning on going to court because I was just going to pay online, but do I need to now? I am worried that the Judge will up it back to reckless driving since I'm not showing up to court. Also, is it possible that I could get a failure to appear for a speeding ticket? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 If you didn't pre-pay by the deadline, you *must* appear in court. 100% the judge will issue an arrest warrant for you if you fail to appear. (I've sat in VA traffic courts and listened to judges handing out warrants like candy.)

If the officer wrote the ticket for speeding, not reckless, that is what you are being charged with. However, regardless of the charge, or how you choose to plead, you *must* appear.


Title: [Australia] Footage of my mother's home posted on Youtube by a disgruntled uncle. Shows her address, every single room in her house, including my bedroom. Title includes the address of her house, and states that she is a 'disgusting child abuser' How do I get it taken down?

Question:
Some context: My mum recently allowed my uncle to stay in our house after they moved here from America. After we refused to evict our tenants to allow him to move into our rental, he became angry and forced myself and my mother out of the house. Between this time and when we were able to return to our house, he had removed his belongings from the house, and presumably filmed the video he later posted on Youtube.

What are my rights here? If he's posting defamatory, and completely untrue content online, and making the address I currently reside in available to the public, what can I do?

EDIT: Forgot to mention, it also includes my mother's full name.

EDIT 2: He has now edited the name and description of the video to remove my mother's name and address. It still gives our suburb, our street sign is visible at the start of the video, and our house number is shown as well. I have proof that he changed the name and description, and have screenshots of the original name and description.

Answer:
 What does YouTube's TOS say about videos of this type?  Have you tried reporting it to them?Answer #2: luckily i just had an exam on this very topic. So we definitely have defamatory material in how he described your mother. Now, do you have exclusive ownership over the house? If you don't know that's ok since it's not a common thing people usually worry about and i can figure that out later. You could claim him taking your house and filming inside of it to be trespass, any kind of unauthorised filming inside of the premises is trespass, i should add.

This is almost certainly defamatory, by my studies it's almost open and closed. He's clearly making untrue accusations with a malicious intent and he's specifically identified your mother as such.

I'm not sure on the legality of publishing your address alone, but coupled with the rest it certainly makes negative imputations about you. You have a case, you just need a lawyer.Answer #3: What were the circumstances of his forcing you out of the house? It might not deal with the video, but a restraining order may be a good idea in this case if he was violent or belligerent. Look up your local laws to see what the criteria are- this probably qualifies.Answer #4: Report it to the police and see what they advise.


Title: Pregnant as a Correctional Officer in Indiana

Question:
I work at a prison in Indiana and was in the general population area until I was at 8 months. I was only taken out when I got a doctors note stating I could no longer perform my job because it was putting me into pre term labor after s trip to the ER. I was told that I shouldn't have been able to go past the crash gates once they knew my situation. And they hired me knowing I was pregnant. I couldn't find any information online. Does anyone have experience with this that could link me to the right page or tell me if I could possibly take legal action? There were other areas available that they could have put me for my own safety that would have been less strain physically and they didn't because of how understaffed we were.

Edit: Took out a detail about the prison that could make it obvious which one I'm referring to. Not trying to defame.

Answer: You can speak to an attorney but it doesn't sound like anything illegal happened here. It was possibly a policy violation but you weren't injured by violence, correct?


Title: Social host violation (St. Paul, Mn) cops let themselves in through unlocked door and searched house without permission to enter house

Question:
My roommates had a party the other night and long story short the cops got called. Our house is very well insulated for noise (you couldn't hear anything outside because we tested the sound levels before), we put blinds over the windows so you couldn't see in the house so basically from the outside you couldn't tell anything was going on without being right next to the house.

Some people we kicked out called the cops on us and when the cops showed up they claimed that their probable cause was people walking outside the house that they claimed were drunk. (most likely were but at the same time they had no way to prove it because they didn't breathalyze them or check IDs) they walked in through the front porch, ignored one of my roommates who was on the porch asking who let them in and let themselves into the house, started to hand out citations to people. Then once the cops were in the house they proceeded to search through all the bedrooms and moved things around looking for things.

I guess I'm thinking the cops had no right to enter our house based on their claimed probable cause or search our rooms without a warrant. My roommates asked the cops multiple times who let them in and did they have some kind of warrant to search through our belongings while we asked them not to and did not give them permission to enter the house in the first place.

Answer:
 Probable cause would not require proof that the people outside were drunk.  Appearance of intoxication plus a phone tip could possibly be the basis of PC.

The standard is "would a reasonable person believe that there is a substantial probability that criminal activity was occurring".  So, college town, phone tip re underage drinking and apparent drunk persons outside? Sure.  A reasonable person might very well conclude that.

Also note that any adult can let them in.  They're not obligated to ensure that they were admitted by a tenant.


Title: (Oregon) I opted to contribute 7% of my income to my 401k, but today I found out that I contributed only 2% for a total of 5 years. Any advice would be helpful.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: similar just happened to a co-worker here. HR was skimming that income for them selves. Company paid him for all missing wages though. HR is faceing charges. contact DOL.Answer #2: Don't your w2 forms show pretax 401k contributions? Somewhere around box 12?


Title: Can a couple that commits crimes together go on trial together?

Question: Are there any examples of this that I can read about?

Answer:
 [They can](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/when-defendants-joint-trials.html), but if you're talking about sharing a lawyer, they all have to agree that their interests don't diverge at all, since a lawyer cannot represent two people with conflicting interests.

So, it's rare because there usually ends up being some blame placing between two or more codefendants.


Title: University forced me to take down a sign for "violation of conduct"

Question:
 I currently attend a private university in New Orleans. I have had an issue with housing for having an unregistered pet on campus in which I was forced to move off campus on short notice or face fees. The cat is now staying at a friends house off campus while I am waiting for my support animal accommodation to be approved. Being someone who deeply cares for their pet, I put up a sign on my window stating, " thank you for forcing me to give my cat away. Hope it feels good ruining someone's day." I will admit it was passive aggressive, however in my opinion it is not harmful or threatening towards another person.

 Due to it violating conduct, I had to meet with a member of housing for a conduct meeting.  During this meeting a photo of the sign in my window was presented in which the staff member said I should consider removing it, however she never stated it was a violation of conduct and needed to be removed. It has been around two weeks since this incident, but today more events occurred.

I am at work, so this story is from my room mates. Apparently the assistant director of housing, not the same person I talked to in my conduct meeting, came to my room looking for me. During this time she aggressively instructed that the sign on the window needed to be taken down due to it being a violation of conduct. However, after reviewing all conduct policies I can't find one violation. If the sub allows it, I will edit the post to include a link to the code of conduct so I can get your opinions. In fact there is a section that states there is no tolerance for interference of freedom of expression of others, which is exactly what they did in this situation. I am drafting an email to send to her to verify that is why she requested it to be taken down and asked what policy I am violating. If she is able to show me a section that clarifies why it is a violation then I may not take it further. However, I feel as if they are violating their own policies by making me remove an item that violates their own code on freedom of speech in addition to violating the first amendment.

If anyone can provide what I can or should do next, and clarify if this is a violation of my rights that would be very helpful as I do not want to push the issue if it does not violate my rights.

Answer:
 There is no legal issue here.

You admittedly took a disallowed pet into your residence knowing it was not allowed.  You have created this situation.

Your school is free to interpret or make policy as they see fit and you must work within their mechanisms to resolve the situation you created, and have now exacerbated.Answer #2: >having an unregistered pet on campus

So you admit to violating the rules?

>in addition to violating the first amendment

That's not even how the first amendment works. Answer #3: > If anyone can provide what I can or should do next

Grow up and follow the rules.Answer #4: Instead of seeking an accommodation for your pet under the pretext of describing it as an ESA, why not move off campus with your friend?

Edit: OP described the cat as a pet, but also said that OP was seeking an accommodation for a support animal.


Title: If i get asked to be searched and comply but they get to my glove box and its locked but i dont have a key to open it what happens?

Question:
State: IL
Reason for stop: speeding or basic traffic stop but then the cop believes im high

Cop asks to look around the vehicle, I comply. Everything checks out till we get to the glove box. It's locked I say all that in it is my wheel keys and some duck tap. I have my spare key that doesn't open the glove box and left the other at home. What happens next? Could the cop hold me there? Would I be free to go? Would it be beneficial to video tape the whole interaction?

Answer:
 You can withdrawl consent at any point and also limit your inital consent to not include the glove box. If the officer can develop probable cause to suspect there is contraband in there, they can get access the space, causing damage to your car if nessecary to do so. It might also require the car being impounded and brought to the police lot, where they might have some kind of master key.

The smartest thing is to never carry any contraband anywhere in you vehicle, locked compartment or not. Answer #2: Consent? No. You can withdraw consent at anytime or limit consent to not include the glove box.


Title: Client ripped me off for $495, I can't afford a lawyer, how can I get the money that is owed me?

Question: I'm located in Florida, US.

Answer: Depending on what country and what state you live in, you can probably sue the client who owes you money in small claims court.  But without any more information to go on I would bet that you will spend more time and money on this client and not recover anything.


Title: I lost my wallet with $200. The person who took handed it in but the amount is less than what I had.

Question:
Hi everyone on Reddit. Sorry in advance if things sound a bit out of order, I’m so flustered right now because I didn’t think this would become quite so big. Not even sure whether it’s legal to post about this on the web.

So I came to Korea on holiday and my cousin gave me $200 in cash (4 x $50 notes) which I put in my wallet. I went to a internet cafe after that around 1am to spend the night there. After a few games, I went for a smoke at the smoking room and took my wallet with me since I didn’t want to leave it unattended by my computer. Then I forgot to take it back with me and left it there.

The guy who took it has been caught on cctv and I got his details from the manager. Upon contacting him around 5am, he said he handed it in at a police station near where he lived and showed them his ID as well (let’s call this Town A which was around 50 mins away from where I was) but that he couldn’t remember exactly which station it was since he was a bit drunk. Manager confirmed that he did indeed seem a bit drunk when paying. I searched up police stations in Town A and came up with 2 results, and after having called both, was told that nothing had been handed in and that those were the only stations in Town A.

I kept asking for the time when he handed it in, but he wouldn’t give an answer. Instead, he said that he would go check for himself at around 8.30 in the morning.

At around 8, I got a call from a police officer and was told that the guy came to hand in the wallet NOW (instead of before around 5am like he claimed) and that he insisted there was only $154 (3 x $50 plus some dollar notes that I originally had) when he picked it up. Manager of internet cafe had told me that even though he used dollar notes to pay for a drink he bought, he paid for his internet cafe fee which cost $4 with a $50 note. The currency system is quite different in Korea so it’s hard to explain, but this is the best comparison I could do. Obviously he took out a fifty from my wallet and paid for it, but there is no way to prove it.

So the most obvious explanation is that he took the wallet initially to keep, but after receiving my message about having obtained cctv footage, decided to pretend he had already handed it in. But he only just went for whatever reason (too drunk/cbf/etc) so I have proof that he lied about it. All in all there is a lot of evidence that it’s him but because we don’t have substantial proof (no way to prove that I originally had $200 and not $150 like he claims), it might not be enough to achieve anything.

It just makes me so angry that he wouldn’t be honest about a friggen $50 note. I didn’t come to Korea with a lot of money, and the $200 from my cousin meant a lot to me. I know it’s my fault initially for having misplaced my wallet, but the fact that he keeps spitting lie after lie and won’t front up and is willing to take it to court angers me. Is there any other way that substantial evidence can be provided? I am more than happy to provide additional information!

Answer: 150$ is better than 0$. Hold this W and have a good rest of your trip.


Title: Cell phone search at school? * Please read below *

Question:
Hey, I go to a catholic Archdioceses school in Pennsylvania. Today at school I was caught on my phone by the Disciplinarian. I went to his office and he took my phone. When he had it he saw a text from my mom pop up saying something about my neighbors (Not relevant) so he asks me what I was doing and I told him I was texting my mom which I was doing. He then proceeds to ask me to unlock my phone to see what was in the phone, I told him I didn't want to ( I have sensative texts with my Gf and stuff on there I didn't want him to see) so he starts yelling at me to unlock it, I todo him that he didn't have the right to search it, and pleasantly asked him if he suspected I was doing anything illegal on it at school. So that really pisses him off so he tell me that he can do whatever he want cuz I'm on school ground. So I tell him I think I'm protected by my rights, so I think this starts scaring him and he kinda fucks off and gives it back, after asking me numerous times what I was hiding on there.

so my question is am I protected at school even though it isn't a public institute, and did he have the right to tell me to unlock it?

Answer:
 You don't legally have to let him search your phone, as in you will not be arrested for not letting him.

You can still be disciplined for using your phone in class and not letting him search it, if that is the school policy.Answer #2: It's a private school so no.  They can punish you for failing to comply.


Title: Brother's posessions stolen by a police officer

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice,

My brother was recently arrested on a DUI charge. During his detainment, the officers (or perhaps a certain officer) confiscated his belongings. From what I understand, they are required to document whatever belongings they take. However, when my brother was released, he found that he was missing a $200 watch, and that the watch was omitted from the list of belongings. It seems likely that in his drunken stupor the arresting officer swiped his watch and pocketed it.

At this point I've accepted that there is likely no solution to this problem. However, if only for the sake of curiosity, I would still like to pose this question to the community. Is there a route for legal recourse in this situation?

\* This happened in California

Edit: ~~Thanks for the replies, everybody. It really is fascinating to learn about how the law works, and humbling to learn from some of the replies~~.

Never mind, next time I want legal advice, I'll go somewhere with actual lawyers. Reddit has become a cesspool of pseudo-intellectuals seeking to flex their egos. /r/legaladvice has not been spared.

Answer:
 >  It seems likely that in his drunken stupor the arresting officer swiped his watch and pocketed it.

It does?

It is certainly *possible* that the watch is missing because a cop stole it.

But I can think of hundreds of more likely scenarios by which a guy in a "drunken stupor" loses a watch.

You can file a complaint with the department and they will investigate.  Or you can sue the officer.


Title: Seaking education :)

Question:
I am a married woman and we are childfree.  If I decide to have a baby,  absolve my husband from responsabilies and divorce him. Is there any legal documentation needed to prevent me or anyone else (relatives) from a change of heart?

I  am pretty sure my family will go after the father if I am not longer in the picture.

So if a mother absolves the father from responsabilies is there anyway they can come back at him? Can you reject be a parent legally?

Edit location : USA
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: I'm not sure where you are, but in the US, a parent is always liable for child support, no one can waive that.  The only way you can "reject being a parent" is by terminating your parental rights - to voluntarily do that, there has to be another person who wants to adopt the child (ex - your new husband if you get remarried).Answer #2: No there is no way to do this. You should get divorced first and go to a licensed sperm bank if you want a kiddo with no legal father.


Title: Can I void a notarized statement that I was coerced to sign?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Was this notarized statement an affidavit or prepared by a professional?  Or just you and your family member practicing some calligraphy on some wide ruled.

One thing is clear, you need to stop lying.  Stop lying to your doctor.  Stop writing down things that are lies.

If you feel you are still in danger, or someone is violating a restraining / protective order, then call the police.  If she is strong arming you with the statement you wrote, then beat her to the punch and report it.

> Is there any way to make/prove the statement invalid and that I was forced to sign it?

Yeah, I suppose.  But if it is just a statement that some notary stamped, it doesn't mean much in the first place.Answer #2: > She is now blackmailing me with that statement and is threatening to turn it over to the cops so I would get convicted of perjury

Go to the police. Today. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

A notarized statement only proves that YOU signed the document. Because that's all a notary does. It does not make the document valid, or prove that you did not sign it under duress.

Your family member is full of shit.


Title: Selling Medical Equipment Online

Question:
Hello,

I am considering starting a ecommerce business selling Medical Equipment but was wondering if there is specific licensing I need. I have heard a lot of conflicting advice out there. I am in Dallas, Texas.

Thank you!

Answer:
 Yes, and lots.
If you do this without an attorney you will lose your business at minimum.


Title: Friend thinks he can have alcohol in America at age of 18 because he’s British. Please tell him how wrong he is.

Answer: As a Brit who visited the US aged 21 and six months: very wrong. One venue even denied me entry with a British passport as they'd been told "not to accept foreign ID".


Title: Family stole over twenty-one thousand dollars from me, swapped anti-depressants from my mediset with ecstasy for many months. I've recently moved out, but they keep pestering me. And the place my family got myself hired at over a year ago may be fraudulent.

Question:
Early 20's/M/AZ

**Summary:**

After having financial issues from taking a risk on starting a home business (and failing) – my family put their house on the market almost 2 years ago (and it still hasn’t been sold), so they tried to steal my money and manipulated me in the progress. They gaslit/isolated me to the point of detachment, stole the majority of my savings money and later swapped my prescription pills with ecstasy. I am still being pestered by them despite moving out in December, My brother in law who got me my last job was working under the table with my boss at the time. I was working under his name for a while to receive paychecks from work to him, then sent to me (I’m still legally employed, but back on the company’s name to make up for missing checks I didn’t get during certain periods while working under my brother in law’s name.)

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**Full story:**

My family (Mother, Stepfather, Sister, Brother in Law) had turned against me after having severe financial trouble and putting their house I was living in on the market almost two years ago. They started by gaslighting me to the point of detachment - I was very reclusive, agoraphobic, and had little to no trust in others outside of my family or online for years due to trauma I've experienced as a teenager, so they took advantage of my blind trust in them. It started small - they were saying rude things to me, then denying it - claiming that I'm just 'hearing things' - then whenever I'd confront them. E.G :

I would respond: 'are you saying that I'm hallucinating?' - they would say 'no, I said that you weren't paying attention. Stop jumping to conclusions!'

Run of the mill gaslight abuse. I thought that they were just lashing out due to stress initially, and even brought it up consistently, offering to help out with what is going on. But things got worse - they would do this same thing constantly to the point of causing myself to punch myself in the face/self harm from nervous breakdowns from confusion and being yelled at - then blaming me for it. I lost confidence in my own self, got detached, thinking that nothing in the world made any sense. And keep in mind that I wasn't hanging around anybody but my family and occasional chit chat at my workplace at the time that my brother was working at.

Keep in mind that my brother (who got me the interview at the place I was working at before the house was on the market and when the family turned against me - had connections with my boss prior, got me an interview to work and got me an 'accommodated' position without my consent due to my mood instabilities, social anxiety and issues with inattentiveness by request from my brother in law. I was doing good for a while - although I began doing extremely poorly at my workplace starting in the spring of 2018 - as in messing up all of my audits I would input and working at an extremely slow pace. I've found out through my supervisor that I was being accommodated despite everybody at my workplace denying it (including himself for a long time.) They were losing money because of what I'm doing - and my supervisor admitted to have been skimming through the sheets and checking/retyping all of the serial numbers after shifts.

Another thing I would like to bring up is that my brother made me work under his name (with my consent - blindly trusting him, losing sleep and being gaslit - I believe he mentioned something about doing that so that I would work full time hours when the workplace only allowed part time hours? But don't quote me on it.)

So the gaslighting had continued - he was stealing my own belongings, throwing them out and denying it. And my mother had stolen 21,000 from me that I had agreed to put under her name so that I could 'continue to receive SSI benefits and my deceased father's monthly SS money.' That $21,000 was given to me by my mother before the manipulation began (when the house got on the market - she worked for years to get me on SSI and to pass down my father's social security savings and monthly compensation from him - not even spreading them out between my other siblings.)

Over the summer of 2018, he brought over housemates he used to be close friends with that got evicted from their house. One of the two is a felon and a member of the church of scientology. I knew that something was up, and even brought up my issues to my mother. She claimed that 'he would never do anything bad! Stop over-analyzing and worrying!' He kept interjecting things in conversation that were off topic just to provoke me, and even claimed that a family member of his 'got in trouble for a crime, swapping pills of a resident they took care of.' From that day on I started getting too hypomanic, stiff joints, rashes, bowel control and bladder issues, getting little to no sleep (0-2 hours per night) - and started getting super paranoid, making incoherent babble, scratching/twitching/walking around for hours at a time doing nothing, fast heart rate - I had a psychotic breakdown and threatened to leave the house to become homeless. I took a cab to the ER room at a hospital to stay that night - I took a lab test and the results were that I had ecstasy in my system. I had been drugged unknowingly and against my will.

So it turned out that one of those two housemates was replacing one of my three nightly pills (anti depressants) with ecstasy. I've initially thought that they were spiking it in my drink/food - but after moving out and taking my remaining pills the first time after leaving, I was getting the same effects I described. Thank goodness that I stopped taking my prescription meds nightly before they moved in (since I was planning to ween off of them anyways - I only took them maybe 0-3 nights a week.

So I wanted to move out because of this. My family was convincing me to stay to pay rent and utilities for \~700 per month combined and convinced me that it was cheaper than being on my own (they needed me to stay so that I can support the mortgage on the house on the market.) In November - I started to tell them that I'm moving out to avoid conflict issues and to let them cool off. Then they started to threaten me, saying that they will cut off my free mobile phone line, cancel my SSI benefits and monthly that I'm getting from my deceased father's Social Security, etc.) The apt that I scheduled myself to move into is not much more costly (\~800 + utilities) And when I finally started to pack and make my decision final - my family met up one evening to talk myself into staying, my brother in law took everything he said back, telling me that he won't cancel my phone line or do anything to hurt me - that he would do anything to help me because I'm a brother to him, etc. I just cussed him out after over half an hour of begging after telling him many times in that time period that I'm just going to have to leave. Then my sister threatened to steal my wallet and demanded to give it to her. I ignored her and took off with my backpack with clothes and took a cab to an apt that I applied to earlier that month ( and got approved for.)

I was receiving paychecks from work sent to him, then sent over to myself (I was transferred to my company's name again in September.) I still had to drop by at the office to pick up said checks until telling my supervisor to mail them. The last time I did - my brother in law was putting on an act being nice, even went into a room to converse with me, telling that he wanted to help me with my sleeping issues and that he wanted to give me some 'supplements he bought from the grocery store.' Yeah, not buying that.

There were checks that I never got while working under my brother, and I'm still being clocked in at work automatically by my supervisor despite not working; just to make up for the missing checks. This time, I'm getting checks delivered directly to my address. I wanted to resign - since my brother was bringing gossip and rumors about me to my coworkers, and because he was working under the table with my boss that he somehow had prior connections to.

I've asked my supervisor politely that I would like to write a notice to resign back in late 2018 - and confirmed to him that I'm legally off the Job. Turns out that I'm still legally employed - to make up for the checks I never got (I still have several more coming up.)

Lately (since moving out) I keep getting texts and phone calls from my sister and my mom asking to check up on me, giving me compliments and asking if I could come over for dinner/coffee. They have even given my numbers to extended family that I barely even know and my siblings that I haven't talked to in many years or barely even talked to at all - one of them is a landlord here in AZ who told me that I should check out his complex that his company is building, since 'I live in the same neighborhood.'

My mother periodically stops at my complex, knocking on the door 'just to talk.' Today, she was in the complex and surrounding area knocking periodically from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM - she lives over 25 miles away from me. After the third time she kept knocking - I told her respectfully to leave. She insisted that she wanted to talk and check up on me - but told her that I will file a restraining order if she won't get off the premises. I told her that I'll call 911, and she said "ok, I'll leave!" The pestering has been happening far more often over the past week or two.

So what procedures should I take?

Can my employer/boss screw me over since my brother in law was working under the table, and is there anything I can do about it? To be fair - I don't think they are super close, and my boss may be unaware of what my brother is doing to me - and that he is just accommodating me under his request (it's only a guess however.)

Is there anything to do to get the money back and to sue my family? The only evidence is that I have the ER lab results for being drugged - although there isn't any proof of them drugging me. And I never signed a signature when I confirmed to give them the money under my mom's savings and that it still belonged to me - that I could withdraw it anytime with her card. And as I mentioned - I'm all alone on this, I have no IRL friends or witnesses, and my family and relatives are all close/supportive for each other all their lives and can wind up biting me in the ass if I go against them. It's important to add that I've said things during sleepless nights on ecstasy after being detached that can come off as hate speech (which didn't reflect my views - I was babbling incoherently and saying over the top things.) - and I know that my brother in law has been recording certain conversations I've had with him on his phone (even bluntly playing some of them in front of me - although none of the inappropriate stuff I've said, and I don't know for sure if he recorded any of it.)

I've filed a place report last Thursday and the police decided not to go forward due to lack of evidence (no proof of them drugging me or signatures for the deal over the transfer of money), not even initiating investigations.

And if this case is a lost cause - what can I do to be safe from them - getting them off my back from phone calls and visiting my unit? To make sure that they can't use my SSN and birth certificate for fraud? Being sure that my mail gets redirected to my new place? I already made the redirection in December with the USPS - but who knows if there are important things my family are still receiving at my old mailbox? And I've never done my taxes before - will the fact that I've been working under my brother in law's name mess me up if I needed to do tax returns? Or am I fine so long as my current job under my company's name provides the documents for filing taxes?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 21 grand is way over most jurisdictions' small claims limits. If you plan on suing your mother to try to recover the money you were storing in her bank account, you'll want to talk to an attorney. The Arizona Bar Association runs a referral service for the public.

Your response to your mother coming to your door is pretty much perfect. If she keeps it up, follow through and file a police report.

> To make sure that they can't use my SSN and birth certificate for fraud?

Freeze your credit. r/personal_finance's wiki has good advice on how to do this.

> Being sure that my mail gets redirected to my new place?

Your USPS redirection will cover most of that. Change your address in services like your new bank account, your employer's records, and so on, and remember to update your address for your driver's license, health insurance, and so on as well.

> And I've never done my taxes before - will the fact that I've been working under my brother in law's name mess me up if I needed to do tax returns?

Receiving income under your brother's name and SSN may complicate your taxes, yes. It might be worth getting an actual accountant (a CPA) to handle your tax return this year and to give you some advice on how to resolve the problems this has created. The fact that your employer is continuing to "employ" you against your will and is issuing new pay checks this year for back pay is also likely to complicate your life.

> It's important to add that I've said things during sleepless nights on ecstasy after being detached that can come off as hate speech

Completely irrelevant. Hate speech, on its own, isn't a crime.


Title: Sold a car privately two weeks ago and now buyer is threatening to sue because the car will not pass inspection.

Question:
**NEW YORK**

As the title says, I sold a car privately through a craigslist ad a few weeks ago. Before purchase the buyer came and inspected the car, looking under the hood and even the under the chassis, as well as taking it for a test drive. I answered any questions which he asked me about the car. There was a three day gap between when he said he would buy the car and when he actually picked it up due to the DMV being closed on the weekend, giving him ample time to have the car inspected by a third party.

This morning I received a lengthy text from him saying that the car will not pass inspection because when it was put on a lower suspension the heat-shield is now too close to the gas tank. This is an issue that I was never aware of. Also, he claims that there is no catalytic converter on the exhaust because the aftermarket one I had installed years ago apparently didn't have one, although I have passed inspection with this car within the past year. He claims he wants to settle this "amicably" or else he will seek legal recourse. For reference, this is in New York. Does he have an legal ground to stand on or is this a case of an "as is" sale?

Answer:
 There is no implied warranty in a private transaction. Unless you committed some sort of fraud or intentional misrepresentation, his suit will fail. As is means as is. Answer #2: A lot of that just doesn't make sense. First of all, since when do inspection stations measure the distance between the heat shield and the gas tank?

Secondly, the onboard diagnostics would be going crazy if you were driving around without a catalytic converter. Your check engine light would have come on.

When the work was done 2 years ago, was the check engine light disconnected?

I am unfamiliar with the specific requirements for New York state car inspections. Are there some counties in New York which include an emissions check, while those in other counties do not?

Here's an obvious question: was the car even due for inspection? Has it been a year since you had it inspected?

My suspicion is that he took the car into a dealership for the inspection, and the dealer is playing games to try to get him to buy a new car from them.


Title: How would I go about suing a company like Pimax to get a refund on a preorder?

Question:
I am in Michigan and the company is located in China. They make virtual reality headsets and are fairly popular in the US.

Timeline of events:

On November 1, 2019, I placed a preorder totaling at $1459.51 for a device called a Pimax 8KX at pimax.com. This order was for a device meant to ship out in March of 2020. I did not realize this at the time of order and requested cancellation on November 5, 2019. Their policy was right on their front page at the time of ordering stating I could cancel the preorder at any time. I received a response on November 13 asking for my order number which was already given previously. I gave this and received no response after 5 days and initiated a dispute on November 18. On December 4, 2019, Pimax finally responded and asked that I cancel the dispute and keep the order. I then told them in no uncertain terms on December 23 that I wished to cancel the order once more. They responded on December 25 asking me to cancel the dispute before they would be willing to refund me. This response was told to me repeatedly in my last communications with them.

The credit card company responded shortly after saying they sided with the vendor and ended my dispute. I can only imagine that Pimax lied to them to keep the money.

Answer:
 You can't sue a company in China. American courts don't have jurisdiction there and collection would be impossible. You could hire a Chinese lawyer to try and handle it for you, but not over a $1,459.51 claim.

You need to get back with your credit card issuer and appeal the denial of your dispute. Ask to speak with a supervisor. Explain very clearly that you have not received any merchandise and the company is now saying that it's not shipping out until March 2020, and as they're based in China, you'll have no recourse if they fail to follow through. That should be a slam dunk dispute.

In the meantime, also file a complaint against the credit card issuer with the CFPB. That will generally help light a fire as well. You can also try an executive escalation; Google around for an email for your credit card issuer's executive office, or try and guess their CEO's email based on name and company's email format.